The Witcher 3 turned 10 years old back in May, and if you’ve been hoping for an RPG like it, that’s where Blood of Dawnwalker could come in. The fantasy-RPG from Rebel Wolves—made up of CD Projekt Red alums deeply involved with both Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077—is a ways out, but that’s not stopping the studio from showing off some of its systems and its take on being half-vampire.
Plotwise, the game is set in a fictional 14th century medieval Europe and stars Coen, who’s been recently turned into a vampire/human hybrid. He’s got 30 days and nights to save his family, which requires making choices throughout his journey and eventually dethroning the vampire lords and their leader Brencis. Despite the time limit, Bloodwalker is open-world, and time only moves forward during specific, clearly telegraphed missions. But a faceoff with Brencis is coming sooner or later, and Coen get either go that final battle alone or with the help of allies he makes nice with.
Like other RPGs, Blood of Dawnwalker is mostly focused on combat, which involves melee weapons and magic. Players use melee weapons (or their claws at night) to attack in directions where enemies aren’t blocking or parrying, while magical hexes drain Coen’s health and let him do feats like burning enemies’ blood. According to design director Daniel Sadowski, health doesn’t regenerate during the day, so players have to replenish by eating food and can put skill points into abilities that reduce how much health gets drained while casting hexes.
At night, Coen can use vampire abilities that offer more stealth capabilities, scope out areas, and get around the world in more interesting ways. Using his powers requires blood, and that means eating people, or animals and “other creatures” if you like. In the footage above, Sadowski talks up the game’s freedom and “narrative sandbox,” which allows players to tackle quests how and whenever they like. This open-endedness was a big selling point of the Witcher games, and something Rebel Wolves is clearly leaning as it develops the first in what it hopes is the start of a rival fantasy franchise.
We’ll see how that fares when Blood of Dawnwalker releases in 2026 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
