What We Know About 11 bit studios' Next Game

Published: June 3, 2019 10:00 AM /

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11 bit studios frostpunk bg

11 bit studios has had stellar performance lately with the success of FrostpunkMoonlighter, and the various other games that they've developed and published. The company is expanding its publishing operations with at least two new games from other developers on the horizon, but that's not to say that they're neglecting their own in-house works, either.

I recently had the privilege to meet with Patryk Grzeszczuk and Jakub Stokalski of 11 bit studios in New York City. I saw the console version of Frostpunk and got hands-on with their upcoming published title Children of Morta, but I also learned a bit about their next game codenamed "Project 8".

Let's start with the name: Project 8 bears that codename simply because it is the eighth project in development from the studio. It's a naming scheme that's so wonderfully straightforward in a way that Slavic people excel at. I'm certain they'll carry on using this code name scheme without any need for fancy titles like The Kielbasa Initiative or something like that.

Another characteristic of my ancestral people is that we're a somewhat cynical lot. That's been somewhat reflected in 11 bit studios' past games This War of Mine and Frostpunk. Frankly, they're downright depressing most of the time, but Project 8 won't be nearly as grim as their past works. It's also set to be "significantly bigger" in scope.

Project 8 is already two years into development. Prototyping has already been completed, and the developers I spoke with estimated that there are roughly another two years to go. I probed for some additional information about this upcoming game, but a representative told me that they weren't ready to go into much more detail just yet. I imagine that we aren't going to be seeing anything from this game at this year's E3, although I think a showing at Gamescom 2019 is a reasonable possibility.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6saqbmVT9qk

Frostpunk is nothing like This War of Mine, and Project 8 will probably be a lot different from Frostpunk.


As with many previous games from 11 bit studios, their next game is going to be a mix of genres that will be difficult to slot into one particular area of gaming. What's new, though, is that Project 8 is the first game that is being developed with consoles in mind from the beginning. That's not to say that they are abandoning PC players — far from it — but console gamers won't have to wait for a few years for a port to be put together.

What remains to be seen is exactly what their next game is. Take a look at the history of 11 bit studios' games that they've developed in-house:

  • Anomaly: Warzone Earth
  • Anomaly: Korea
  • Funky Smugglers
  • Sleepwalker’s Journey
  • Anomaly 2
  • Anomaly Defenders
  • This War of Mine
  • Frostpunk
Outside of the Anomaly franchise, there really isn't much in the way of a discernable pattern here. The only predictable thing about 11 bit studios is, well... they're unpredictable. A bunch of Polish gaming industry veterans decided to get together a decade ago and they've been coming out with surprising new games ever since.

We can't say for sure what Project 8 is going to be or how it's going to turn out. What little we do know paints a picture of what may be the company's most ambitious project yet: a bigger, better game that mixes genres and aims for a multiplatform release right from the start. It'll be a mystery until 11 bit studios decides to reveal it, but I'm certain that it will be an entertaining experience.

What do you think 11 bit studios will do for their next game? What's your favorite title developed by this company? Let us know in the comments below!

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


A photograph of TechRaptor Senior Writer Robert N. Adams.
| Senior Writer

One of my earliest memories is playing Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System. I've had a controller in my hand since I was 4 and I… More about Robert N