It's finally time... everyone's favorite salty sister is playable for the first time in Skullgirls!



As is tradition, Umbrella will be arriving in an unfinished state with some work in progress "sketchy" frames. Keep an eye out for frequent updates during this "Alpha" as we work on finishing her up.

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As mentioned before, characters in their Alpha phase are currently only available to Season 1 Pass holders. If you don't own the Season 1 Pass DLC, you won't be able to use Umbrella yet. Lucky for you, it's on sale right now if you still haven't picked it up! This launch celebration sale will only last until Tuesday September 7th, so don't delay.

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

Once you have the Season 1 Pass DLC, launch the game in BETA mode by pressing the green PLAY button on Skullgirls 2nd Encore from your Steam library page, then selecting "Skullgirls Beta (Umbrella Alpha)". You can also launch the game in BETA mode by navigating to the in-game Options menu, and pressing "Switch To Beta". (You can also use the -beta Steam launch option, if you prefer.) In BETA mode, you can pick Umbrella on the character select screen as normal!Linux Users: The In-Game "Switch To Beta" functionality is not working. We hope to address this for the next alpha build, which will be very soon. In the meantime, you can launch into Beta mode using the Steam Launch Options OR using the "-beta" in the launch arguments.

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Once Umbrella's Alpha phase is over, her individual character DLC will go live in Early Access on the Steam store. This will allow you to play Umbrella during her Early Access Beta phase without owning the Season 1 Pass.A character's Alpha phase is over once they have voice acting integrated, unique sound effects, and all of their attack animations fully complete.

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Umbrella has almost everything functionally integrated except for several of her Special Moves and Blockbusters. During the Alpha period, expect to see ~5 new Specials and ~2 new Blockbusters added to her arsenal. We will also be tuning and polishing her visuals and existing toolkit over the coming months.Note that Umbrella's hunger mechanics will take some extra time to tune until it's feeling just right, so expect to see plenty of changes, as they are currently work in progress.We'd love to hear your feedback on how she's shaping up (and any bugs you've come across), so don't be shy in joining the official Discord (http://www.discord.gg/skullgirls) and the official forums (http://www.skullheart.com)!

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Umbrella is slated to have her full release on Steam, PS4 and Mobile in 2021. The other characters in the Season 1 Pass will follow in 2022. We can't get too specific with our planned dates quite yet, but stay tuned for more info!

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At the moment we've got our hands full with finishing Umbrella, but non-Umbrella related changes will be arriving at some point in the future. That said, there are some changes in this build that were finished a long time ago, so these will be included in BETA mode:
• ANNIE - Throw range slightly reduced.
  
• ANNIE - JHK no longer refreshes OTG (Off The Ground) when it connects outside of Star Power.
  
• ROBO-FORTUNE - Catastrophe Cannon (all versions) will never hit and consume a team's assist action after Robo-Fortune exits the screen when performing a Blockbuster Sequel (DHC).
  
• ENGINE (ALSO RETAIL MODE) - Hopefully resolved a low level issue where some VFX and projectiles would not vanish at the right time. This was most common on Mac and Linux with Squigly's jMK and cHP, and Valentine's tag-in curtain. This should hopefully also resolve any remaining desyncs between versions when playing online.

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We know plenty of you are clamouring for information on Umbrella and the Season 1 Pass's release on other systems, so here's a mini-update on those fronts:
What about Nintendo Switch or <INSERT PLATFORM>?
Unfortunately due to unique technical complications regarding the Nintendo Switch port, we still can't provide much information on when the Season 1 Pass will appear on the system. We will provide an update as soon as we have an updated timetable on Switch availability. We are not planning on releasing any future updates for the Xbox 360, PS3, or PS Vita versions.
What about Xbox One / Series X?
We are still interested in bringing Skullgirls to the Xbox One / Series X in the future, but we do not have any further details we can share at this time. Stay tuned!

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We can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Umbrella now that she's finally made her big (alpha) debut! Thanks so much again for all of your support, and stay tuned here and on our social media pages (Twitter, Facebook) for the announcement when the update is live. The Skullgirls Launch Party never ends!<3All of us at Hidden Variable and Autumn Games

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(Build version 3.3.0)

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UPDATE: We fixed a small crash issue with Fukua shadows. (Build version 3.3.1)

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

Today we have a small functionality patch for Skullgirls 2nd Encore. This is addressing a couple of crash bugs and some achievement issues. We hope this will smooth things out a bit for everyone, especially with the finals for Skullgirls Championship Series Summer Blockbuster this weekend! It's an exciting time for Skullgirls!

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• Two crash bugs have been addressed.

• The Beau-coup de Grâce achievement has been adjusted so it will only prompt steam overlay updates if you gain progress on the achievement.
  
• You can no longer gain progress with the Beau-coup de Grâce achievement while spectating an online match.

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(Build version 3.2.1.2)

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

We've released a small, content-only patch for Skullgirls 2nd Encore.

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The Skullgirls Championship Series has made its way to New Meridian. The NMO Arena has been decked out in full SGCS regalia and is ready to host the Skullgirls Championship Series Summer Blockbuster in just a few weeks. You can play this new stage variant, the SGCS Arena, right now in Skullgirls 2nd Encore!

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(Build version 3.2.1.1)

It's been a long journey, but after months of testing and tuning, the official release of Annie of the Stars is finally here! And as much as Annie loves the spotlight, this update also comes with a mountain of gameplay and balance adjustments for the rest of the cast.

If you've been participating in the open beta these changes will be familiar to you, but if you've just joined us, or want a refresher on the staggering amount of updates that have been made, we've compiled a comprehensive set of update notes, which you can view over on the Official Skullheart Forums:

Skullheart Forums | Annie Release Update Notes

We couldn't be happier with how Annie and this first major update to 2nd Encore has turned out, so thank you to everyone who's supported and continues to support us in this new era of Skullgirls!

Keep an eye on our social media accounts for the latest info on Umbrella and the other characters in the Season 1 Pass!

-Hidden Variable

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

This is a small patch meant to address a few bugs from 3.2.0. As we lock things down for Annie's final release, we felt it was worthwhile to get these bug fixes out sooner rather than later.

As a reminder, Annie's final release (and her departure from Early Access) will coincide with her full release on PS4. On that day, the last piece of Annie's remaining content, her story mode, will be released here on Steam. After all, we know how hard it is to dodge spoilers on the internet these days.

The full update notes for this version are below!

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Though we removed it from the in-game menu and Steam launch options, some users were still getting into "beta" mode through command line arguments. The "-beta" command line argument has been disabled... for now.

Before releasing 3.2.0, we noticed Linux was hard crashing when arriving on the main menu, but we could not isolate the cause. Rather than push an unusable build to Linux users with 3.2.0, we held back that platform until we could investigate and address the issue.

The bug has been fixed and Linux is once more in sync with Windows and Mac. However, we've been forced to disable loading screens on the Linux build for the time being. We are sorry for the delay and the inconvenience.

• Restored one of Double's talking heads that somehow slunk away.
  
• Localization and translation bug fixes in Trials, Tutorials, and a few other places.
  
• News Feed bug fixes.
  
• The buildings in the background of the Medici Tower stage should be rendering properly again on OpenGL platforms (Mac/Linux).
  
• Small texture updates to Medici Tower, both 3D and 2D.

• Satchmo Solo (Lv. 5) will always wall bounce the point character on the last hit, even if the final hit is the only hit.

• Krieg's eyes are a proper purple color for Parasoul's Palette 25 on character select again.

• Annie's stage, Sound Stage 15, changes to 2D mode when that option is selected.
  
• Annie's command list is accessible from the Command List menu.
  
• sf+MP - Andromeda and sf+HP - Luminous Supergiant appear properly when being set as the assist actions in character select.

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(Build version 3.2.0.1)

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)