‘Frostpunk’ publisher announces “morally ambiguous” RPG ‘Project Vitriol’

11 Bit Studios, the publisher behind games such as Frostpunk and This War Of Mine have announced their next project, a narrative-driven RPG.

Codenamed Project Vitriol, the title is being developed by Fools Theory, a collective of AAA veterans whose previous titles include The Witcher 2 and The Witcher 3.

11 Bit Studios says Project Vitriol is a “deep, morally ambiguous narrative-driven RPG, of a scale and scope not previously undertaken by the publisher”.

During the announcement, project lead Jakub Rokosz explained: “The game is about the esoteric side of reality, that dark part of the world that most of us don’t see and are not aware of its existence, but the darkness, it is there, lurking behind every corner.”

“It watches us closely from the shadows, and whether we know it or not – takes its toll, making sure we’re going to have a debt to pay. And to give you a sense of verity,” Rokosz continued. “The story begins in a place and time where reality, folklore, energy and mysticism met together in a melting pot: early XX century Warsaw, under imperial Russian tsardom.”

More details are expected later this year.

Last year, 11 Bit Studios confirmed a sequel to Frostpunk was in development.

Frostpunk 2 takes place 30 years after the apocalyptic blizzard storm while Earth is still overwhelmed by the icy climate of never-ending frost. The player takes the role of the leader of a resource-hungry metropolis where the expansion and search for new sources of power is an unavoidable reality.

“What we aim to deliver to players is an experience that goes vastly beyond that of the original Frostpunk,” said Jakub Stokalski, co-director on Frostpunk 2.

“What players should expect is a wide universe of choices, the freedom to shape the society and the city however they see fit – and reap the consequences. Frostpunk 2 builds on the conflicts of its predecessor – survival vs human values, life vs the arctic frost.” A release date is still to be confirmed.

In other news, EA boss Andrew Wilson has received a hefty pay cut, reducing his annual pay from roughly £32.5million ($39.2million) down to £16.2million ($19.9million).