It's been a while since Arkane has shelved the Dishonored IP. Granted, that part of the story was successfully concluded with the release of Death of the Outsider in 2017, but there are so many parts of that unique steampunk/dieselpunk world that would deserve to have their own games. Sure, it was eventually confirmed that Deathloop takes place in the same setting (albeit in the far future), but it's not quite the same thing.
A proper Dishonored 3 was leaked alongside other unannounced Bethesda games (The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Fallout 3 remasters, a Ghostwire: Tokyo sequel) during the Microsoft vs. FTC trial in 2023, but none of those projects ever materialized, suggesting they were set aside after Microsoft acquired ZeniMax.
While the actual franchise may be lying dormant and there's no telling when it might return with Arkane Austin dead and Arkane Lyon busy with Marvel's Blade, Arkane founder and series creator Raphaël Colantonio promised fans they will enjoy the next project in development at WolfEye Studios, which will marry the likes of Dishonored and Prey with an additional RPG layer. Speaking to GamesIndustry, he said:
People who loved Dishonored and Prey are going to feel very at home. It's uncompromised… We are just going full on into that kind of game in the way we create worlds, the way we let choices to the player. And I think there are going to be even more choices this time because of the RPG layer. We'll have a lot of different ways to do things.
The game will be played in first-person like Dishonored. Colantonio also confirmed it will feature shooter-like gameplay.
There is something about real-time decision making, as opposed to everything being stats, that makes us feel more in the moment, more immersed. I'm surprised the intersection between RPG and first-person shooter has not been more of a thing.
We don't know much about the game, except that it is more ambitious than the studio's debut (Weird West) thanks to a generous investment received by WolfEye early on. We do know it is set in a steampunk world and a Limited Alpha will take place next year, with sign-ups open on the official website.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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