Several indie game studios came together to hold a showcase of their own on April 10. to. Over the course of this 45-minute event, developers and publishers such asDarkest Dungeon 2’sRed Hook Studios,33 Immortals’Thunder Lotus,Dead Cells’ Evil Empire, andHyper Light Breaker’sHeart Machine made announcements about their upcoming games. The biggest announcement was forSlay the Spire 2, a sequel to one of the best roguelikes of all time, andThe Rogue Prince of Persia, a new roguelite game based on Ubisoft’s franchise.
For fans of indie games, the Triple-i Initiative is a must-watch presentation. If you weren’t able to tune in live or just want a rundown of what was announced by all these indie developments, we’ve rounded up every announcement made during The Triple-i Initiative’s inaugural showcase.
Slay the Spire 2 was announced
MegaCrit Games’Slay the Spireis one of the most influential roguelike games of all time, as its run structure and card systems have been adapted and reinterpreted by countless other games. At the Triple-i Initiative, MegaCrit revealed it is making a full-on sequel. While its trailer didn’t feature any gameplay, screenshots suggestSlay the Spire 2won’t stray too far away from the card-based battles and choice-driven runs of the original.Slay the Spire 2will enter Steam early access in 2025.
E-Line Media and Humble Games are making Never Alone 2
Never Alonewas a 2014 indie game that reinterpreted a classic Iñupiat tale as a video game. It garnered quite a bit of buzz at release and has been featured in multiple museum exhibitions as an example of the intersection between video games and culture. Now, almost a decade after its initial release, E-Line Media and Humble Games announced they are working on a sequel.Never Alone 2will play out in 3D and will once again follow Nuna and her arctic fox as they go on an adventure to save their community. Its developers are working with Iñupiat author Nasugraq Rainey Hopson and the Cook Inlet Tribal Council to represent Alaskan Native culture in the game accurately.
Darkest Dungeon 2 is getting a new game mode called Kingdoms
Red Hook Studios was one of the driving forces behind The Triple-i Initiative, and it showed up at this showcase with the announcement of a newDarkest Dungeon 2mode called Kingdoms. In this mode, players are fighting to protect an entire Kingdom while fending off three new enemy factions and acquiring resources to upgrade their heroes and a network of Inns that also serve as safe havens. In a press release, Creative Director Chris Bourassa says the purpose of this mode is to “blend some of the permanence and roster management of the originalDarkest Dungeonwith the traversal and combat ofDarkest Dungeon 2,” in a press release. The Kingdoms mode will come toDarkest Dungeons 2as part of a free update later in 2024.
33 Immortals is getting a Closed Beta next month
Prince of Persia is getting a roguelike from Dead Cells’ Evil Empire
While this was an indie showcase, one AAA IP did show up. Evil Empire, one of the developers that worked on the highly successful action-platformer roguelikeDead Cells, revealed that it is working with Ubisoft to createThe Rogue Prince of Persia. As the title suggests, it’s a roguelike take on the franchise created by Jordan Mechner, adding some ofDead Cells’ gameplay flair to a colorful roguelike that emphasizes player movement. I went hands-on with this game andloved what I played.The Rogue Prince of Persiaenters Steam early access on May 14.
