Fans of the action RPG genre have been having some interesting few years lately, with everything from massive AAA releases like Diablo IV to Grinding Gear Games' hugely anticipated sequel to Path of Exile (in early access) landing recently. Now, another group of developers is attempting to build its own take on the genre, and it has the minds behind some of the most popular games in the genre ever.
Moon Beast Productions, the indie studio based in San Francisco, touts talent like Phil Shenk, Peter Hu, and Erich Schaefer. The ex-Blizzard Entertainment trio has worked on titles such as Diablo and Diablo II, as well as Hellgate: London, Torchlight, and Marvel Heroes Online.
The studio announced today that it has secured $4.5 million in seed funding from companies like 1UP Ventures, The Mini Fund, Overwolf, Versus Ventures, as well as "angel investors" like Cohh Carnage, Mark Pincus, and Gaingels. The funding will be used to expand the development team for its new ARPG project while also keeping its "lean, focused approach that has defined Moon Beast since its inception."
In a press release, the studio says that players are "increasingly hungry" for innovative experiences that aren't just AAA games, and it plans to offer this in the ARPG space. Per the company, it will be using advanced procedural generation techniques and a world with an open-ended design to make a highly replayable game with plenty of freedom. Modding support to even let players create their own game modes inside the ARPG will be included, too.
"The upcoming project is a testament to this philosophy," says the company. "Looking back to the pivotal moment after Diablo II, the team is exploring an alternate trajectory for action RPGs—one that was impossible with the technology of over two decades ago."
Moon Beast Productions plans to unveil more about its mysterious ARPG project sometime in 2025, though its YouTube channel seems to have some prototypes for viewing. Considering the studio is still building its team, it may be a while before fans get to hear more about the game it's building.
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