The Astronauts revealed today during Summer Game Fest the early access launch date of their upcoming dark fantasy roguelite, Witchfire. With a titillating new gameplay trailer, The Astronauts brought spells to Summer Game Fest. They confirmed that the grimdark shooter would launch into Early Access on September 20, 2023—available for Windows players from the Epic Games Store.
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Witchfire, a first-person shooter set in a grimdark fantasy world in which a deadly war rages between powerful witches and the Church. In this alternate reality, witches are very real and dangerous— but so is the witch hunter, also known as a preyer. Armed by Vatican sorcerers, players wield an ungodly array of guns and forbidden magic as they combat dark terrors on behalf of their shadowy benefactors.
In an interview with Epic Games News, Adrian Chmielarz, Creative Director and Co-Founder of The Astronauts said: “The thing that excites me the most in video games is the idea of experiencing different worlds. To be a space pirate, a detective with supernatural powers, or a Church’s witch hunter. It doesn’t matter to me if the game is focused on the story or on the mechanics— I need its world to feel like a real place. So even though Witchfire is obviously a shooter first, we invest a lot in its world and lore. I believe this enhances the experience even for the people who claim they don’t care about the stories in games at all.”
In the same interview, Chmielarz confirmed that although there is extensive lore and backstory to Witchfire, the team’s main focus for the Early Access launch is to present a polished and atmospheric gameplay experience, with further story features getting added as the game approaches full release. Players interested in Witchfire lore can read Chmielarz’s short story set in the world of Witchfire: The Preyer, here.
Witchfire will be the second release for The Astronauts, following the BAFTA award-winning title, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. Although The Astronauts has a small team of just ten developers, the game boasts graphics that can compete in the AAA space. Built in the Unreal Engine, Witchfire uses advanced photogrammetry to achieve a gorgeous and immersive dark fantasy world for players to explore.
Witchfire releases to Early Access on September 20, 2023 on the Epic Games Store.
