Back in 2007, CD Projekt Red released its first video game titled The Witcher. However, it wasn't until the release of The Witcher 2: Assassin Of Kings, and The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt that the mainstream gaming public began to take notice of the studio. The latest game, Cyberpunk 2077 sadly did not perform as well as its previous game and was notable for launching in a nearly unplayable state. Now it appears that some of the people who worked under CD Projekt Red are looking to put the studio behind them.
In May, a former CD Projekt Red developer named Jacub Ben co-founded a new development company called Dark Passenger. Ben's Linkedin account lists him as a developer for CD Projekt Red; a job that lasted nearly five years. His role at the company was listed as a Cinematic Artist/Assistant Director and as a Junior Cinematic Artist. In addition, he worked with The Witcher developer under Dark Passenger's former name, RealTime Warriors on Cyberpunk 2077. Currently, CD Projekt Red is working on a fourth game in The Witcher franchise but Dark Passenger is ready to get things started on a new project.
In a recent post, the official Dark Passenger Twitter account revealed that it is hiring for a new game. The developer's official website offered more details as to what gamers can expect from the upcoming project. It is currently untitled but is described as an online action game that will be ninja-themed. The game will take place in Feudal Japan and focuses on a time when the country was taken over by an unknown invader. It is currently unclear if the invader will be of supernatural origin or a historically based one like the Mongols in Ghost of Tsushima. The players will take control of ninjas from various houses who are seeking artifacts that will allow them to take on the invaders while battling one another for dominance.
Gameplay footage for Dark Passenger's upcoming game is currently nonexistent. The site does reveal the game will focus on both cooperation and competition. Weapons like katanas, shurikens, kunai throwing knives, and many others will also be included. The close-range encounters may be similar to the combat in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. In addition, the game will have a complex personalization system that will allow players to create characters according to their preferences.
Moves like these are not at all uncommon in the game industry. Stoic Studio, for example, is a game company that was formed by former BioWare developers who went on to create The Banner Saga games. Likewise, former developers at Telltale Games set out on their own, forming Campo Santo Games, and created the 2016 game, Firewatch. Hopefully, Dark Passenger's upcoming ninja game will bring success and hours of entertainment for gamers across the world.
Source: Dark Passenger (via IGN)