Lies of P studio NEOWIZ announced today that it will publish the debut game of ZAKAZANE, a Polish indie developer founded a while ago by former CD Projekt RED and 11bit Studios developer Jan Bartkowicz, Piotr Chomiak, Radosław Gwarek, and Marta Sobek. ZAKAZANE had previously raised $1 million in pre-seed investment led by The Games Fund to kickstart the development of their first game, and this partnership is worth another $8 million. ZAKAZANE is currently working on a single player Noir Western RPG set in a remote mining town sheriff must solve a case that threatens to destroy the community.
Jan Bartkowicz, CEO and co-founder of ZAKAZANE, said in a statement:
We found a great understanding of our vision with NEOWIZ, who got excited about our debut title the minute we showed them the demo. In conversations that followed, they never tried to steer us away from our principles but rather to make sure we stick to our guns. It’s clear both sides understand that games can become important to people on a personal level, making them both valuable works of culture and good business.
Seung-Cheol Kim, co-CEO at NEOWIZ, stated:
NEOWIZ is committed to delivering remarkable, story-driven games that resonate with gamers worldwide, and we're actively searching for talented developers with a passion for well-crafted narratives. When we first met ZAKAZANE, we felt an immediate kinship around their passion for developing projects that profoundly captivate audiences. Their upcoming neo-western RPG will be a key addition to our portfolio and reflects our ambition to build lasting franchises across PC and consoles. Together, we will create a brand that unites quality and storytelling for gamers to cherish for years to come.
It's not the first time that the developer of Lies of P has signed a deal with a Polish developer. The same happened a year ago with Blank Studio, another team formed from CD Projekt Red alums. They are making a post-apocalyptic character driven game, as you can read in our Q&A from June 2023.
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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