If you’re wondering who’s making all that ruckus this morning, rest assured it’s Ruckus Games: It’s a new studio put together by former devs from Bethsoft, Gearbox, Riot, Blizzard, Epic, and more, led by CEO and game director Paul Sage. That’s a name MMORPG fans will recognize immediately as Sage is the former creative director of The Elder Scrolls Online (and Borderlands 3, for that matter).
According to this morning’s announcement, Ruckus, headquartered in Frisco, Texas, has picked up $19M in funding to build out a “secret multiplayer title,” the demo for which the 14-person studio built in just a year. The game sounds like a co-op survival romp where you “smash, grab, and grow in this upcoming session-based suburban invasion game combining RPG elements, crafting, town-building, and more.”
“This new title will offer co-op for up to four players in an evolving world that will be updated with new emergent content over time,” the studio says. “Set in a reminiscent era amid the backdrop of the American heartland, players are thrust into the shoes of everyday people forced to become heroes when the town comes under attack. It is not clear what is behind the strange events, and things don’t quite seem to add up.”
“Featuring a large roster of playable characters and thousands of unique make-shift weapon combinations – like a toaster kitted to shoot saw blades or a modded power washer turned flamethrower – players will ‘Smash, Grab, and Grow’ as they blast their way through thrilling suburban invasion scenarios. Take to the streets, destroy whatever you want, find cool new weapons and resources, and rescue NPCs to take back to your Hometown, a living centralized hub. Here you can customize, build, and upgrade over time allowing you to enhance your weapons and abilities to head out even stronger for another round of chaotic fun.”
The graphics will probably grab your attention straightaway, too; that’s because Ruckus picked up Borderlands art luminary Scott Kester as its art director.
Playtest signups for this untitled game are live on Ruckus’ official site; playtests themselves aren’t scheduled to begin until early 2025. Add it to the watch list!
