Ex-BioShock, Borderlands Devs Unveil Wild New Game

Summary

• Stray Kite Studios has announced their new game, Wartorn.
• Wartorn is a real-time strategy roguelite featuring destructible environments, challenging moral decisions, and a unique painterly aesthetic.
• The game is set to launch in early access on Steam and the Epic Games Store (EGS) in spring 2025.

Wartorn is the latest project from Stray Kite Studios, a team of industry veterans known for their work on high-profile titles like BioShock, Borderlands, and Age of Empires. This tactical roguelite, scheduled for a PC release in spring 2025, represents the studio's first original game.

Established in 2018, Stray Kite Studios is based in Dallas, Texas, and currently employs around 30 people. The team has previously worked on the standalone version of Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-Shot Adventure and created numerous Creative maps for Fortnite.

With Wartorn, Stray Kite Studios introduces their first original title, blending real-time strategy and roguelite mechanics. The game follows the journey of two elven sisters striving to reunite with their family amidst a perilous and morally complex world.

Wartorn Is Chaotic in More Than One Way

Set in a fantasy world marked by division and chaos, Wartorn challenges its protagonists in multifaceted ways. The game incorporates physics-driven environmental destruction, ensuring that each encounter is unique and unpredictable. The thematic focus of Wartorn centers on finding purpose amidst chaos. "We’ve poured our hearts into creating a game that not only entertains but also makes players think deeply about sacrifice, survival, and the bonds that unite us," said Paul Hellquist, co-founder and creative director at Stray Kite Studios.

Wartorn Will Require Players To Make Tough Decisions

In Wartorn, players will face tough choices between battles, such as deciding which character to feed or whom to save from certain death. These decisions contribute to the game's narrative-driven roguelite experience, ensuring that each playthrough is unique. Combat also offers a high degree of freedom, featuring a dynamic magic system that allows players to combine elemental forces like fire, water, and lightning. These spells interact in various ways and can be used situationally, such as shocking enemies in water or setting fire to tar-covered mobs.

As a roguelite, Wartorn includes a progression system where upgrades persist between runs, progressively easing the challenge. The game's visuals adopt a painterly aesthetic, enhancing the dramatic feel of its setting. To ensure accessible gameplay, Wartorn allows players to slow down the action, enabling precise command inputs amidst the chaos.

Scheduled for an early access release in spring 2025, Wartorn will be available on both Steam and the Epic Games Store.