One of the biggest surprises of Gamescom Opening Night Live 2022, was when Geoff Keighley announced a special guest to reveal the next game. Brandon Sanderson, the prolific fantasy author of works such as The Stormlight Archive, and Mistborn, revealed that the game that he has teased for a while that he was working on was being shown off today. Partnering with Unknown Worlds, best known for Subnautica, they revealed Moonbreaker, a game that caught everyone off guard.
Moonbreaker is not a game you would expect to find an acclaimed fantasy author attached to. It's not an RPG like Elden Ring, or an Adventure game, but instead a tabletop miniatures-based strategy game. Sanderson created the world, while Unknown Worlds crafted the game and Krafton signed on to publish. In it, you collect, and battle miniatures across the universe. Miniatures though aren't just a matter of style here, Moonbreaker leans in heavily on the miniature focus with a focus on painting, decorating, and otherwise expressing yourself with your miniatures, or make use of the designs that Unknown Worlds team has already done.
“Our aim with the game is to reduce the traditional barriers associated with tabletop gaming and miniatures while retaining the hobbyist appeal that makes that genre so special. After several years in development, we’re thrilled to officially reveal Moonbreaker and look forward to working with the community to evolve the game while it's in Early Access.” -- Charlie Cleveland, Co-Founder and Game Director at Unknown Worlds
Importantly here, all the miniatures can be unlocked in gameplay, they aren't DLC sales or otherwise arbitrarily split. There will be over 50 of them at early access launch, with more of them coming throughout the early access period, along with new finishes, pallets, banners, and more. Beyond miniatures the game's single-player features a run-based mode where you unlock new abilities against procedural AI opponents. You will also be able to play against human foes to see who has the better army in both style and tactics. The world of Moonbreaker will be further explored in audio dramas, something that Sanderson has experience in since he has published several audio-only projects.
What is the Moonbreaker release date?
Beyond revealing the game, Unknown Worlds also announced the Moonbreaker release date. Moonbreaker will release into early access on September 29, with several Steam Playtests available earlier in the month. Once in early access, they expect it to stay there for one to two years. If you want to wishlist it, or find out more, check out the Steam page.
