Lies of P from developers Round 8 and NeoWiz Games was one of the biggest surprises of 2023, and the devs are apparently already looking ahead to what's next for the studio beyond a return to the Soulslike sub-genre.
Based on a report from Korean news site EBN, which made the rounds on Bluesky as well as ResetEra, Round 8 is currently staffing up for their next major project, which is reportedly focused on an original survival horror game.
Along with the upcoming DLC for Lies of P slated for release early next year, the developers are reportedly moving on to a whole survival horror experience within a sci-fi setting – not too far from the dark cityscape of Lies of P, but different in that it could end up being more about the scares and atmosphere. So far, the details for this next project, along with what the next DLC for Lies of P will be about, are limited It does point to developer Round 8 leveraging their success with Lies of P to build up something new.
- Lies of P DLC Overture is coming this summer and almost sounds like a full prequel: "I wonder if we subconsciously aimed to create a 'developers’ cut' of Lies of P"
- Vampire Survivors dev teases "one more original expansion," online co-op, and what sounds like a whole new game in the studio's "biggest, chaotic-est, surprising-est" year yet
When it was first announced, Lies of P garnered much attention for its odd premise of a Soulslike game leveraging the mythos of the Pinocchio fairy tale – along with a protagonist who looked strikingly similar to Timothée Chalamet. As it turned out, though, the game itself was fantastic as an action RPG with a great atmosphere, and it was the closest any dev has gotten yet to capturing the atmosphere of a FromSoftware game.
It is surprising to see the developers apparently opt for a new game entirely instead of a sequel, considering that Lie of P ended with a teaser focusing on another re-imagining of a storybook protagonist. Still, Round 8 has garnered a lot of fans since the release of its debut game, and it'll be interesting to see what comes next from the developer.
In GamesRadar+'s review of Lies of P, staff writer Jasmine Gould-Wilson gave the game a 4 out of 5, stating: "Inventive, challenging, and deliciously dark, Lies of P retains the core structures of similar action RPGs while adding new surprises to the mix. The potential for richer character builds and depth of choice for the player is bolstered by a haunting narrative that, despite the clunk of certain new mechanics, cements the experience as a powerful contender on the Soulslike scene."
If you haven't played Lies of P and want to know what's so special about it, check out Austin Wood's feature on what the game does well, and why FromSoftware should crib some ideas from it.
