A new online action game from former CD Project Red developers will take players to feudal Japan. Dark Passenger co-founders Jakub Ben and Marcin Michalski announced their studio this week. They made the call for talent in a series of tweets that were spotted by PC Gamer. Ben and Michalski were part of the art team that worked on The Witcher 3 and then worked under contract on Cyberpunk 2077.
So far this game has no name, but you can find some details about the project on the studio’s website. Ben and Michalski say they want to create an online multiplayer game with support for both competitive and cooperative modes. They describe the title as sounding like it borrows elements from games like Titanfall and Absolver.
“Our locomotion system will allow players to perform incredible [feats] such as running on arrows that were fired by other players, fast climbing on vertical surfaces with the use of shuko claws, or using [a] yari spear like a pole to jump over obstacles,” the studio said. “Engaging [in] close-ranged combat will demand as much dexterity as tactics and close cooperation with teammates.”
The news of the studio came after former CDPR executive Conrad Tomaszkiewicz announced earlier this year that he was forming a studio called Rebel Wolves. He said his team would release its first project. It will be a dark fantasy role-playing game created on the Unreal Engine 5 engine. And it will come out sometime in 2025.
After directing the critically acclaimed The Witcher 3 and co-creating Cyberpunk 2077, Tomaszkiewicz left CDPR in May 2021 amid accusations that he bullied his colleagues. Before his departure, it was revealed that working on Cyberpunk included a long and brutal period of “crunching” for many developers.
As PC Gamer notes, Dark Passenger’s career page hints at some criticisms of CDPR. “We create a prejudice-free environment based on tolerance, support, and understanding. We treat individual needs as seriously as the group’s expectations,” the page states. “We provide all amenities, private medical care, and paid overtime. With an emphasis on work-life balance, we offer flexible working hours and holidays.”
As for when you’ll be able to play the studio’s first game, Dark Passenger hasn’t still announced a release date.
