Former BioShock and Borderlands Developers Announce Chaotic New Game

Summary

Stray Kite Studios, a team of industry veterans with experience on titles like BioShock, Borderlands, and Age of Empires, announces Wartorn, their first original game. This real-time strategy roguelite boasts destructible environments, impactful moral choices, and a striking painterly art style. Launching in early access on Steam and the Epic Games Store in Spring 2025.

Wartorn, the debut original title from Dallas-based Stray Kite Studios (founded 2018, approx. 30 employees), blends real-time strategy and roguelite mechanics. The game follows two elven sisters on a perilous journey to reunite with their family, facing challenging battles and morally complex decisions. Previously, the studio contributed to Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-Shot Adventure and created numerous Creative maps for Fortnite.

Wartorn Is Chaotic in More Than One Way

Wartorn's fantasy world is deeply fractured and chaotic, presenting numerous challenges to the player. This chaos extends to the game's physics-driven destructible environments, ensuring unique gameplay experiences with each playthrough. Thematically, Wartorn explores the search for purpose amidst chaos, with co-founder and creative director Paul Hellquist stating, "We’ve poured our hearts into creating a game that not only entertains but also makes players think deeply about sacrifice, survival, and the bonds that unite us."

Wartorn Will Require Players To Make Tough Decisions

Between battles, players confront difficult choices—deciding who to save, who to feed, etc.—further enhancing the story-driven roguelite experience and ensuring replayability. Combat offers similar freedom, featuring a dynamic magic system that allows players to combine elemental forces (fire, water, lightning) in creative and situational ways, such as shocking enemies in water or igniting tar-covered foes.

We’ve poured our hearts into creating a game that not only entertains but also makes players think deeply about sacrifice, survival, and the bonds that unite us.

Wartorn's progression system incorporates carry-over upgrades between runs, gradually easing subsequent attempts. The painterly art style enhances the game's dramatic setting. For maximum accessibility, the game includes an option to slow down gameplay for precise command input. Launching in early access on Steam and the Epic Games Store in Spring 2025.