While VR might not be the next big step in gaming as some were expecting, the platform has spawned many excellent franchises. One such series was Moss – a VR puzzler which saw you interact with an isometric world in order to assist the mouse ‘Quill’ on her journey. Unfortunately, despite launching two VR entries and a flatscreen port of the duology, studio Polyarc has announced its closure.

Taking to LinkedIn to make the announcement, the official Polyarc page confirmed the unfortunate news, writing: “Today is the end of an era for Polyarc. After nearly 12 years riding the joyous rollercoaster of emotions that is making video games, our time together has come to an end. As we wind down active development, we are saying our farewells to each other.”

The message continues, “Working together over all of these years has been an honor. Bringing surprise and delight to those who played our games has been a privilege. Thank you to everyone at Polyarc, our work is now finished.”

This news comes as a bit of a surprise, given the fact that Polyarc only just launched their latest game a couple months ago: a flatscreen reinterpretation of the Moss Duology which arrived to a ‘very positive’ reception on Steam.

While far from the first studio to shut down in 2026, the closure of Polyarc is yet another blow to the games industry. Hopefully the roughly 30 developers impacted are able to find new employment.

KitGuru says: Are you surprised by the announcement? Did you ever give Moss a chance? Will VR forever remain a niche in the industry? Let us know down below.

The post Studio behind the Moss Duology ‘Polyarc’ is shutting down first appeared on KitGuru.

While they are known best for creating the excellent PlayStation exclusive Journey back in 2012, thatgamecompany has been quietly growing over the past many years thanks to the success of their free-to-play Sky: Children of the Light. Having amassed over 300 million players, studio thatgamecompany are now deciding to pay-it-forward, announcing their new publishing arm ‘thatgamepublisher’.

Taking part in an interview with the publication GamesIndustry.biz, thatgamecompany co-founder Jenova Chen confirmed that they had opened up a new publishing wing.

Known appropriately as thatgamepublisher, this new venture has been founded “because we believe there are countless creators around the world discovering new emotional frontiers for this medium, and we want to help them bring those visions to life.”

As of now, the publisher confirmed that they have already signed “a couple” of projects, however things are being kept under wraps at the moment.

The full interview is lengthy and covers a wide range of topics, from the early days of thatgamecompany; to the success of Sky: Children of the Light; their philosophy as a publisher and more (available to read HERE).

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of thatgamecompany? Have you played Sky: Children of the Light at all? Let us know down below.

The post thatgamecompany announces new publishing arm ‘thatgamepublisher’ first appeared on KitGuru.

As part of Microsoft’s most recent string of lay-offs, the Xbox maker announced that it would be parting ways with a number of studios – some of which would reacquire their independence. Following Compulsion Games’ announcement from last week, Double Fine Productions have now confirmed that they are officially independent once again.

As part of a recent episode of the Kinda Funny Games Daily show, Double Fine CEO Tim Schafer confirmed that the studio had finalised its independence from Microsoft, with all of the IPs once again under its control, stating:

“We have the publishing rights back to our games. It still says ‘Microsoft’ on some of them, but it just takes a while for it all to process. When people buy our games, it supports the studio. So if you’re curious, buying any of our games helps support the studio, and we can turn that money into revenue that helps us extend that runway.”

Double Fine already appears to be back to work, with Schafer confirming that their multiplayer party game KILN will be receiving a free update soon alongside a permanent price cut. In addition, Schafer and co. announced that they have gone live with a new Kickstarter.

Called Amnesia Fortnight 2026, this Game Jam will allow backers to contribute towards the development of 4 game prototypes – one of which will be turned into a finalised project. As expected from the studio, a documentary will also be in the works cataloguing the whole experience.

While being part of a major company like Microsoft could have afforded Double Fine the time and money to work on creative projects, it appears as though they operate best when they are independent. Hopefully this new Kickstarter proves to be a success.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Double Fine’s return? Will you support Amnesia Fortnight 2026? Is this a welcome return to form for the studio? Let us know down below.

The post Double Fine Productions is officially independent from Microsoft first appeared on KitGuru.

Both frustrating and intriguing all the same, Mortal Shell II vastly improves on the original title with a world filled with secret dungeons about while routinely kicking the player's teeth in without mercy

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/review/mortal-shell-ii-not-all-its-cracked-up-to-be/

Released back in 2020, Phasmophobia became a viral hit, with the multiplayer focused ghost hunting game going on to sell in excess of 25 million copies; spawning an upcoming film adaptation. In the wake of Phasmophobia’s success, the team at Kinetic Games opened up a publishing wing – having now announced a total of 5 exciting impending indies.

Making the announcements as part of its inaugural showcase, Kinetic Publishing offered a look at 5 promising upcoming indie games:

• Contact Protocol [Choice-based starship job simulator]
• Crescent County [Witch-themed broom racing game]
• Aether Wizard Life [Side-scrolling wizard life-sim platformer]
• Shellbound [2D metroidvania set on a gigantic snail]
• PRECOGNITION [Sci-fi horror puzzler from Sam Barlow]

It is always nice to see when successful indie teams are able to use their platform to support other burgeoning studios / creatives. Hopefully this marks the first of many years worth of ‘Kinetic Publishing’ showcases.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Did you watch the showcase? Which of the games stood out to you the most? What’s your favourite game from Sam Barlow? Let us know down below.

The post Phasmophobia devs announce 5 new games under its indie publishing label first appeared on KitGuru.

Insider Gaming is a publication known best for getting their hands on a ton of scoops for leaked and unannounced titles. That said, instead of leaking upcoming games, Insider Gaming is now set to officially announce over a dozen upcoming titles as part of its brand new Showcase – going live next week.

Making the surprise announcement, the publication revealed that they will be hosting their own video games showcase. Going live on the 28th of May, the ‘Insider Gaming Showcase’ will present “a rapid-fire gallery of some of the most promising games in the world.”

Of course, the presentation will not include any major AAA releases, but will instead focus on “helping developers with one of the most difficult parts of game development: securing funding and/or a publisher.”

As a result, the showcase will include games at all different stages of development, “from polished games to concepts”. In total, viewers can expect a total of 55 titles to be shown off – a dozen of which are self-described as “World Premieres.”

With how overly-produced some showcases have become in recent years, it will feel somewhat refreshing to have a presentation free from “adverts or musical performances in between each game”.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of this announcement? Are there too many presentations already? Will you be watching the stream when it goes live? Let us know down below.

The post Insider Gaming Showcase goes live next week with a dozen “World Premieres” first appeared on KitGuru.

ThatGameCompany is perhaps known best for their work during the PlayStation 3 era, with the indie studio releasing a number of iconic titles including flOw; Flower and most famously Journey. Taking inspiration from their past projects while expanding upon it, the team released Sky: Children of the Light back in 2019 – a free-to-play live-service offering. Over half a decade on and the game is going stronger than ever, with ThatGameCompany revealing that Sky has surpassed over 300 million downloads.

Celebrating the studio’s 20th anniversary, ThatGameCompany shared a heartfelt message to its fans, writing: “Twenty years ago we had one belief: that a game could be beautiful, wordless, and still move you. Every player who floated through flOw, bloomed through Flower, reached the mountain peak through Journey, or found their flock in Sky… you are the heart of everything we do. We couldn't have built any of it without you. Thank you. Here's to the next 20!”

As part of the celebrations, the studio revealed that their ongoing free-to-play Sky; Children of the Light has been a massive success, amassing over 300 million downloads since its initial Early Access launch (first on iOS) back in 2019.

In discussing its future, the team confirmed that they have a number of unannounced projects in the works, stating: “While new projects are already in development behind the scenes, the studio will continue to invest in the future of Sky: Children of the Light, expanding its world through new experiences, storytelling and community-driven initiatives that deepen the connection between players both in and outside the game.”

Sky: Children of the Light and TheGameCompany’s entire output as a whole is highly unique and rather experimental, and so it is encouraging to see hundreds of millions of players come to appreciate the studio’s work. It will be interesting to see where ThatGameCompany goes from here.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What do you think of ThatGameCompany’s titles? Have you tried Sky: Children of the Light? Let us know down below.

The post Sky: Children of the Light surpasses 300 million downloads as ThatGameCompany celebrates 20th anniversary first appeared on KitGuru.

Ever since the successful launch of Cuphead, we’ve seen a number of indie studios embrace decades-old aesthetics, in particular going back to the rubber-hose days of early animation. One of the most promising in this regard was Mouse: P.I. For Hire. After years of waiting, and a couple delays, the game finally launched last month to high praise and strong sales – with the indie hit having already recouped its development costs.

Making the official announcement via a press release, Mouse: P.I. For Hire publisher PlaySide confirmed that the recently-launched title is already nearing its first big sales milestone; having officially sold a total of 730,000 copies since the 16th of April.

As a result of its rapid success, PlaySide also confirmed that “milestone payments, publishing and marketing costs from initial sales” have all been recouped, meaning all future sales should be pure profit.

In terms of a platform breakdown, Mouse: P.I. For Hire is seemingly succeeding across the board, with PlaySide confirming that console sales account for half of the 730,000 figure.

Looking to the future, there is still plenty of opportunity for growth, with unique FPS said to have reached a total of 3 million wishlists (up from 1.73m at launch).

Launching a video game in today’s age is a pretty big risk, and so it is encouraging to see a unique title such as Mouse: P.I. For Hire managing to break through.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: Are you one of the 730,000 players? What do you think of the art style? Let us know down below.

The post Mouse: P.I. For Hire has exceeded expectations and is already profitable first appeared on KitGuru.

The notion of video game remakes and reimaginings has become increasingly commonplace within the video games industry – particularly in the AAA space. That said, there are some indies which have gone down the remake route. Joining this short list is 11 bit Studios’ This War of Mine; set to receive “a fully modern, fresh take” on the bleak survival classic.

Making the announcement during the company’s latest financial statement, 11 bit Studios officially unveiled Frostpunk 1886 alongside project P15: A reimagining of This War of Mine described by CEO Przemysław Marszał as representing “a fully modern, fresh take on the games that defined 11 bit Studios, designed from the ground up with a multi-year lifecycle and long-term community engagement in mind.”

What this means exactly is unknown, however Marszał did offer some additional details on the reimagining’s technical make-up, confirming that it will utilise Unreal Engine while also teasing “one special exciting feature’ which is being kept under wraps.

While it is far too early to tell, This War of Mine was a very particular and purposeful experience, and so hopefully this reimagined version manages to maintain the original’s sense of bleak hopelessness and depressing atmosphere.

Discuss on our Facebook page HERE.

KitGuru says: What did you think of This War of Mine back in the day? How do you think they’ll approach this reimagining? Let us know down below.

The post Indie hit This War of Mine is being reimagined with “a fully modern, fresh take” first appeared on KitGuru.

The web app lets you turn on YouTube and surf channels like you're watching cable TV in the '90s.

God of War: Sons of Sparta plays it safe when no other entry had done so before. A Metroid-like handled by an indie studio might not be what you expected in 2026 but I enjoy seeing smaller studios try and give a unique spin on existing franchises.

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/review/god-of-war-sons-of-sparta-review-with-it-or-on-it/

Vampire Survivors blew up when the reverse-bullet-hell rogue-lite released back in 2022, spawning an entirely new sub-genre of ‘bullet-heavens’. Developed by the studio Poncle, the team are now set to tackle the dungeon-crawling card-battler scene, with Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard now receiving an official demo ahead of its launch later this year.

Vampire Crawlers is a spin-off of the highly-popular Vampire Survivors. Set to release some time in early-mid 2026, this new take on the formula sees many familiar elements from Survivors being adapted to fit the upcoming first-person dungeon-crawling deckbuilder.

Seemingly featuring a similar level of buildcrafting, Vampire Crawlers looks to be a highly fun and addictive title which may very well spawn its own set of inspirations – bringing the dungeon crawling genre back into the limelight.

Regardless of whether this is the direction you were hoping to see Poncle head in, both fans and sceptics alike can try out ‘Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors’ right now thanks to a free demo.

Vampire Survivors is genuinely one of the most impactful indie games released in quite some time, and so it will be interesting to see how the industry responds to the team at Poncle’s next big project.

KitGuru says: What do you think of Vampire Crawlers? Will it scratch the same itch as Survivors? Let us know your thoughts down below.

The post Vampire Survivors spin-off ‘Vampire Crawlers’ demo available now first appeared on KitGuru.

Mewgenics, the “cat breeding magnum opus” from Edmund McMillen, creator of Binding of Isaac, and Tyler Glaiel, creator of The End is Nigh, has achieved a massive commercial milestone. It has sold over 1 million copies in just 7 days since its launch on PC, Mewgenics has become the first indie success of the year.

The news was brought to us by one of the creators via X.com. Player engagement for the tactical roguelike has also been quite good, according to SteamDB, reaching an all-time high of 115,428 concurrent players on February 15th. This figure surpasses the peak of 112,947 concurrent players set by the previous genre leader, Hades 2, officially making Mewgenics the most-played roguelite in Steam's history. Currently, the game sits at a 92% Steam review score with over 20K reviews.

Tyler Glaiel also posted other fun stats about Mewgenics, stating that the game had around 400k wishlists before reviews came out. However, that number increased considerably after reviews began to be published, reaching 600K.

As of now, the game is available on Steam with a 10% launch discount, bringing the price down to £22.49/$26.99/€26.09 from its standard £24.99/$29.99/€28.99. This promotional offer ends on February 24th, after which the game will return to its full retail price.

KitGuru says: Have you already tried Mewgenics, or are you planning to? 

The post Mewgenics has sold 1 million copies in its launch week first appeared on KitGuru.