Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is one of Don't Nod's "most ambitious projects" ever
Expect a "powerful and intimate narrative" that features "a striking art direction"
Life Is Strange developer Don't Nod has announced its next game will be Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden.
Revealed at The Game Awards and releasing at "the end of" 2023 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is described as an "action RPG" with a "powerful and intimate narrative" that features "a striking art direction, strong characters and plot, as well as a unique fantasy world". The studio says it is "one of the most ambitious projects in the history of both the [publisher Focus] and the studio".
As for what it's about?
"New Eden, 1695. Antea Duarte and Red mac Raith are lovers and Banishers, ghost-hunters who vowed to protect the living from the threat of lingering ghosts and specters," the game's description teases. "Following a disastrous last mission, Antea is fatally wounded, becoming one of the spirits she loathes. In the haunted wilds of North America, the couple desperately searches for a way to liberate Antea from her new plight.
"Immerse yourself in a beautiful, intimate and powerful story between two fated lovers. As Banishers, enter the lives of New Eden’s communities and solve haunting cases in a mystical, lore-rich world plagued with supernatural creatures and ancient secrets. Use your wits or combine Antea’s spiritual powers and Red’s arsenal to defeat and banish the souls tormenting the living.
"Challenging decisions will lay on your path, dramatically impacting your story and the fate of New Eden’s inhabitants—be they living people or wandering souls. How much will you compromise your ghost-hunting vow for the sake of your lover who became one of such spirits?"
You can check out a sneak peek below:
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The studio behind the first and second Life is Strange games, Don't Nod, recently told us that it has eight games in development.
As revealed in the company's 2022 half-year results, in the second half of 2022, Don't Nod plans to "continue to develop its rich pipeline of eight original creations". This includes "five self-published games, one co-production with Focus Entertainment, and two with external studios Tolima and Tiny Bull, to be published by Don't Nod". All of the games mentioned in the results are scheduled to release between 2023 - 2025… with one of those being Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, of course.
The Game Awards 2022 has come and gone, but don't panic if you missed it - we've rounded up everything announced at The Game Awards 2022 right here.
Geoff Keighley may have hinted that the show would be shorter this year, but The Game Awards 2022 ran for almost four hours (including the pre-show, that is), so it covered a lot of new stuff, including an update on the Super Mario Bros. movie, Horizon Forbidden West's upcoming DLC, confirmation that a Hades sequel is on the way, plus Final Fantasy 16's release date - yes! We FINALLY have one!
Christopher Judge - who portrays Kratos in God of War - gave an eight-minute acceptance speech, whilst Halsey showed up to sing a song dressed as Lilith from Diablo 4, and Hideo Kojima took to the stage wearing a Death Stranding 2 suit.
Need something to play while we wait for Don't Nod to release its games? Take a look at our games like Life is Strange list.
Vikki Blake is 12DOVE's Weekend Reporter. Vikki works tirelessly to ensure that you have something to read on the days of the week beginning with 'S', and can also be found contributing to outlets including the BBC, Eurogamer, and GameIndustry.biz. Vikki also runs a weekly games column at NME, and can be frequently found talking about Destiny 2 and Silent Hill on Twitter.