The studios behind the acclaimed indie game Dead Cells have announced some great and exciting news to fans. Indeed, the game will continue to receive additional content after reaching a major milestone in terms of sales.
Still assiduous follow-up
Motion Twin, the original developer, and Evil Empire, a spin-off studio created to handle the game’s DLC, announced on Monday that Dead Cells had surpassed 10 million in sales. This critically acclaimed Castlevania-inspired roguelike launched in early access on Steam in May 2017, then released in August of the same year on PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. iOS and Android versions followed in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
Since its release, Dead Cells has received more than 30 free updates, as well as four paid DLCs, the latest of which is titled “Return to Castlevania” and features a crossover with the famous Konami franchise. This DLC was met with great success and made Evil Empire consider the future of the game as a whole.
“Following the success of Dead Cells: Return to Castlevania, Evil Empire explored possibilities for the future of the game. With years of successful updates and expansions since our support of Dead Cells in 2019, our studio working on new ideas for future updates and looking for new ways for fans to enjoy one of their favorite roguelikes. »
In addition to this announcement, Evil Empire CEO Steve Filby revealed to GamesIndustry.biz that the studio has content planned for Dead Cells until the end of 2024. This means players can s expect new experiences and additional content for many years to come.
But that’s not all. Evil Empire is also working on two new games based on existing dormant IP, while Motion Twin is focused on developing new original IP. The studio’s first game is slated for an early access release in 2024, while the second is slated for 2025. Filby said:
“We’re not going to copy-paste a previous game. We’re really talking about a reboot or a re-imagining. The IPs we’re working on have been dormant for a while, but we can’t offer what has been offered before. You have to make a game for today’s audience. You can’t expect your lame 90s jokes to work with today’s audience.
It is also important that it is a co-creation. We are not a piecemeal studio. Even if you came to us with specifications and said, “Here’s $6.5 million and you have 372 days to make this game for exactly that amount and to those exact specifications,” that’s not what we do.
The intellectual property owners gave us the creative freedom and the money to make this game. a resonance with people today, while highlighting the strong elements of intellectual property.”
The CEO of Evil Empire insisted that the creation process is done in close collaboration with the owners of the intellectual properties. The studio doesn’t just follow precise specs, but has the freedom to create a game that resonates with contemporary audiences.
Dead Cells is available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android as well as Xbox Series X|S and PS5. If you want to discover the game, it is also accessible via Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass.
