Revered CRPG developer Owlcat Games (Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous; Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader) is getting into the publishing game as of today. Their stated aim: help independent developers across the world introduce narrative-driven titles and RPGs to all. Given the high quality of the studio's own games (barring some remaining issues with Rogue Trader), this is excellent news for fans of RPGs and top tier stories.
To start with, Owlcat will publish Rue Valley and Shadow of the Road (pictured below). The former is a terribly unique-sounding and intriguing narrative Disco Elyiusm-looking RPG that features a man caught in a time loop while undergoing psychotherapy (bit of a Hellblade vibe, perhaps), while the latter is an isometric turn-based RPG set in alternate history feudal Japan. And by alternate history, I mean steampunk and supernatural entities (known in Japanese as yokai). (Sign me the hell up.)
Rue Valley comes courtesy of Emotion Spark Studio (based in Serbia) while Shadow of the Road (based in Poland) is being developed by Another Angle Games. Both studios were chosen after Owlcat perused over 50 different titles.
Each game is in the early stages, but we'll get the first proper look at them during this year's Gamescom (August 20-25).
As part of its venture into publishing, Owlcat has also acquired full control of META Publishing, which it partnered with on the superb Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. Though by the sounds of it, this will be treated as its own branch that focuses on 'gameplay-first' titles with a co-op bent (its past titles include the Train Valley series and puzzle action game Biped).
Seeing Owlcat grow from the relatively small outfit comprised partially of ex-Heroes of Might and Magic developers to the 450+ employee strong studio it is today has been a sight to behold, and not unlike what we've seen with Belgian CRPG developer Larian Studios (though they still have some catching up to do). Some of you may be reading this and still thinking 'Who?', but that was Larian not so long ago, so you'll definitely want to keep your eyes out for a Baldur's Gate 3-style epic from these guys and gals before long.
Want more CRPG coverage? Check out our Pathfinder WotR: A Dance of Masks Walkthrough right here on Pro Game Guides.
Published: Aug 13, 2024 08:42 am