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Press release:
Erie, Pennsylvania (June 22, 2023).
The Erie-based (Pennsylvania, the US) indie games publisher Whitethorn Games (Calico, Lake, and Wytchwood) and the UK-based indie games developer TNgineers, today announced with great happiness and thrill that their beekeeping sim game “APICO”, is now available for Xbox consoles (Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One) via the Microsoft Store.

“APICO ” is a relaxing take on the resources, crafting and beekeeping game that draws its inspiration from real-life horticulture and some special fantasy to budding apiarists and lepidopterists on a brand new platform!

APICO combines resource gathering, biology, and minigames with ideas from both real-life and fantasy beekeeping and gardening, as it teaches players about the ins and outs of maintaining a healthy hive and the importance of our irreplaceable pollinating pals.

The islands of APICO were once abuzz with different species of bees, and it’s up to players to rediscover lost species, cross-breed new ones, and repopulate each unique bee-ome. Progressing further into the game may also uncover some forgotten secrets.

As well, a portion of the games’ profits goes toward bee conservation. Full details about these efforts can be found here: https://apico.buzz/savethebees.

Features of APICO include:

Play together with up to four in online co-op, with cross-play available on all platforms!
Unique crafting and beekeeping minigames that drive gameplay progression.
Cross-breed different bees to discover over 30 new species.
Make and sell honey, Apicola, and other beekeeping products.
Repopulate lost species and release them back into the wild.
Multiple biomes to explore, each with its own unique pollinator species.
Uncover the forgotten secrets of the APICO Islands.

But(terfly) wait – there’s more! Included is the highly anticipated Update 2.0: I Can’t Beelieve It’s Not Butter(flies)! The new update is honey in the bank with a wild amount of new content, including new pollinators, new characters to meet, and more:

New NPCs: New friends from the mainland, Cody and Sto, have come to the APICO Islands to further their research.

Butterflies: Discover, collect and breed a variety of brand-new pollinators.

Solitary Bees: These new pollinators prefer to do things on their own – build new solitary bee hotels and help them along!

New Flowers: Now, there are more ways to keep the pollinator population happy – each new flower has its own new effect on the environment.

Incense: Through the magic of alchemy, make your own incense and candles!

Bee-Sides: New tracks have been added to the chill soundtrack

And More: New books, decorations, and a host of quality-of-life improvements have been added.

APICO is currently available on PC via Steam, Epic Game Store, Humble Games, itch.io, Utomik, PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch™, and Xbox One and Series S|X for $19.99 USD.

Follow APICO on Twitter, Instagram, and Discord for more updates.

Keep up to date with Whitethorn Games on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and Twitch, join the official Whitethorn Games Discord, and visit https://whitethorngames.com.

A full press kit, including logos, key art, screenshots, and trailers, can be found here: https://cozygames.pub/APICO-Press-Kit.

Details about the accessibility features available in AIPCO can be found here: https://whitethorngames.com/apico/accessibility.

About TNgineers
TNgineers was formed in 2020 when brothers Ell and Jamie decided to develop their own projects based on their love of casual and crafting games. Their goal is to design games that are relaxing, intriguing, and semi-educational. Ell builds nice things, and Jamie makes sure he breaks them. Learn more about TNgineers and their first game APICO, by visiting https://apico.buzz.

About Whitethorn Games
We’re an indie game publisher focusing on pleasant, easy-going games that can be played in pieces, that require no special skills or knowledge and that anyone can pick up and play. We’re believers in accessibility, inclusion, and widening the audience that gets to play. We like to consider ourselves the defenders of easy games. While our games might challenge you, they’ll respect your time, they’ll make sure you can play, and most importantly, they’ll never punish you. Learn more at whitethorngames.com.