The next game in the Darksiders franchise has been announced, though it's unlike any previous Darksiders game. Introducing Darksiders Genesis, a spin-off prequel to the three main-series Darksiders games that moves away from its usual play-style in favor of Diablo-like dungeon crawling and looting. Players take on the role of Strife, the fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse and the last to be a Darksiders protagonist. Darksiders Genesis will launch in 2019.

Going off of publisher THQ Nordic's description of Darksider: Genesis, the game will be an action-adventure dungeon crawler played from an isometric camera angle. Players will slaughter their way through demons and monsters, collecting loot as they go. However, it's unclear how much of a balance Darksiders Genesis finds between a looter like Diablo 3 and say an adventure-puzzler like the Lara Croft games.

One big question left to be answered is with regards to multiplayer. Strife hints that he's "not alone" in the Genesis announcement trailer, but no mention of co-op is brought up in the game's description. Another of the four Horsemen is shown in the trailer's gameplay, War, but whether he's played by a human or is just a supportive NPC isn't clear. There's quite a meaningful difference between single-player Diablo-like and a cooperative game like ARPGs are traditionally designed as.

Regarding story, while Darksiders Genesis may be a spin-off, but it's still building on the franchise's overarching story. In the Darksiders timeline, Genesis will be a prequel to all the other games. The Horsemen have finished their task of genociding the Nephilim, their own kind, and are given a new task by The Council. War and Strife must upend a plot by demon king Lucifer to end the Balance. As such, War and Strife must hunt down Lucifer's master demons and end the plot, protecting the Balance between Heaven and Hell.

THQ Nordic clearly sees a lot of value in the Darksiders franchise. 2018 saw the release of Darksiders 3 and now a spin-off from another developer is being readied for release in 2019. Meanwhile, new Darksiders 3 DLC, Keepers of the Void, will launch in July and a Switch version of the game may be in the works as well. Darksiders: Genesis may mark the beginning of a new, broader era for the Darksiders franchise. Darksiders 4 isn't all fans need look forward to in the future, anymore.

Darksiders Genesis releases in 2019 on Google Stadia, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.