Owlcat Games becomes the publisher to upcoming RPGs Rue Valley and Shadow of the Road
Owlcat Games, the studio behind the Pathfinder CRPG series and Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, unveiled their plans to become a publisher. They have partnered with several external developers to publish their upcoming titles; the first two titles to join their inititiatve are both RPGs - Rue Valley and Shadow of the Road.
Rue Valley (Steam page) is currently in development by Emotion Spark Studio. It was first unveiled around December 2022 and is a narrative RPG that features a man trapped in a time loop. Make different choices throughout his journey to break free from the loop and witness the consequences of his decisions. Rue Valley features a Personality System that has been detailed previously in a blog post from the developers.
Shadow of the Road (Steam page) is currently in development by Another Angle Games. The title is a turn-based strategy RPG set in an alternate history feudal Japan filled with yokai and steampunk machinery. A gameplay teaser for this RPG was first released 4 years ago and the YouTube channel for Another Angle Games has continually shared in-development prototype clips of various systems that the developers are testing. In a recent developer log, Another Angle Games showed off Shadow of the Road's stealth system and a reworked combat timeline.
Owlcat Games mentioned that "both titles are still in the early stages of development."
Renowned RPG developer Owlcat Games, the studio behind critically acclaimed titles such as Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, and Pathfinder: Kingmaker, has announced its ambition to become a publisher. Alongside its development efforts, from now on, Owlcat will focus on helping independent teams across the globe introduce their own RPGs and narrative-driven games to players. Owlcat will ensure its new partners have all the services, funding, and expert advice they need to create new role-playing experiences.
“We would like to work with teams that share our passion for telling captivating stories through narrative-driven games. These might not fall entirely into the RPG genre, but they will definitely have a solid focus on story, characters, and worldbuilding. We have already walked the path of creating our dream game, and now we have the expertise and resources to guide other teams to the games of their dreams as well,” said Andrey Tsvetkov, Head of Publishing at Owlcat Games.
After reviewing more than 50 projects, Owlcat has signed deals with two talented development teams — Emotion Spark Studio, based in Serbia, and Another Angle Games, based in Poland.
Emotion Spark Studio is working on a narrative RPG called Rue Valley. It is a story about a man trapped in a mysterious time loop during a psychotherapy session. Dealing with mental challenges, the main character must rise from the depths, delving into the anomaly to uncover its enigmatic origins.
Another Angle Games is creating an isometric RPG in an alternate history setting of feudal Japan called Shadow of the Road. It is an immersive story about samurai, honor, and allegiance, combined with a deep tactical turn-based combat system in a world filled with magical yokai and deadly steampunk technology.
Both titles are still in the early stages of development, with more information to be shared later this month at gamescom.
Owlcat Games has also gained full control over the publishing label META Publishing, which acted as a publishing partner to bring Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous to PC and console storefronts in 2021. META Publishing follows a strategy of its own and focuses on gameplay-first titles with co-op multiplayer features.
The label has a solid portfolio of launched games including Biped, Spirit of the Island, Train Valley, Train Valley 2 and others. New upcoming titles from the META Publishing portfolio will be presented later this month at gamescom, including Biped 2, the sequel to the successful puzzle action-adventure game from 2020, and Nested Lands, a new game from the Brazilian studio 1M Bits Horde, the creators of Spirit of the Island.