Fool's Theory, the developer that's working on the Witcher 1 remake has announced it is creating a new supernatural RPG in cooperation with 11 bit studios, titled The Thaumaturge. Both studios consist of AAA veterans; Fool's Theory has helped create such games as Baldur's Gate 3 and Outriders, while 11 bit studios made This War of Mine and Frostpunk.
A lot of talent has emerged from Poland in the last 30 years, with one of its biggest success stories being CD Projekt Red. CDPR created the Witcher trilogy, and while the first two games had positive receptions, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt propelled the company among the most successful AAA studios. Later on, some of the devs left CDPR to create their own companies, hoping to work on a wider variety of games. Both Fool's Theory and 11 bit studios have plenty of these developers working for them, producing new and interesting games. Now Fool's Theory is working on bringing the Witcher 1 to Unreal Engine 5, and back in 2019 it announced Project Vitriol, a game it was creating together with 11 bit studios. Now fans get to see a teaser of this new product.
The game that was Project Vitriol is now titled The Thaumaturge, "a story-driven RPG with morally ambiguous choices." It's set in Warsaw in 1905, which provides a turbulent and interesting historical setting, showing Poland living under imperial Russian tsardom. The developers of The Thaumaturge proudly declare the in-depth research they've done to make this travel to the past authentic. But on top of the setting based on reality comes the world of Thaumaturges, people who have the power and talent to bring under their control creatures called Salutors. These beings are somewhere between a spirit and a demon, and they have the power to either subtly manipulate minds or deal decisive blows in battle. But when someone deals with powerful creatures, consequences always follow.
The Thaumaturge promises a living, breathing world where choices matter and a protagonist whom players will be able to shape however they wish. Dealing with Salutors will offer a unique set of skills whether it's inside or outside a physical conflict. The Thaumaturge will have turn-based combat, which will combine the Thaumaturge's physical attacks with the Salutor's psychic powers. Not much more is currently known about the story, but the teaser trailer does well with setting an intriguing mood.
It seems The Thaumaturge will appeal mostly to hardcore RPG fans, of which there are plenty. A lot of gamers have already expressed excitement over the game on various different platforms and will be waiting for the release of new information.
The Thaumaturge is in development.