CI Games announces The Lords of the Fallen during Gamescom Opening Night Live

Gamescom 2022 Opening Night Live saw CI Games finally announce their next action role-playing game, The Lords of the Fallen. The game is a reboot of the studio's 2014 title of the same name.

The dark-fantasy action RPG was announced with a spectacular cinematic trailer narrated by Joseph Quinn of Stranger Things fame. While the publisher didn't announce any release date or showcase gameplay footage, they did a press release at Gamescom 2022. Building anticipation, fans were informed about the game's narrative and key features.

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Lords of the Fallen is one of the surprising announcements during Gamescom 2022

According to the press release at Gamescom 2022, The Lords of the Fallen is set 1000 years before the events of the first game, with the world being split between the living called the Axiom and the dead Umbral.

The game's world is touted to be five times larger than its predecessor's. This vast and inter-connected world will feature tons of new and exciting adventures for players, including NPC quests, compelling characters, and rich narratives.

This time around, one will be able to create their own character, much like the studio's most recent souls-like RPG The Surge 2. Although the game will feature a single-player campaign, there will be an option for uninterrupted online co-op sessions. Allowing other players to join in on the adventure, the co-op feature is a first for the series.

While the Opening Night Live featured tons of new and exciting announcements, The Lords of the Fallen was certainly one of the most surprising.

The game is being developed under the banner of Hexworks, which is led by Executive Producer, Saul Gascon (Dead by Daylight, PayDay 2,) and Creative Director, Cezar Virtosu (Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Assassin’s Creed: Origins). The studio was founded in 2020, with a global team of over 75 internal developers and a network of external partners.

According to Virtosu, the Lords of the Fallen, despite being a reboot of the franchise, will feature a lot in common with the original game. The new title is being developed as a spiritual successor that fans have always wanted.

Based on the press release and the Gamescom announcement trailer, the game's key features are:

• A vast, interconnected world – Five times larger than the original game.
• An expansive RPG experience – A huge roster of NPCs to meet and stories to uncover.
• Tactical combat – A fast, fluid and challenging combat system.
• Devastating magic – Turn the tide of battle with spells and character buffs.
• Uninterrupted online co-op – Explore a vast and dark world together.
• Define your legend – Full character customization and progression.

2014's Lords of the Fallen was met with mediocre reviews, with most critics and players praising the game's difficulty and visuals, but berating its subpar gameplay, bland characters and shallow storyline.

CI Games did eventually address most of the issues in Lords of the Fallen with their subsequent souls-like titles, The Surge and its sequel The Surge 2, which are considered one of the best in the genre.

It is very much possible that CI Games and Hexworks will be implementing aspects from the Surge series to make their current IP more enticing. The Lords of the Fallen is scheduled to come out this year for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC.