Look, it’s no surprise to anyone for me to admit that I like South of Midnight. I’ve written about it being a love letter to the American Deep South, noted how it was one of the best Xbox games of 2025, and talked about how much the game’s story, characters, and setting have meant to me on video podcasts for both GameSpot and IGN. I want everyone to play this game, and there’s never been a better time to do so on Steam.
As noticed by Respec, Xbox is no longer listed as the publisher for South of Midnight on Steam. Instead, the game is noted as being self-published by Compulsion Games, reflecting the studio’s independence following another round of severe layoffs and restructuring from Xbox.
While Compulsion Games hasn’t confirmed whether this is the case–who knows what type of strange and awful backroom clauses might be in place to ensure Xbox keeps getting a slice of this particular pie–this does seem to indicate that all future sales of South of Midnight on Steam will benefit Compulsion, not Compulsion and Xbox.
So if you want to play South of Midnight, but you were concerned about continuing to line Xbox’s pockets, this seems like the golden opportunity to finally give the action-adventure platformer a go.
And you should play it! The game is so good! South of Midnight’s selling point is certainly its atmosphere. The sound design and orchestral score are tied into the gameplay and story to put you right into the midst of its gothic fantasy, transforming the trauma of a resilient and multifaceted culture into the backbone of one of the most affecting video games I’ve ever played. Its combat and platforming aren’t exactly wow-worthy, leaning on tried-and-true PlayStation 2-era mechanics without pushing them forward in any meaningful way, but those shortcomings are overshadowed by memorable characters, catchy tunes, and incredible visuals.
Like I said in my South of Midnight review, “Compulsion Games hasn’t made a direct sequel to any of its games yet, but it needs to make an exception here.” South of Midnight is just that great. Compulsion Games has a real winner here, and you should support the studio by buying and playing South of Midnight, and then joining me in celebrating this gaming accomplishment.
