While developer WayForward is known for its long-running Shantae series and various licensed games for properties like Cartoon Network's Adventure Time and Universal's The Mummy, it also does work as a publisher for other indie developers. Today, WayForward announced it will be publishing Dawn of the Monsters, a co-op beat 'em up starring kaiju in the vein of popular monsters like Godzilla.
Dawn of the Monsters is being created by 13AM Games, also responsible for the racing platformer Runbow (which received Shantae as a DLC character in 2016) and last year's similarly-styled action-platformer Double Cross. In a statement regarding its involvement, WayForward said it will provide creative support and handle "digital publishing, distribution, and marketing duties" for North America and Europe as 13AM Games continues development.
The Canadian developer provided a first look at pre-alpha footage for Dawn of the Monsters, a 2.5D game with artwork it says is inspired by Hellboy comic creator Mike Mignola, during a stream in July. It is currently in development for all major current and next-generation consoles, and will release in "late 2021" according to WayForward's announcement today.
WayForward has announced a string of new titles in recent months, following the release of Shantae and the Seven Sirens and its own popular beat 'em up River City Girls. Among those games are a marble-based fantasy adventure called Marble Knights for Apple Arcade, as well as a RWBY game in collaboration with Rooster Teeth and Arc System Works.
Dawn of the Monsters is scheduled to release in late 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Sources: WayForward, 13AM Games