Arkane Studios’ legacy lives on in Wolfeye Studios’ upcoming retro sci-fi RPG

Fans of Dishonored And Prey were dejected in May when news broke that Arkane Austin, along with Hi-Fi rush developer Tango Gameworks and Mighty Downfall developer Alpha Dog Studios, was shuttered by Microsoft. Fear not, as Wolfeye Studios is more than ready to pick up the torch with their upcoming first-person action RPG.

Co-founded in 2019 by Raphael Colantonio, founder of Arkane Studios and co-creator of Dishonored And PreyWolfeye Studios announced Thursday that the sequel to its 2022 isometric RPG Weird West — a first-person action RPG set in a retro sci-fi universe — is now in early production.

“We are so excited to officially confirm that our next game is in active production and that it is a First Person Action RPG,” Colantonio said in a press release. “Fans of the previous games I have been involved with, such as Dishonored And Prey will feel at home, as will fans of RPGs in general.”

The first footage of the as-yet-untitled game, which debuted alongside the announcement of an upcoming limited private alpha test next year, certainly feels indebted to the look and feel of the Dishonored and Prey universes. It’s difficult to say how this footage will influence the final look and gameplay of Wolfeye Studios’ upcoming game, which makes it all the more fun to examine it and come up with our own theories for what the game might play.

Image: Wolfeye Studios

The images show workers tinkering with what appears to be some strange steampunk contraption, decorated with elaborate filigree patterns and an ominous masked face, as well as a series of sheet metal platforms built above the mouth of a dark, misty gorge. We also get a glimpse of a skeletal drone robot that bears a faint resemblance to Dishonored 2‘s Clockwork Soldiers, albeit with two shoulder-mounted Gatling guns instead of two arm-mounted swords.

Colantonio says the studio is currently looking for a publishing partner for the game and that players who would like to try out the upcoming limited alpha test planned for next year can sign up for updates through the studios official siteThe games industry has taken one blow after another this year, with a series of mass layoffs and studio closures, but it’s at least reassuring to know that the legacy of Arkane Austin – and the tenets of the immersive sim genre – will live on through the work of Wolfeye Studios.