Summary
Stray Kite Studios, a team of industry veterans with experience on titles like BioShock, Borderlands, and Age of Empires, has announced Wartorn, their first original game. This real-time strategy roguelite, launching in early access on Steam and the Epic Games Store in Spring 2025, features destructible environments, challenging moral choices, and a striking painterly art style.
Wartorn tells the story of two elven sisters striving to reunite with their family in a chaotic, deeply divided fantasy world. Their journey will be filled with difficult battles and morally ambiguous decisions.
Founded in 2018 and based in Dallas, Texas, Stray Kite Studios (approximately 30 employees in 2025) previously developed the standalone version of Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep: A Wonderlands One-Shot Adventure and numerous Creative maps for Fortnite.
Wartorn: Chaos and Choice
Wartorn's chaotic world presents numerous challenges. The game's physics-driven environmental destruction ensures each encounter is unique and unpredictable. This element, combined with tough moral choices (such as deciding who to save or feed), contributes to the game's story-driven roguelite experience, guaranteeing replayability. Thematically, Wartorn explores themes of purpose, sacrifice, survival, and the strength of familial bonds. "We’ve poured our hearts into creating a game that not only entertains but also makes players think deeply about sacrifice, survival, and the bonds that unite us," states Stray Kite Studios co-founder and creative director Paul Hellquist.
Tough Decisions and Dynamic Combat
Beyond the narrative, players will face difficult choices between battles, influencing the story and shaping each playthrough. Combat offers a dynamic magic system, allowing players to creatively combine fire, water, and lightning spells for strategic advantages. Exploiting environmental interactions, such as shocking enemies in water or igniting tar-covered mobs, adds another layer of tactical depth.
The roguelite progression system features persistent upgrades between runs, making subsequent attempts progressively easier. The game's painterly aesthetic enhances the dramatic setting, and an adjustable slow-motion feature allows for precise command input even amidst the chaos, ensuring accessibility for all players. Wartorn is slated for an early access launch on Steam and the Epic Games Store in Spring 2025.
