THQ Nordic’s New IP Fatekeeper Explained

THQ Nordic just held its 2025 Digital Showcase, and the publisher put quite an offering on display. Among details on games new and old, THQ's unveiled a brand-new IP—one that takes a linear, combat-focused approach to modern RPGs.

The 2025 THQ Nordic Digital Showcase just wrapped up, and it had a lot to show off. Not only did fans receive updates on known projects, such as the remake of Gothic, but a good number of wholly new announcements were made at the show. Included within these reveals was an entirely new IP, that being Fatekeeper. Inspired by the cancelled-game-turned-DLC Hellraid, this action RPG will lean on a number of different influences to deliver a classic RPG experience with some modern flair.

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By Dylan Whitehall

THQ Nordic's Fatekeeper Explained

THQ Nordic's new IP Fatekeeper was introduced at the 2025 showcase and briefly explored. Developed by a small team in the Alps, the presentation was light on intricate details about the upcoming game, but nonetheless gave plenty to chew on for those that might be interested. The game is a medieval fantasy RPG, one that will combine spells and swordplay in the same manner as its many contemporaries. However, perhaps the most interesting aspect of this first-person action RPG is its focus on linearity and tight design.

Fatekeeper's outward appearance is reminiscent of RPG games like Skyrim, with the limited demonstration of spell mechanics showing especially notable parallels, but it distinguishes itself through the developer's emphasis on linearity. The title won't be an open-world game, nor will it emphasize open exploration in its maps—even if its stages will include some branching trajectories. Rather, Fatekeeper's focus is on a linear storytelling structure that pulls its features into a tighter lense for greater depth, with a premium being placed on combat. Players will be able to enjoy a complex combat system, one that involves special moves beyond light and heavy attacks. Good timing and clever use of items will be key to success, in addition to the use of Fatekeeper's own system of spells.

Classic RPG Inspiration

Fatekeeper is specifically inspired by the cancelled Techland game Hellraid, a dark fantasy game that had very similar goals. Back in the early 2010s, Techland revealed that it was working on Hellraid, a project inspired by 90s classics like Hexen and Diablo that would have pursued a retro feel alongside modern graphics. Unfortunately, the project was shelved in 2015—with the studio deciding instead to focus on its incredibly successful Dying Light series. Dying Light did allow for Hellraid to see something of a revival with the Hellraid DLC in 2020, but this crossover pack did little to capture what players were looking forward to with the original game.

There's no question that the upcoming Fatekeeper is taking more than a few cues from the canceled Hellraid, down to the distinct separation from open-world design. The project began with the same catalyst of bringing classic RPG systems to the world of modern graphics, something Fatekeeper will do by joining all the other games made with Unreal Engine 5.

Fatekeeper's own brand of dark fantasy storytelling will no doubt offer a window into what Hellraid could have been, all topped off with the game's own emphasis on in-depth combat mechanics. The maps of Fatekeeper, though they will have room to explore, will likely be less open-ended than what the levels of its spiritual predecessor were purported to be—but the shift away from open-world design doubtlessly comes from a similar place. As games increasingly try to become more and more open, a title like Fatekeeper might just be a breath of fresh air with its more compact, focused design.

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