Southfield: Everything We Know

It seems those elastic souls over in Gang Beasts are about to have their eyes opened to the agricultural arts in a brand-new sandbox farming world. That's right, there's a new species of rubber on the horizon, and it's due to plant roots (literally) in a weird and wonderful realm known as Southfield at some point this year.

So, what more do you need to know about the upcoming sandbox sim, besides that Radical Forge is the team developing it? Well, if you are interested in filling a few voids to cement over that post-Gang Beasts (or Rubber Bandits) blues, then be sure to read on for all the latest updates. Here's everything we can tell you about Southfield.

What Is Southfield?

To put you in the picture, Southfield is a third-person sandbox farming simulation game. Unlike its rival farming sims, such as Animal Crossing and My Time at Portia, however, Radical Forge's IP thrives on weirdness, meaning, if you expected a quaint and cozy planter-looter, then you're probably going to be in for a bit of a shock.

“Southfield is the culmination of a huge amount of imagination, trial and error, and sheer hard work by the Radical Forge team,” said Radical Forge CEO and game director Bruce Slater in a press release. “We wanted to create an ambitious, silly farming game with ridiculous characters in a fantastical world.”

“Most of all, we wanted to build an island that generates fun,” Slater continued. “And now we can get it into Early Access and see what you think. For me, this is where the game will take on a new life, and the players will take it in directions we can’t even imagine.”

Story

So, from the sounds of it, Southfield will center its narrative around one thing: the Bud—a “mysterious creature that sprang from the soil.” If we were to put two and two together, then we'd say that your role in this whole tale, really, will likely reflect on the Bud, as well as its natural abilities to flourish and evolve. As one of these “bouncy” souls, it seems that you'll need to channel your energy into developing the Bud, as well as experimenting with new seeds and crops to formulate exciting new produce.

“The charming island of Southfield beckons you to channel your bounciest vibes and become one with the Bud, a mysterious creature that sprang from the soil,” the game's description reads in part. “Grow weird and wonderful crops, play and build with an array of fun toys, and roll or race your friends across the ever-changing Island. Combine chaotic crops with unpredictable effects, build your dream farmstead, and experiment with playful machinery.”

Gameplay

On paper, Southfield comes across as a typical sandbox farming sim, right down to its harvesting mechanics and natural decor. However, if you were to remove a couple of layers from its outer coating, then you'd see that, weirdly enough, Southfield isn't actually your bog-standard sandbox sim at all. In fact, it's something slightly weirder, and something that also happens to include things like “tractor racing” and “lily-pad jumping.” And, although there will be plenty of harvesting involved, the devs don't exactly make it out to be a simple process.

“Your harvest could bounce, go boom, chime a tune, or change shape,” the description explains. “We're talking about crops that radiate, illuminate, even levitate, and that's before you mix crops together to create something entirely new!” Well, there you have it. Think Animal Crossing, but with a bit more wriggle room to experiment with seeds and crops, and you'll no doubt have a clearer idea of what it's getting at.

“As your farm grows, so does your to-do list!” the description adds. “Free up time for more tractor racing and lily-pad jumping with fun farming automation. From trampolines to air cannons, there’s a myriad of toys and machines to help you get the most out of each harvest. Use these same tools to build obstacle courses or life-sized pinball machines for you and your friends.” In other words, expect a lot more than traditional farmyard gameplay.

Development

Introducing our brand new original IP, Southfield!

We are incredibly proud of what we have built and can’t wait to see what players make of it during next month’s Next Fest demo 😆

You can find out more and Wishlist Southfield here: https://t.co/ryD5fYdUuL https://t.co/iTk1hUI9X2

— Radical Forge 🦝 (@RadicalForge) January 17, 2024

If you've yet to brush up on your background checks, then just know this: Radical Forge, aside from being the acting team behind Southfield, is also partly responsible for the likes of Gang Beasts and Sea of Thieves. 

According to the team, the upcoming IP will be enrolling in the Steam Next Fest, which is currently scheduled to go live between February 5th and February 12th. So, if you had hopes of physically playing Southfield ahead of its debut, then be sure to clock in for the event. You can check out all of the details for Steam Next Fest over on the official social handle here.

Trailer

Thanks to Radical Forge, we do have a sliver of footage to share with you. If you're interested in catching a small glimpse of the world of Southfield in all its rubber-coated glory, then be sure to check out the initial announcement trailer embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Southfield is currently scheduled to launch on PC via Steam at some point in 2024. As for whether or not it'll be shaping up for a release on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, or Nintendo Switch is still unclear. If a console port is in the cards, then there's a good chance that news surrounding such a port will come to light over the next several months.

Planning on staying up to date with Radical Forge's upcoming farming sim? If so, then be sure to check in with the team over on their official social handle for all the latest developments here. If anything does change ahead of its global debut, then we'll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what's your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Southfield when it arrives on its chosen platforms? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.