The developer Rebel Wolves, founded by Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, former director of The Witcher 3, is working on a new RPG titled The Blood of Dawnwalker, set in a 14th century Europe still suffering the aftermath of war and plague. This title features Coen, a half-vampire protagonist, whose rich and complex narrative is inspired by the successful The Witcher 3. Tomaszkiewicz has expressed his comfort with the comparisons between both projects, stating that he feels “really confident” in his game. The similarities exist and they are aware of them Unlike other RPGs of […]
The developer Rebel Wolves, founded by Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, former director of The Witcher 3, is working on a new RPG titled The Blood of Dawnwalker, set in a 14th century Europe still suffering the aftermath of war and plague.
Unlike other open-world RPGs, The Blood of Dawnwalker promises significant innovations, such as a day/night cycle that limits Coen’s vampiric abilities to the night, and a time pressure system in side missions, which will force players to make decisions within a set time. This contrasts with the freedom offered in Cyberpunk 2077, where exploration was minimally restricted.
The company, which has 160 employees, seeks to maintain a size that favors good communication and creativity in the development process. Tomaszkiewicz has expressed his desire to avoid Rebel Wolves becoming a company the size of CD Projekt, preferring that the company continues to focus on its identity and creativity in game design.
Rebel Wolves has released an extensive video showcasing a gameplay walk-through of a mission from their upcoming vampire RPG titled Blood of Dawnwalker. This game, which marks the debut of the studio founded by former members of CD Projekt Red, has captured the attention of fans by combining storytelling elements with non-linear gameplay. Approach the world your own way Just like in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, players in Blood of Dawnwalker will have the freedom to tackle missions in an unconventional manner. In the video, […]
Rebel Wolves has released an extensive video showcasing a gameplay walk-through of a mission from their upcoming vampire RPG titled Blood of Dawnwalker. This game, which marks the debut of the studio founded by former members of CD Projekt Red, has captured the attention of fans by combining storytelling elements with non-linear gameplay.
Approach the world your own way
Just like in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, players in Blood of Dawnwalker will have the freedom to approach missions in an unconventional way. The video highlights the imposing fortress of Greifberg, which has fallen under the control of a vampiric regime and has imprisoned the protagonist Coen’s family. The game’s design offers players the opportunity to infiltrate the castle at any time, although with a huge challenge, as they are given only 22 in-game days to complete the main mission.
This sense of urgency, combined with the “narrative sandbox” structure, allows players to experience the story in a unique way, adapting to their own decisions and play style. The design director, Daniel Sadowski, has commented that while players may attempt to tackle the castle as soon as they wish, the so-called “high-risk missions” are, in fact, extremely challenging with a limited starting team.
The story of Blood of Dawnwalker centers around Coen, an intriguing character who is human during the day and a vampire at night, adding an extra nuance to the game’s narrative. Although the release is scheduled for next year, an exact date has not yet been confirmed, creating an air of anticipation among RPG enthusiasts and fans of Rebel Wolves productions.
NetEase is not making friends. Despite the tremendous success that Marvel Rivals is having, it has not hesitated to fire several key members of the development studio. The reason has not been clarified at any point, at least not officially. This has led to much speculation both in the industry and in the video game press. After all, the mantra until now has been that making a successful selling game kept you safe from losing your job. Something that seems to no longer be true. What are these decisions based on? Basically, that NetEase is […]
NetEase is not making friends. Despite the tremendous success that Marvel Rivals is having, it has not hesitated to fire several key members of the development studio. The reason has not been clarified at any point, at least not officially. This has led to much speculation both in the industry and in the video game press. After all, the mantra until now has been that making a successful-selling game kept you safe from losing your job. Something that seems to no longer be true.
What are the reasons behind these decisions? Basically, NetEase is looking to restructure its businesses, moving away from all operations in the US, as well as any that are not expected to be multimillion-dollar successes. This is partly due to questionable advisors, CEOs with realistic expectations, and, as we will see in a moment, a dozen studios around the world hijacked by the absurd ideas of people with little or no understanding of the material reality of the video game world.
Marvel Rivals is a thrilling, team-based PvP game that brings the expansive Marvel universe to life in a dynamic and engaging way. This action game allows players to assemble their dream teams from a wide array of beloved Marvel characters, including heroes and villains from the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men, and more.
Everything started before what happened with Marvel Rivals
Before getting into the matter, it is worth remembering that all of this did not start with Marvel Rivals. Before that, NetEase had already made very aggressive moves. Closing the Ouka Studios, which published the critically acclaimed and best-selling Visions of Mana after launching the game to market, making a wave of layoffs at Liquid Swords, the Swedish company behind the Just Cause franchise, abruptly halting operations at Worlds Untold, the new studio of the Mass Effect writer, and having disposed of Jar of Sparks, a new studio from the designer of Halo Infinite, their moves have been this irregular for at least a couple of years. It’s just that now they are more evident.
What is the reason for this? Well, in recent days, two different reports have delved into the reasons for it, one from Bloomberg and another from Game File. Both of them reaching the conclusion that the problem at NetEase is the CEO and founder of the company, William Ding.
A volatile leadership without a clear plan
To understand why, we have to go back to 2018. It was then that Ding set the goal for half of NetEase’s revenue to come from Japan and the West. This led him to start investing in companies like Bungie, as well as in studios founded by veterans of both Western and Japanese companies that had previously released successful games. The problem is that his plan has not worked as he expected, failing to achieve that parity with respect to Chinese productions.
Why is that? To begin with, due to the success of games like Eggy Party, a multiplayer game that has been a hit in China. Also due to the success of other Chinese companies, such as Tencent and MiHoyo, which made Ding feel that they were falling behind. This has led him, in recent years, to decide to radically change his strategic plan: instead of making high-quality single-player games, he wants to focus on service titles aimed at a mass audience. He even stated that any game that cannot generate millions of dollars a year is not worth developing.
Being accused of having a volatile character and not knowing much about video games by his own employees, his downfall has led to the departure of NetEase Games president, Xiaojun Hui, after 20 years leading the company. This demonstrates the leadership problem that exists within it.
What is the situation of the other studios? Not much better. NetEase wants to get rid of practically all of them, looking for a buyer and threatening them with closure if one is not found. This is the situation of studios like Quantic Dreams, Anchor Point, GPTRACK50, Pincool, Rebel Wolves, Skybox Labs, Studio Flare, and T-Minus Zero Entertainment, which could find themselves working for others at any moment or, worse yet, without a studio. All because of the capricious moves of a CEO.
An uncertain future for the industry
How all this will affect NetEase remains to be seen. The number of closures and moves aimed at keeping only their studios capable of creating successful games as a service, especially when they haven’t even worked that well for them in the past, doesn’t seem like a very smart move. Not when the industry seems to be facing more and more problems sustaining itself with that kind of moves, with all the companies that have tried it stepping back one after another.
This does not change the fact that this drama seems to be just beginning. That we still have much to learn about NetEase. Whether Ding’s plans succeed or fail, it is evident that the video game industry will not emerge stronger or better from the moves being made by his company.
Marvel Rivals is a thrilling, team-based PvP game that brings the expansive Marvel universe to life in a dynamic and engaging way. This action game allows players to assemble their dream teams from a wide array of beloved Marvel characters, including heroes and villains from the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men, and more.
Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz, former mission designer of The Witcher 3, has shared details about his new project, Blood of Dawnwalker, a dark fantasy RPG in an open world that he is developing at Rebel Wolves. In a recent interview, Tomaszkiewicz revealed that the game will feature an innovative mechanic in which time is considered a resource, which could pose a challenge for some players. However, the designer is well aware of the risks in video game development, especially after his experience with The Witcher 3, the first title in the series that fully adopted a format […]
Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz, former mission designer of The Witcher 3, has shared details about his new project, Blood of Dawnwalker, a dark fantasy RPG in an open world that he is developing at Rebel Wolves. In a recent interview, Tomaszkiewicz revealed that the game will feature an innovative mechanic in which time is considered a resource, which could pose a challenge for some players. However, the designer is well aware of the risks in video game development, especially after his experience with The Witcher 3, the first title in the series that fully adopted an open world format.
There were doubts about whether it was a good idea to develop the game’s narrative so much
Tomaszkiewicz recalled that, just like in Blood of Dawnwalker, during the development of The Witcher 3 they had doubts about integrating a complex story within an open environment. “There were doubts about whether the audience would really want an extensive narrative in a game of this nature,” he commented. However, the results speak for themselves, as the title has been acclaimed as one of the best RPGs of all time, highlighting its successful fusion of expansive storytelling techniques typical of more linear RPGs.
As more details about Blood of Dawnwalker are revealed, industry experts are watching how this “time as a resource” mechanic will be received by the public. While some may interpret this innovation as a sign of risk, Tomaszkiewicz seems convinced that originality can prevail over initial concerns. With his legacy in The Witcher 3, fans hope that Blood of Dawnwalker can not only meet but exceed the expectations set by its predecessor. For now, the community remains intrigued, awaiting more information about this new proposal from Rebel Wolves.
Rebel Wolves, a new video game studio founded by Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, known for his work on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, has announced its first project titled The Blood of Dawnwalker. This title will delve into a dark and fantastical world, focusing on the character of Coen, a protagonist who experiences an unusual duality: human during the day and vampire at night. The narrative of The Blood of Dawnwalker is inspired by popular archetypes like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, offering a unique exploration of the hero’s duality. Tomaszkiewicz has commented that his intention was to move away from […]
Rebel Wolves, a new video game studio founded by Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, recognized for his work on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, has announced its first project titled The Blood of Dawnwalker. This title will delve into a dark and fantastical world, focusing on the character of Coen, a protagonist who experiences an unusual duality: human during the day and vampire at night.
The narrative of The Blood of Dawnwalker is inspired by popular archetypes like Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, offering a unique exploration of the hero’s duality. Tomaszkiewicz has commented that his intention was to move away from traditional superheroes to create a more complex and vulnerable character, who must face his weaknesses during the day and develop supernatural abilities at nightfall. This duality promises to provide a new dimension to the game’s narrative development.
One of the most innovative features of The Blood of Dawnwalker is its time-as-a-resource mechanic. Every time Coen completes a mission, the game’s clock advances, forcing players to choose how to use their time effectively. This choice dynamic not only influences game progression but also affects story development, giving players the opportunity to customize their experience in an interconnected narrative environment.
A Game with the Spirit of The Witcher 3
This interconnection of decisions and consequences promises to avoid the common feeling in some RPGs where choices seem to be mere decoration. According to Tomaszkiewicz, the player’s decisions will have a real impact on Coen’s story and his fight against a dangerous faction of vampires. The combination of a unique cinematic experience and a sandbox narrative could redefine the way players engage with the story, creating a sense of agency that has been longed for in the genre.
