Hey everyone!

Today's update is aimed at getting everything as ready as possible for Annie's impending release on Steam (beyond her current Early Access form) and PS4. Her full release on Steam, which includes her Story Mode, is still planned to be released alongside her big debut on PS4.

As such, the Beta character and balance changes are now part of the main "Retail" version, and the Beta version of the game has been temporarily retired. (The Beta mode option will return once Umbrella enters her alpha phase sometime soon.)

The full update notes for this version are below!

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As you'll probably notice immediately when you boot up the latest update, we've added a NEWS FEED to the main menu! Here, you can find the latest and greatest news going on for all things Skullgirls. Expect this to update frequently (without requiring a game update, even on console!) with live events, streams, big announcements, merch drops, etc.

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Please note that some of the newest translations for these tutorial updates are a work in progress, and we expect to release bug fixes this week for any issues found. That said, please do let us know if you see any issues so we can fix them!

• Added Annie's tutorial and 4 trials.
  (Note: Per community feedback, Annie's trials maybe a bit more challenging than other trials, as they are focused on giving players full combos that are both practical in matches and also show what she is capable of. Please let us know what you think!)
  
• Updated tutorials for Eliza, Robo-Fortune, and Beowulf, to teach their new mechanics.
  
• Updated Eliza's AI.

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• As mentioned above, all Beta character changes are now live in the main version of the game. The beta mode has been retired.
  
• The Hurting is no longer invisible on Beowulf's back if it returns to him while Beowulf is performing chairless jHP or sHP.
  
• Updated the position of the "• Leader •" text above the lifebars to its intended location.
  
• Fixed a bug where Big Band's 26th palette wasn't unlocking correctly.
  
• Fixed a bug where Painwheel, Beowulf, and Robo-Fortune could lenient button dash immediately after absorbing a hit with armor to avoid damage.
  
• Updated the layering and masking on Annie's ground throw so the opponent is correctly inside Sagan's mouth before the hit is delivered.
  
• Fixed an issue where Double was not using the latest reversal timing out of blockstun, hitstun, and wake up. Her buffer windows are now the same as other characters.
  
• Fixed an issue where button dashing while leaving hitstun or blockstun could unreliably give a normal over a dash.

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• Added NPCs to the background of Annie's stage, Sound Stage 15!
  
• Updated the city background at the top of the Medici Tower stage.
  
• Added a "Practicing New Characters!" lobby title.
  
• Added a -screenCapture launch option which will hide "Beta" and "Debug Key Slow Mo / Paused" text, and will hide the green playback arrow during Dummy playback. (This is for use when recording videos or taking screenshots.)
  
• Fixed a TON of translation and localization issues across all languages.
  
• Fixed a few issues with tutorials.
  
• Fixed Double's command list referring to being able to do Cilia Slide by pressing F + KK.
  
• Fixed some fights in Story Mode and Challenges where Peacock would accidentally use Charged Shadow of Impending Doom over Shadow of Impending Doom.
  
• Hopefully fixed an issue where a lobby name could display as LobbyName0.
  
• Fixed floating character sigil art on P1 side during a solo vs solo on character select.
  
• Fixed an issue where some of the UI screens related to lobbies could overlap each other.
  
• Added and adjusted words in the "Typing Of the Skullgirls" game mode.
  
• Updated credits.

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In other news, the Skullgirls 2nd Encore official forums known as "Skullheart" have gone through a full redesign, reorganization and relaunch!




Sign up on the new and improved forums to join in on the discussion, report bugs, share your feedback and suggestions, and more!

Sign-up (or just browse) by using the links below:
https://skullheart.com/ ← BROWSE
https://skullheart.com/register ← REGISTER

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(Build version 3.2.0)

Hello, Liam here.

This is a small update that focuses on some final polish. This is likely the final gameplay and balance related update before Annie's full release.

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• Updated Parasoul, Peacock, and Cerebella's palettes that reference Annie of the Stars to have their colors more closely match that of Annie. Also, some effect colors (and other cool things you will want to look for...) have been updated for these palettes.
  
  Note, these palettes are NOT updated on character select or in the retail version of Skullgirls. This a beta only update for these palettes while we test them out.

• Bonus hitstop on Crescent Cut (M) is also now applied to airborne targets.
  (... Most notably, she can now link into sLK against airborne opponents.)
  
• Fixed a bug where Annie's jMK gave meter gain equivalent to a light normal, instead of a medium normal.
  
• Star Power activation input is no longer valid if a forward input is between the two down inputs.

• The Hurting will now correctly appear on Beowulf's back if it returns to him while he is performing chairless cHK or cHP.

• Fixed a bug where Peacock's sword during Bang! (M) would become detached from her gun if it was countered by Annie's taunt.
  (... This required a large refactor of how this move is displayed, please let me know if you see anything strange with it!)

• Valentine's Savage Bypass adjustment from last update no longer applies to the air version of the move. Only the ground version will make sure to create a hitbox if it touches the corner.
  (... This change was primarily focused on preventing Savage Bypass assist failing to spawn a hit sometimes, but not change what corner routes are possible or stable. The air version may be adjusted again in a future update as "Quality of Life" improvements, but this is too risky to leave in for now.)

(Build version 3.1.22)

Hey everyone!

While there have been no shortage of updates as of late with the recent Umbrella announcement and various Beta mode updates on Steam, with the end of May right around the corner, we wanted to quickly provide some updated info regarding when you can expect the full DLC (including Story Mode, etc) to be live on Steam and PS4.

As many of you are no doubt aware, our original announcement indicated that you could expect the Annie DLC to release on both Steam and PS4 in May.

As it stands, while we expect to finalize everything within the next few weeks, realistically we likely won’t be able to fully launch everything until sometime in June or possibly even July.

Beyond wanting to get as much time as possible to test and tune Annie and the other balance changes in the Beta branch, much of this is simply due to standard game development bugaboos like unforeseen issues and process/pipeline improvements we needed to iron out.

That said, the biggest hurdle we have to clear is the upcoming Sony submission. As I’m sure most of you know, the release process on Steam is much more straightforward than it is on Sony, mostly due to Sony’s certification process, which can cause a release to be delayed weeks depending on any issues that pop-up along the way.

The good news in all this is that the folks at Sony have been super helpful and supportive, so we’re optimistic that we’ll be able to release sooner rather than later. That said, the nature of this process is that it is full of surprises, so we don’t want to speak too soon.

As such, while we have every expectation to lock everything down in June, it may not be until July before the final DLC hits on all platforms.

One of our goals from the get go has been to ensure that we simultaneously launch as much content as possible on all platforms at once. As noted in our earlier post, the main exception to that is gameplay features that benefit greatly from rapid iteration (which is much easier on Steam than it is on PS4), hence our Early Access release.

While we plan to continue to release Early Access updates (including Annie’s character tutorial and combo trials) to Skullgirls 2nd Encore on Steam as content is finalized, the final DLC release (including certain content like Annie’s Story Mode) will only be fully released on Steam once the PS4 version is good to go.

For more information about our plans for the Nintendo Switch, Xbox 360, and PS3/Vita versions of Skullgirls, please see our original Season 1 Pass FAQ.

Needless to say, we really appreciate your patience and understanding while we hammer all of this stuff out. Since this is our first full rollout across all platforms, there’s a lot of up front setup work that we only need to do once, so we have every expectation that future DLC updates will go more smoothly and thus will have more predictable dates.

Thanks so much once again for all your support - we can’t wait to share the final DLC update as soon as it’s ready!

<3
Charley (and the rest of the Hidden Variable team)

Hello, Liam here.

This update focuses on some final Annie tuning, and other changes. As a heads up, this is likely one of the last beta mode updates before Annie's official release.

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• Added "Lenient Button Dashing" for all characters. When using two punches to dash, you can now press those two punches one frame apart instead of needing to press them on the same frame.
  (... Over a thousand changes all for one bullet point! Please let us know if you see any strange behaviour surrounding dashing with any character.)

• Simplified JHK assist call rules - can now call assists at any point during JHK.
  
• Annie will now forget her Re-Entry sequence and go back to the first kick if she DHCs out and the combo she was involved in ends.
  (... Fixes some confusing sequences where Annie immediately performs the third Re-Entry kick on incoming.)
  
• When cHK connects against Sekhmet, she will omit the follow up swipe to provide a more consistent conversion like all other characters.
  
• sHP hitbox slightly improved.
  
• sHP start-up reduced by 1F.
  
• sMK active frames reduced from 6F to 4F.
  
• sMK recovery reduced by 5F. Hitbox and blockstun adjusted to maintain previous frame data on hit and block.
  
• sMP start-up reduced by 2F.
  
• sMP active frames reduced from 3F to 2F.
  
• sLK hitbox improved.
  
• sLK first two hits pull the opponent in closer, and the pull in effect has been increased.
  
• sLK pulls the opponent down quicker on the final hit.
  
• Adjusted eye patch star, and projectile star colors for better visibility on palettes #19, #25, and #26.
  
• Crescent Cut (L) knockback slightly decreased.
  
• Crescent Cut (M) knockback vs air slightly decreased.
  
• Crescent Cut (M) bonus hitstun vs air from the previous update has been reverted. General hitstun has been increased by 1F on both air and ground instead.
  
• Crescent Cut (H) knockup slightly decreased.
  
• Crescent Cut (H) hitstop increased by 2F. Hitstun increased by 3F.
  
• Star Power passive meter drain over time greatly reduced. Now drains 1 bar every 15 seconds, previously 1 bar every 10 seconds.
  (... Annie can play a bit more patient in neutral without bleeding too much meter, and getting hit leads to a smaller amount of meter lost over the course of the combo.)
  
• Fixed a bug where Sagan would not inherit effects like Valentine's poison when separated from Annie.
  
• Fixed VFX bug with tag-in.

• Beowulf's collision box is extended forward during Hurting Hurl (M and H), to prevent him from stepping out of throw range.
  
• EX Hurting Recall can no longer be reflected, like other Hurting hits.
  
• EX Wulf Blitzer damage reduced, it now deals damage equal to half way between the last and not-last hits of the regular non-EX version.
  
• Improved visibility, brightness, and contrast of Beowulf's most recent #28 palette.

• Fixed an issue where Double's outtake would not always wall bounce the opponent when appropriate.
  (... This was especially noticeable when Double uses an outtake on Sekhmet.)

• Fixed a bug where Eliza would not play her death KO scream when dying in Sekhmet form to an armor breaking move.

• Fixed a bug where JHK would still hit overhead when chained into even after using the recently adjusted "Instant Double Jump Cancel" technique.

• Attempt to fix Parasoul's version of "huggies" - Egret summons and Napalm Shot now must end in a forward input (not down forward) if Parasoul has recently used a forward dash.
  (... Dashing into cLK or cMK shouldn't give Egret, most notably.)
  
• Fixed a bug where Parasoul was unable to use Egret Summons while a Napalm Shot was traveling on screen.

• Fixed a bug where Peacock's "George's Day Out" assist would build meter even if could not throw it because George was already on screen.

• Fixed a bug where Savage Bypass would sometimes fail to produce any hitbox if Valentine touched the corner as the hit should have been delivered.

(Build version 3.1.21)

Hello everyone, this is Jesse! I hope you're having a good day!

This is a small patch for a few issues discovered with the Season 1 Pass Palette Pack update.

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• Annie's HUD Portrait has been touched up to address an issue with her sleeves.
  
• An errant black frame in Pillar of Creation has been fixed.

• The collar color on the new Season 1 Pass Palette Pack palette (#28) has been updated. This affects both Retail and Beta.

(Build version 3.1.20)

In case you missed our Teaser Trailer…

FINALLY, everyone’s favorite salty sister is getting her time in the spotlight! Ice cream for everyone!

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Okay, CUTE. But how will she PLAY?! For that, let's kick it over to Liam:

While Umbrella is still very early on in development, we wanted to share some details about where her gameplay direction is heading at the moment. Please note that this is all HEAVILY subject to change after further testing and development, and the terms used to describe her toolkit and states are a work in progress…Umbrella is a small character with BIG swings thanks to her living weapon, Hungern. While she is slow with limited movement options, she can use special moves to approach with some risk.Most of her attacks will involve Hungern in some way. Hungern will get hungrier as the match goes on or after performing certain actions, and his hunger level will influence his move properties.For example, If Hungern is STARVING, normals that use him are slower, but moves that involve devouring the opponent are stronger. If Hungern is OVERSTUFFED, moves that involve him conjuring something from the depths of his stomach may have bonus effects. Hungern is quite RAVENOUS and dangerous when he is hungry but not yet STARVING - expect to be rewarded if you can maintain this narrow window of power! Umbrella players will have to manage Hungern's hunger level or at least adapt to how her moves change based on Hungern’s state.

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While we don’t have any official dates to share, since Umbrella is being developed in parallel for 2nd Encore and Mobile, you’re going to be able to play her earlier than ever!

Alpha (~2 months)
Steam Season 1 Pass owners will be able to play a “sketchy” version of Umbrella while she’s still early in development (similar to the original 2nd Encore DLC characters). Everything will be subject to heavy iteration - but you’ll be able try her on for size before anyone else. You may even get a sneak peek at her Stage and Music...


(Early Umbrella Stage Concept Art)

Beta / Early Access (Q3 2021)
Similar to Annie’s Early Access release, this is when Umbrella will be made available with full finished animations and other general gameplay tuning adjustments planned for DLC2. Once we are done with our extensive testing/tuning per player feedback, it’s time for...

Full Release (Q4 2021)
Similar to Annie’s Full Release (coming soon!), this will include Umbrella in her final state, along with her full Story Mode! Who knows, we may even have a clue or two regarding the 3rd Season Pass character by then…

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In celebration of the Umbrella announcement, we have made the Season 1 Pass Palette Pack available RIGHT NOW! Simply download the latest update to check them out:

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In addition, both Skullgirls 2nd Encore and the Season 1 Pass are on SALE on Steam for a limited time! If you’ve been waiting to grab the Season 1 Pass, or you have a friend who has been thinking about getting into Skullgirls overall, now’s a great time to pick it up.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1557981/Skullgirls_Season_1_Pass/

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Itching for more behind-the-scenes goodies? You’re in luck! Keep an eye on our social accounts (Twitter / Facebook) for regular animation previews and even livestream animation sessions with the amazing artists at Future Club.

We can’t wait to share everything we have in store for Annie, Umbrella, and beyond. Thank you all SO much for your endless support!

<3
All of us at Hidden Variable, Future Club, and Autumn Games

Hello, Liam here.

This is a small update that introduces the Season 1 Palette Pack, exclusive to the Season 1 Pass. You can read more about in our recent announcement.

This update also sneaks in a few extra changes for gameplay tuning, but the rest of the changes will be arriving later.

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• Anyone who owns the Season 1 Pass on Steam now has access to one more palette color for each character. If you don't own the Season 1 Pass, it's on sale right now!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1557981/

• Crescent Cut (M) and (H) have 5 extra frames of hitstun against airborne opponents.
  
• Crescent Cut (H) knocks the opponent back slightly less far compared to before.
  
• Fixed a bug where Annie's jMP would sometimes prevent the opponent from pushblocking it.
  
• Photo Bop (QCB+PP during Star Power) now scales as a level 5, instead of a level 3, greatly increasing its damage at high scaling.

• Based on community feedback, the new shield block indicator has been adjusted to be more visible. Its size, animation timing, color, and lighting have been tweaked.

• If Ms. Fortune double jumps within the first two frames of her leaving the ground, her air normals will hit mid for the remainder of the jump.
  (... This removes her "IDJC" jLK mix up, but keeps "IDJC" usage in combos (where it is considerably easier to execute) the same as before.)

• Vial Hazard type C (Orange Vial) no longer drains at half speed when Valentine is being hit.
  (... It will now always vanish in the usual 8 second duration instead of sometimes lasting up to 16 seconds if Valentine is hit. Managing to hit Valentine with input delay isn't met with this punishment anymore. Both players should be able to more accurately estimate when the effects will wear off while hitting her.)

(Build version 3.1.19)

Hello, Liam here.

This update is focused on Annie and Beowulf tuning.

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A new effect has been added that appears when activating several defensive mechanics that are otherwise a bit hidden. The regular block effect will turn into a pink shield under the following conditions:

• You are performing what is known in the community as "absolute guard" (pushblock high, switch guard to low, or vice versa), and use it to protect yourself from a high or low hit.
  
• You jump a command grab and are hit with a "unblockable while rising" style attack (Magnetic Trap, A-Train, Excellabella, etc) shortly after, allowing you to block it when you normally can't.
  
• You activate high low unblockable protection and are protected from blocking the second hit without needing to switch your guard manually.

(... Please let me know if you see it appear unexpectedly!)

• Adjusted the presentation and visuals for Annie's "Sagan Beam" super. With this, all of Annie's visuals are complete.
  (... If you're enjoying Annie's over the top effects, make sure to send a huge thank you to @Persona for putting these amazing visual updates together!)
  
• Reduced recovery of North Knuckle (H) follow up slam slightly. Provided a small buffer into normals after to make heavy links not 1F timing on characters like Big Band and Double.
  (... Still requires her to be a bit closer to the corner to convert after on average, but shouldn't remove any of her previous corner routes which were more flexible.)
  
• Ground throw damage increased from 900 to 1300.
  
• Pillar of Creation second hit hitstop increased, and it now launches heavier characters higher
  (... She always has enough time to convert from anywhere even after using OTG now. For example, Meteor Strike → Pillar of Creation → Dash → Combo.)
  
• Reverted meter drain during Star Power to one bar every 10 seconds, instead of one bar every 7 seconds.
  (... The previous Star Power jHP meter drain increase does enough here without this.)
  
• Annie now keeps the majority of her momentum again after ending her Air Dash without cancelling it.
  
• Gravity Collapse (Star Power deactivation) damage increased from 1350 to 1600.

• EX finishers activated from hype gained in the same combo (see previous patch notes) now deal 70% of their original damage, up from 50%.

(Build version 3.1.18)

Hello, Liam here.

This update focuses on more Beowulf and Annie tuning, primarily.

Also, while the qualifiers for the Skullgirls Championship Series were last weekend, this weekend it's time for the MAIN EVENT!



Make sure to tune in tomorrow, Saturday April 24th at 1PM PT to catch the action on https://www.twitch.tv/SkullgirlsGG.

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• Massively overhauled the presentation and audio for Annie's air throw, "Gimbal Lock".
  
• Updated jMK VFX, again.
  
• Updated autograph picture presentation during "Photo Bop".
  
• sF+HP (Forward + HP) animation timing slightly adjusted so that Annie gets to an identifiable frame quicker, so players can notice the overhead is coming.
  
• sF+HP used to have Annie slide on one foot forward before delivering the hit, despite her not changing animation frames. This was adjusted so her footing and movement are in sync. For gameplay impact, she travels slightly less farther forward before delivering the hit.
  
• Updated hit and whiff sounds on sF+HP to be more dramatic.
  
• Fixed a bug where Annie could get stuck tilting left or right when using Re Entry.
  
• Fixed a bug where sF+MP wouldn't stagger if used immediately after Crescent Cut from a previous chain.
  
• Annie's air dash correctly adjusts momentum when it ends without her cancelling into an action, like all other characters.
  
• North Knuckle (H):
  
  • The wall splat only happens once per combo, like other non Blockbuster wall splat moves.
    
  • Reduced the knock back against assists when using the follow up slam even further.
    
  • First hit damage reduced from 700 to 650.
    
  • Increased recovery on slam follow up on successful hit to require Annie to be closer to the corner to convert.
    (... If you want more time for follow up options or dashing up to the opponent after, use North Knuckle (M) instead.)
• Adjusted jHP hitbox. (Small reduction)
  
• Adjusted jLK and jMK hitbox. (Improvement)
  
• Pillar of Creation knocks opponents higher, but no longer drains meter. The screen flash during the grip has been removed.
  
• Re Entry first and second kick damage reduced by 100. Final kick damage increased by 100.
  
• When using jMK immediately after jumping and performing an air dash, Annie's air dash lockout period is much longer than usual.
  (... This prevents low to the ground air dash jLK from hitting crouchers - she doesn't need this fast overhead option)
  
• Sagan Beam damage per hit reduced from 290 to 250.
  
• Star Power passive meter drain increased from 1 bar per 10 seconds to 1 bar per 7 seconds.
  
• Star Power jHP meter drain increased by 2% of 1 bar.
  
• Ground throw recovery increased by 9F.
  (... Universal throw confirms midscreen are still easy, try using Crescent Cut M if you weren't already)

• Fixed a bug with Wulfshoot where universal throw unblockable protection that allows characters to block Excellabella, A-Train, H Buer, etc, while rising, would only activate once where Beowulf starts Wulfshoot. It now activates as Beowulf moves, preventing unblockables that could be set up by starting Wulfshoot from anywhere but a close distance.
  
• Chip damage when blocking normals without the chair reduced from 50 to 35 damage.
  
• Held s[LP] hype build slightly increased. (1/40 each frame to 1/35).
  
• Taunt grants three hype immediately again, just like in retail. Recovery slightly increased from last update, but total recovery is less than retail still.
  
• Taunt gains 3 hype in the middle of Beowulf's howling, rather than at the end.
  (... Hint: sHK [Stagger] → Taunt [Get 3 Hype] → Gigantic Arm is practical [Solo!] to build 3 hype and combo after if you spend the bar... Getting interrupted with a projectile is also less likely to prevent Beowulf from getting 3 hype. This might be too strong, we'll see!)
  
  Beowulf gaining 3 hype on his own and being able to combo after, in addition to him being able to acquire hype more easily, comes with some changes:
  
  
• Hype acquired mid combo from s[LP], Taunt, or non-EX finishers (and any hype acquired in the same combo afterwards), will make any EX finisher it is spent on deal half damage. This does not apply to Super finishers, and it does not reduce Geatish Trepak's damage since it's not boosted during the EX version. TL;DR - Spending hype gained mid combo on EX finishers does less damage.
  
  (... EXAMPLES: If you have two hype, and gain one hype in a combo from taunt, then your first two finishers in the combo deal full damage, but the last one will deal half... If you have one hype, and taunt to gain two more hype, then your first finisher deals full damage, and the last two will deal half damage... If you start a new combo, none of this applies.)

• Reduced variance in how far away the blood spawned from Sekhmet's new super can land.

• Fixed a bug where Painwheel couldn't fly around during the mid round downtime of a solo vs solo match, like she could in Retail.
  
• Added "Lenient Button Dashing" for Painwheel. Two punch inputs can be pressed one frame apart while still getting a button dash.
  (... This change will continue to be rolled out for more characters in the future, as stated before.)

• Warranty Extension starts self inflicted damage at 300, and increases self inflicted damage by 100 for each head consumed, maxing out at 1000.
  (... Now that she cannot regain the health since the damage provides no red life, this should feel appropriately fair for 3 meter while still making sure attempting to stay in Circuit Breaker indefinitely is very costly and risky.)
  
  So far, feedback seems to indicate sHK feels fair for the defender and the attacker, and people seem to be enjoying it. So, continuing the trend of improving sHK as serviceable overhead after her loss of IDJC overheads, here are a few more changes:
  
  
• Overhauled the presentation for Robo-Fortune's new homing jump after sHK.
  
• Fixed a bug where Robo-Fortune couldn't perform her new homing jump when hitting sHK in a reset after using it in the previous combo.
  
• Removed animation recovery added when the opponent blocks sHK, it now only plays on successful hit against the point character.
  
• Tuned sHK blockstun and recovery. With the above changes it is now -13 on block.
  (... Certainly punishable up close, and punishable from far away by various character specific tools.

(Build version 3.1.17)

Hello, Liam here.

This update is ONLY for the championship_series branch, to be used with the upcoming Skullgirls Championship Series tournament happening tomorrow (Saturday, April 17th) at 4PM PT

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Note, this update contains NO gameplay balance changes.

• "BETA" text from the top of the screen has been removed in this build, even when in the Beta version of the game.

• Updated Annie with all of her latest VFX and audio improvements from 3.1.16. This includes Re Entry, JMK, and Crescent Cut.

(Build version 3.1.15.1)