Software:The Blood of Dawnwalker

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Short description: Upcoming video game

The Blood of Dawnwalker
Developer(s)Rebel Wolves
Publisher(s)Bandai Namco Entertainment
Director(s)Konrad Tomaszkiewicz
Designer(s)Daniel Sadowski
Artist(s)Bartłomiej Gaweł
Writer(s)Jakub Szamalek
Composer(s)Piotr Musiał
Mikolai Stroinski
EngineUnreal Engine 5
Platform(s)
Release2026
Genre(s)Action role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

The Blood of Dawnwalker is an upcoming action role-playing game developed by Rebel Wolves and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It is set in 14th-century medieval Southeast Europe. The game was announced in January 2025. It is scheduled to release for the PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S in 2026. The game's development is being led by the former game director of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, who is also the founder of Rebel Wolves.

Gameplay

The Blood of Dawnwalker is a vampire-themed dark fantasy action role-playing game played from third-person perspective. In the game, the player assumes control of Coen, a Dawnwalker with both human and vampiric qualities. During day time, gameplay focuses on swordplay. The game features directional blocking, in which players must select one of four directions to attack or parry. As they deal damage, they will earn activation charges, which can be used to deploy Hex magic, or perform an execution move, both of which deal devastating damage to enemies.[1] At night, Coen is able to make use of vampiric abilities in both combat and traversal. He can walk vertically on walls, and uses Shadowstep, which allows him to teleport quickly to reach distant areas. As a vampire, he fights using his claws, and he can bite his enemies for health regeneration. As players progress, they will gain skill points which can be used to unlock additional active abilities and passive bonuses across three distinct skill trees.[2]

There are often multiple ways to complete a quest. The time of day often has a significant influence on how a quest is resolved. As a human during daytime, Coen has more opportunities to interact with other non-playable characters and identify non-violent ways to resolve a conflict. As a vampire during night time, Coen must avoid being detected by both guards and civilians using stealth tactics while approaching his target, and have to feed on animals or humans, either knocking them unconscious or outright executing them.[3] While the protagonist has an overarching goal, the game otherwise does not follow a linear narrative structure. Instead, the decisions made by the player/player character throughout the game influence the plot/course of events. These decisions include, for example, which quests the player accepts and how quests are completed.[4] The player has 30 days and nights to achieve the overarching goal. Only actions that affect the plot, such as pursuing and completing quests, advance the time. Exploring the open world does not progress time. An hourglass indicates to the player how much time a quest or other activity important to the plot will take.[5][6][7]

Setting

The game is set in a gothic, fictional 14th-century kingdom called "Vale Sangora", located in the Carpathian Mountains. Drawing from Eastern European folklore, players explore a world filled with supernatural creatures, moral dilemmas, and political intrigue. It’s a mix of predominantly Romanian motifs with broader influences of Balkan cultures.[8]

The protagonist, Coen, struggles with silver poisoning and a vampiric curse, attempting to save his family within 30 days. His journey is shaped by a unique bond with his sickened sister, Lunka, a cryptic figure pivotal to the story’s exploration of survival, morality, and power.[9]

Brencis is the primary antagonist in the game, an ancient and formidable vampire who has seized control of "Vale Sangora". Under his rule, the kingdom has fallen into darkness, with vampires imposing a "blood tax" on the human populace. This oppressive regime has led to widespread discontent among the inhabitants, who are forced into servitude under the vampire lords.[10]

Development

Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, a director of Software:The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (2015) and head of production for Cyberpunk 2077 (2020), left his position at CD Projekt in May 2021 following an internal investigation into workplace bullying allegations that found him not guilty.[11] Afterward, he took an extended break to consider his next steps. Having spent 17 years at the company, Tomaszkiewicz wanted to shift to smaller projects with a smaller team, hoping to avoid the challenges he faced while working on large-scale games at CD Projekt.[12]

In February 2022, it was announced that Tomaszkiewicz had founded a new studio, Rebel Wolves, which was working on its first game.[13] The development team includes Tomaszkiewicz's brother and creative director, Mateusz,[12][14] as well as design director Daniel Sadowski, narrative director Jakub Szamalek, and art director Bartłomiej Gaweł, all of whom previously worked on The Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077.[13] By May 2024, Rebel Wolves had expanded from around 20 to 90 team members.[12]

The studio envisions the game as the first installment in an eponymous series, describing it as a dark fantasy "narrative sandbox" featuring non-linear quests set in medieval Europe.[12][15] The game is being developed using Unreal Engine 5.[13]

Release

The first trailer for the game was released on January 14, 2025.[16] The Blood of Dawnwalker is scheduled to release for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S in 2026.[17]

References

  1. ↑ Sinha, Ravi (June 22, 2025). "The Blood of Dawnwalker Features Kingdom Come: Deliverance-Style Combat, Boss Fight Revealed". GamingBolt. https://gamingbolt.com/the-blood-of-dawnwalker-features-kingdom-come-deliverance-esque-combat-boss-fight-revealed. Retrieved September 27, 2025. 
  2. ↑ LeBlanc, Wesley (August 21, 2025). "The Blood Of Dawnwalker Is More Than The Witcher With Vampires". Game Informer. https://gameinformer.com/gamescom-2025/2025/08/21/the-blood-of-dawnwalker-is-more-than-the-witcher-with-vampires. Retrieved September 27, 2025. 
  3. ↑ Fillari, Alessandro (August 30, 2025). "The Blood of Dawnwalker Offers 2 Very Different RPG Playstyles". IGN. https://www.ign.com/articles/the-blood-of-dawnwalker-offers-2-very-different-rpg-playstyles. Retrieved September 27, 2025. 
  4. ↑ "2026 preview: The Blood of Dawnwalker rewrites the rules of the adventure". 2026-01-02. https://regionfree.net/2026-preview-the-blood-of-dawnwalker-most-exciting-game/. 
  5. ↑ "Ein Blick in die Story-Sandbox und das Gameplay von "The Blood of Dawnwalker"" (in de-DE). 2025-08-20. https://blog.de.playstation.com/2025/08/20/ein-blick-in-die-story-sandbox-und-das-gameplay-von-the-blood-of-dawnwalker/. 
  6. ↑ "The Blood of Dawnwalker: "Es gibt keine Main-Quest" - sagt The Witcher 3-Director" (in de). 2025-11-25. https://www.pcgames.de/The-Blood-of-Dawnwalker-Spiel-75056/News/Das-Spiel-kommt-ohne-Haupt-Quest-1487496/. 
  7. ↑ Elsner, Philipp (2025-06-22). "20 Minuten in Blood of Dawnwalker: Stimmung wie The Witcher, Kämpfe wie Kingdom Come und Elemente eines Zelda-Klassikers" (in de-DE). GameStar. https://www.gamestar.de/artikel/20-minuten-blood-of-dawnwalker-gameplay-details,3435037.html. 
  8. ↑ Trilles, Calvin (14 January 2025). "Medieval Europe falls under vampire rule in Blood of the Dawnwalker RPG — everything we know so far". ONE Esports. https://www.oneesports.gg/gaming/blood-of-the-dawnwalker-story-trailer/. 
  9. ↑ Kain, Erik (14 January 2025). "'The Blood Of Dawnwalker' Trailer Shows Off New Medieval Vampire-Themed RPG From Ex-Witcher Devs Rebel Wolves". Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2025/01/14/the-blood-of-dawnwalker-trailer-shows-off-new-vampire-themed-rpg-from-ex-witcher-devs-rebel-wolves/. 
  10. ↑ Henderson, Luke (14 January 2025). "The Blood of Dawnwalker has been revealed". https://www.maxi-geek.com/con/the-blood-of-dawnwalker-has-been-revealed?utm. 
  11. ↑ Bankhurst, Adam (2021-05-04). "Witcher 3 Director Leaves CD Projekt Following Workplace Bullying Claims" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/witcher-3-director-leaves-cd-projekt-following-workplace-bullying-claims. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Schreier, Jason (3 May 2024). "Former CD Projekt Developers Take Lessons From 'Cyberpunk' Debacle". https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2024-05-03/former-cd-projekt-developers-take-lessons-from-cyberpunk-debacle. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Kim, Matt (17 February 2022). "Rebel Wolves, New Game Studio From The Witcher 3 Director, Is Creating a Dark Fantasy RPG In Unreal Engine 5". https://www.ign.com/articles/rebel-wolves-new-studio-witcher-cyberpunk-unreal-engine-5. 
  14. ↑ Dean, Ian (31 January 2024). "Dawnwalker's creative director offers a glimpse of the future: 'more AI'". https://www.creativebloq.com/features/rebel-wolves-interview. 
  15. ↑ Romano, Sal (21 October 2024). "Dark fantasy action RPG Dawnwalker to be published by Bandai Namco for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC". https://www.gematsu.com/2024/10/dark-fantasy-action-rpg-dawnwalker-to-be-published-by-bandai-namco-for-ps5-xbox-series-and-pc. 
  16. ↑ Gonzalez, Christina (14 January 2025). "Dark Fantasy 'Narrative Sandbox' The Blood of Dawnwalker Gets In-Engine Cinematic Trailer and First Details". MMORPG. https://www.mmorpg.com/news/dark-fantasy-narrative-sandbox-the-blood-of-dawnwalker-gets-in-engine-cinematic-trailer-and-first-details-2000133876. 
  17. ↑ Williams, Demi (8 June 2025). "The dark fantasy RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker gets first gameplay trailer and a 2026 release window". https://www.techradar.com/gaming/the-dark-fantasy-rpg-the-blood-of-dawnwalker-gets-first-gameplay-trailer-and-a-2026-release-window. 



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