The Blood of Dawnwalker: Aiming for AAA Quality in a Smaller Package

The Blood of Dawnwalker, an upcoming open-world vampire RPG developed by Rebel Wolves—a studio founded by ex-CD Projekt Red developers—sets its sights on achieving the same level of quality as The Witcher 3, but in a more condensed format. This ambitious project, led by creative director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz, is generating buzz in the gaming community. Let's dive into what makes this game stand out and what the directors have to say about their vision.

The Blood Of Dawnwalker Aims For AAA Quality

30-40 Hour Main Campaign

In a recent interview with Games Radar, Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz expressed the team's dedication to delivering a game that matches the quality of The Witcher 3, despite being a smaller studio embarking on their first project. "In terms of quality, we definitely look at AAA, because this is where we are coming from, the quality level of The Witcher 3," he emphasized. This statement underscores the studio's commitment to excellence, even as they navigate the space between indie and AAA games.

Rebel Wolves, though a new studio, is far from inexperienced. The team is comprised of former CD Projekt Red developers who have worked on both The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077. Mateusz and his brother Konrad Tomaszkiewicz founded Rebel Wolves to enjoy greater creative freedom in their game development, free from the constraints often found in larger AAA studios.

"Definitely, our games are not as huge in terms of amount of content and gameplay hours - we are a smaller studio, this is our first project, so we definitely are building something smaller. But we want to build something as robust in terms of quality, maybe a bit shorter," Mateusz explained. The Blood of Dawnwalker aims for a main campaign length of 30-40 hours, which is shorter than many AAA titles but still substantial. He added, "If size is your measure, then yes it's not the size of a AAA like The Witcher. But I don't know if size is the measure, to be honest, because there are AAA games like Call of Duty that aren't 100+ hours gameplay campaigns. And I don't know if anyone would call them AA, or indie."

Set in the mystical land of Vale Sangora, The Blood of Dawnwalker is a narrative-driven, open-world dark fantasy RPG. Players will assume the role of Coen, a young peasant who gains vampiric powers after an encounter with one of the land's most powerful vampires. His journey is driven by the urgent need to save his ailing sister, navigating through a world filled with unique challenges and adversaries.

While an exact release date has not been announced, the game is expected to launch on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Fans can look forward to a gameplay reveal in Summer 2025, offering a glimpse into the world of The Blood of Dawnwalker and its promise of high-quality gaming experience in a more compact package.