Card-Based Dark Sky (formerly Xenotheria) - Sci-Fi deckbuilding RPG from Ganymede Games

[Nortar]

Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ganymede-games/xenotheria

https://www.xenotheria.com





Apparently, there's a new Sci-Fi TB RPG in the making.
And the studio behind it had a survey to gauge player's interests.
I don't remember when and where I filled that survey, but yesterday I got a mail with results:

Spoiler

Curious how over half of respondents are playing on PC, yet 7 out of 10 mentioned "most played" TB RPGs are console releases.

The game site has no info yet, but the art does not look very inspirational.

Spoiler

Although the art-style could be misleading as we've seen with Dungeon of Nahabahaba.

 

[Conan]

Jeesus.

don’t make polls you fools. Just make the game you want to play and would enjoy. Don’t try to second guess the audience.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

This guy is doing the writing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Kahn

 

[Butter]

If they go by the polls it's going to be a JRPG with exploding barrels. Very Cool!

 

[*-*/\--/\~]

I got the same email. Results are kinda scary.

 

[Nortar]

Jeesus.

don’t make polls you fools. Just make the game you want to play and would enjoy. Don’t try to second guess the audience.

In our days of decline, more than ever, most devs don't want to make games.
They want to make money.
Games are just tools and means.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.gamespress.com/zh/Ganymede-Games-opens-early-testing-sign-ups-for-their-debut-video-game

Ganymede Games opens early testing sign-ups for their debut video game titled Xenotheria

New Mexico video game studio Ganymede Games unveiled their debut video game called Xenotheria today. Xenotheria is a single-player, science-fiction role playing game being developed for PC and console platforms.

The team has officially opened sign-ups for players that want to test the game ahead of it’s official release. If you’d like to register your interest in testing the game starting in 2021, head over to the official website: Xenotheria.com

Ganymede Games CEO, Jerry Prochazka, had this to say about this milestone:

“We’re very excited to unveil Xenotheria to the world and start getting feedback from a wider group of players. We’re committed to delivering a high quality, single player RPG experience with memorable characters, an immersive world, and strategic combat.”

Ganymede actively involves players in their development process. Last year, they surveyed over 7,500 gamers to gather their preferences and highlight opportunities to improve RPGs. The full survey results can be found here.

This announcement follows Ganymede’s earlier news in which they raised capital from the NM Angels, ABQid, and the Arrowhead Innovation Fund.

About Ganymede Games:

Ganymede Games is an independent games studio based in Las Cruces, NM founded by industry veterans (Riot Games). They build games for the busy adult adult gamer with a focus on compelling characters, immersive worlds, and gameplay that rewards strategic thinking.

For more information about Ganymede Games visit: https://www.ganymede.games/

 

[Lord_Potato]

The name of the studio is really telling: Ganymede was the boy whom Zeus buttfucked in his spare time.

 

[TheDiceMustRoll]

this looks like starcrawlers in terms of art style

 

[Q]

There was a thread on Codex
https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/turn-based-rpg-survey-help-out-an-indie-dev.135974/

 

[jetball89]

For those of you who aren't bothered by cards in combat (e.g. Thea, Black Book, etc), Xenotheria just launched on Kickstarter. Some former Riot/Witcher dev s are working on it.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ganymede-games/xenotheria

z

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ganymede-games/xenotheria/posts/3384700

100% funded! Thank you!

You did it!!! Xenotheria is 100% funded. Thank you for trusting and believing in us.

We know backing a Kickstarter is a bit of a leap of faith, especially in 2021. We deeply appreciate your support!

We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but let's take this moment together to celebrate!

Norton is pretty excited

What's next?
With just over 72 hours left in the campaign, we've revealed our first stretch goals! Help us reach the goals by sharing the campaign on social media, especially with any Switch players!

For existing backers, now that we're funded it's a good time to check and confirm your pledge tier. Now is the best time to upgrade your pledge or add an add-on, if you've been thinking about it.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ganymede-games/xenotheria/posts/3833508

Xenotheria Demo Out Now!​

Hello, Xenotherians!

We are excited to announce the release of our Xenotheria demo for Steam Nextfest! You can download the free demo today by visiting our Steam page, click here to get started.

New Trailer:​

Additionally, we have a brand-new gameplay trailer for Xenotheria. Check it out!

Demo:​

In the demo, you will embark on a quest to find a supply ship to help those in need in Moros, alongside Squig, Norton, and Agama. The journey takes you through the treacherous canyon of Wolf's Hollow, where dangerous wildlife and members of the Muldoon Gang reside. Players will encounter different enemies depending on the path they choose to take.

Customization is key in Xenotheria, and in the demo, you will have the opportunity to build and customize each character's deck. Upgrading Norton's shock chain lightning attack or Squig's laser burst attack can help you combat multiple enemies or deal more damage to a single enemy. You can also add Agama's poison grenade to your deck for more damage over time.

After completing the demo, try replaying it and taking a different path through Wolf's Hollow. Who knows what surprises lie ahead?

Feedback, Wishlist, and Share!​

We would love to hear your feedback on Discord. Your thoughts are incredibly valuable to us as we continue to refine and perfect the game. Thank you for your support, and don't forget to wishlist Xenotheria on Steam today! If you love what you've played, share Xenotheria with your friends to help get the word out.

- Anton, on behalf of Ganymede Games

 

[Infinitron]

 

[Infinitron]

This game was renamed earlier this month.



https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1454960/view/4128182933494568950

Our Name Change & Publisher Announcement
Hey everyone,

Rob here. I am one of the co-founders of Ganymede Games. I'm thrilled to announce that development is progressing smoothly, and we've scheduled our release for Q3 2024. This will be a full release of the game—no early access. You'll be able to play through the entire story and fully immerse yourself in the game world we've envisioned.

We have a few big pieces of news today. First, we've officially changed the name of Xenotheria to Dark Sky as you may have already seen on the Steam Page.

So, why change the name?
We have been considering a name change for a while. While we loved the uniqueness of the name Xenotheria, it was often mispronounced and misspelled. Over time, we grew attached to it, much like you did, but it was still in the back of our minds that we needed to change it before launching. After months of brainstorming, our character artist, Chris, proposed Dark Sky. It clicked with the team and we knew we had something special. Dark Sky evokes a sense of mystery, coalesces with the themes of the narrative, and has a layered meaning. In a crowded world of games, we need every advantage to get the game out there, and the marketability of Dark Sky is stronger. We hope you’re as excited about Dark Sky as we are!

And now for our second bit of news. Last year, we mentioned that we had signed with a publisher but couldn't disclose who due to the need for planning around the announcement. We're now thrilled to reveal the name of our partner: Midwest Games!

Founded by industry veterans, Midwest Games is dedicated to creating opportunities for the vast talent in the Midwest and other underrepresented regions. Based in New Mexico, with a global remote team, we align perfectly with their mission. We've been collaborating with Midwest Games for several months and are excited about their support in bringing Dark Sky to the market. As we shared in October's dev blog, Midwest Games's support includes funding to realize our full vision for the game, along with assistance in localization, QA, and marketing.

New Demo Coming Very Soon!
With the new name and publisher announcement, we're most excited about a fresh demo we're releasing during Steam’s Deckbuilders Fest from March 25 to April 1, 2024! This demo will showcase the new UX/UI, levels, enemies, cards, and much more. We'll provide complete details and a change list as the event approaches. We can’t wait for you to play it.

From Xenotheria to Dark Sky
Reflecting on our journey with this project, we're immensely grateful for your support. Below is a compilation of screenshots highlighting our progress.

2021

2022

2023

2024

Conclusion
We hope you can feel the momentum here and we appreciate your support. Feel free to shoot us a note on Discord or in the comments with any questions. We look forward to impressing you with the new playable demo for Dark Sky on March 25!

With gratitude,

Rob