We're looking for new writers to join us!

Dark fantasy shooter Witchfire delayed to 2023; Switching to open-world combat design

by: Jason - posted: 10/12/2022 4:47:00 PM
More On: Witchfire

Developer The Astronauts announced that their dark fantasy first-person shooter Witchfire has been delayed to 2023. The delay is the result of the team switching the game’s combat from an arena-style to an open-world combat design.

It’s a late fundamental change that you don’t see too frequently in game development, but Witchfire’s creative director Adrian Chmielarz says the work is nearly done, and that the change is for the best:

“The feature is now 95% implemented. It makes the game better. It is kind of hard for me to imagine the player did not have that freedom before. Sure, you can still be trapped by the witch in this or that spot, and some doors will be closed until you find a key, and it might be too dangerous to enter areas closer to the boss before you are ready– but the world is wide open for you to explore in almost any order, and you can both push forward and retreat as you please.

Witchfire will be The Astronatuts second game, following the release of BAFTA award-winning horror adventure game The Vanishing of Ethan Carter in 2014. Check out a trailer for the game from Summer Game Fest 2022:

WARSAW, Poland (October 12th, 2022)— The Astronauts announced today that their dark fantasy shooter, Witchfire, is now on track for release in early 2023. Initially slated to launch to Early Access on the Epic Games Store in Q4 of 2022, the shift in schedule is due to an upgrade to Witchfire’s combat system from arena-style to open-world fighting. 
 
Creative Director and Co-Founder, Adrian Chmielarz shared further details in a Witchfire Wednesday blog post:
 
“The feature is now 95% implemented. It makes the game better. It is kind of hard for me to imagine the player did not have that freedom before. Sure, you can still be trapped by the witch in this or that spot, and some doors will be closed until you find a key, and it might be too dangerous to enter areas closer to the boss before you are ready– but the world is wide open for you to explore in almost any order, and you can both push forward and retreat as you please.”
 
From the creators of Painkiller and Bulletstorm, Witchfire is a first-person shooter set in a grimdark fantasy world. First announced in the 2017 Game Awards, and re-revealed in Summer Game Fest 2022, it will be the second release for The Astronauts, following the BAFTA award-winning title, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. The Astronauts assure fans that the highly anticipated title will be worth the wait: Witchfire boasts AAA Unreal Engine graphics with photogrammetry effects to create an immersive fantasy world, and gripping first-person gunplay— now with open-world combat environments.
 
Chmielarz hinted there’s more Witchfire content to look forward to in October: 
 
“Last but not least, expect something nice in a week or two. Let’s call it Witchfire Halloween Week. It won’t be any gameplay footage or stream or such, but if you are interested in the story and the world and great 2D art, it’s going to be a treat.”
 
Stay tuned for more details on an official Early Access release date. For more information about Witchfire, head to The Astronauts website, wishlist the game on the Epic Games Store, follow the team on Facebook, or join the conversation on Twitter.