Avalanche Studios Group is the developer behind games like Rage 2 and the Just Cause series, not to be confused with Avalanche Software, the developer behind the upcoming Hogwarts Legacy. Avalanche Studios Group is known for making solid and fun, if slightly underappreciated games.
It has been reported that Avalanche Studios Group currently has multiple games in development, including the fifth game in its most popular series, Just Cause, and an open-world co-op game with Xbox Game Studios named Contraband.
However, as revealed in a recent leak, Avalanche Studios Group is reportedly working on another game that is currently being developed under the codename “Jackdaw.” The game's true name has been revealed as Ravenbound: Tales of Avalt, and it will be a brand-new IP for the studio in a new genre. The fantasy title will be a roguelike, which is a style of game that is growing in prominence after other recent high-profile roguelike successes such as Hades and Returnal.
The game’s development was leaked by Shawn Weber on Twitter, along with quite a lot of information about the game itself. Reportedly the game will be set in a medieval fantasy land named Avalt, and the player will be tasked with defending it from invaders. The player will choose to play as one of three characters known as Vessels of the Raven, who each have different stats and weapons that the player can customize using trait cards that are not be dropped upon death.
Roguelike games rely on being able to continuously reuse a set amount of assets and enemy types which are procedurally reshuffled every time the player is killed. Some roguelike games completely forgo a story mode due to this, but others, like 2021's Returnal managed to integrate this procedural element into its compelling story. Whether Ravenbound will have a campaign, or if it will be a continuous pursuit of cathartic combat, is yet to be revealed. Shawn Weber did describe the game as an open world Dead Cells, which is a roguelike game that leaned heavily on its combat mechanics rather than its story.
Another leaked detail about Ravenbound is that it will reportedly include a feature which lets the player view the world from the perspective of a flying raven, similar to the feature introduced to the Assassin’s Creed Series in AC Origins. The game will also supposedly include in-game currency and loot box mechanics, which is a system now disdained by many players, with some prominent gamers even saying loot boxes should be made illegal. However, it is unknown whether Ravenbound will push these mechanics to any exploitative degree.
Ravenbound: Tales of Avalt is reportedly in development from Avalanche Studios Group.