Arkane’s new IP will continue its signature gameplay design, challenging gamers to play their own way.

As Colt, players are trapped in a time loop on the enigmatic island of Blackreef, doomed to repeat the same day for eternity. The only chance for escape is to break the loop by unearthing information and assassinating eight key targets before the day resets. However, lurking in the shadows is rival assassin Julianna, equipped with her own equally powerful abilities and weapons, on a mission to protect the loop by assassinating Colt, and restarting the cycle. Players can also choose to take control of Julianna, turning Deathloop into a deadly game of hunter-vs-hunted.

Explore stunning environments and meticulously designed levels in an immersive gameplay experience that lets you approach every situation any way you like. Hunt down targets all over the island in an effort to put an end to the cycle once and for all, and remember, if at first you don’t succeed… die, die again.

Everyone knows the feeling of déjà vu – that sensation that you’ve experienced something before. For Colt, this feeling is near-constant. Trapped in a time loop, Colt has been experiencing déjà vu for as long as he can remember, which actually isn’t very long because he has amnesia and only really remembers his recent past. That might explain all the déjà vu, honestly. Every time the day loops it’s a struggle to remember everything so he can use the knowledge he has to push himself forward and, hopefully, off the island of Blackreef. Colt sets his sights on a new target – the Visionary, “Ramblin’” Frank Spicer – in the latest Deathloop trailer.

The Sounds of Blackreef

The inhabitants of Blackreef are living out an endless party. Every looping day is a celebration of chaos, grandiosity, and debauchery. This spirit has infused itself into all elements of the game – from the drunken spectacles taking place in the streets, to the brightly colored and sometimes ominous graffiti covering the island, and even to the music you’ll hear in each of the four districts dividing Blackreef.

“Along with the different visual influences in each district, we wanted to ensure players would hear different things between the different regions of the island,” says Audio Director Michel Tremouiller. “The scores of each district are changed by the architecture and vibe of that particular location, as well as the Visionaries that call those areas home. Where Aleksis’ Updaam is all psyche-rock and vintage sci-fi tones, an area like Frank Spicer’s home of Fristad Rock will be more melancholic guitars swaying to the rhythm of the waves.”

With Deathloop, Audio Director Michel Tremouiller was tasked with creating a musical style as unique as Blackreef itself. But before he could even begin to define each district, he needed to determine the overarching style.

“First, we define the most important elements we want to be clear to the player and highlighted in the game,” says Michel Tremouiller, Audio Director. “Usually you have to focus on a few keywords that describe the game, and that’s a good starting point for our work on the audio team. With Deathloop – as with all previous Arkane productions – we have a host of interesting key words and layers that make up this universe. Deathloop has keywords like magical, military, scientific, mysterious, Northeim, carnival… the list goes on. But of course, all these concepts cannot be injected into just one style of music. We make complex and original universes, so it’s impossible to copy a pre-existing music style.”

“It’s psyche-rock music tinged with vintage sci-fi, jazz, and various exotic and traditional sounds,” Tremoiller does his best to sum up the sound of Deathloop. “It’s sometimes frenetic, sometimes stretched and mysterious… just like the island of Blackreef.”

Key Features:

• Signature Arkane Gameplay: Arkane’s reputation for unique immersive gameplay will allow players to choose their preferred playstyle, stealthily sneaking through levels or barreling into the fight, guns-blazing. Armed with a powerful roster of otherworldly powers, as well as an arsenal of savage weaponry, players will combine these deadly tools for takedowns that are as striking as they are devastating. By choosing their powers and weapons, players will fight to survive this deadly game of hunter vs hunted.
• Exclusively for Next-Gen PS5: Deathloop is a new IP for a new generation, launching on console exclusively for PS5 and on PC. The game will leverage the console's graphics to bring Arkane’s unique artistic vision to life like never before and will take advantage of new cutting-edge features, like haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, to make each encounter feel unique and impactful.
• Arkane’s Single Player Gameplay Injected with Deadly Multiplayer: Deathloop is Arkane’s take on an assassination multiplayer experience, seamlessly blending single player gameplay with multiplayer drama. Players will experience the main story as Colt, hunting down targets across the island of Blackreef to break the loop and earn his freedom. Players can also choose to take control of rival assassin Julianna, sneaking into another player’s campaign to kill Colt and keep him imprisoned in the loop. The multiplayer experience is completely optional, and players can choose to have Julianna controlled by AI within their campaign.
• Loops = Knowledge, Knowledge = Power: Each new loop in Deathloop is an opportunity to learn from the past and adapt. Finding clues and uncovering hints is key to taking out targets before the day resets. Discover relationships, learn schedules, and do whatever must be done to gain the necessary knowledge. Players will apply what they’ve learned in previous loops to try different paths, choose to sneak or attack, and devise other new strategies to eventually reach their targets. If at first you don’t succeed: die, die, again.
• The Island of Blackreef – Paradise or Prison: Arkane is renowned for magnificently artistic worlds with multiple pathways and emergent gameplay. Deathloop will present a stunning, retro-future, 60s-inspired environment, that feels like a character within itself. While Blackreef may be a stylish wonderland, for Colt it is his prison, a world ruled by decadence where death has no meaning, and delinquents party forever while keeping him captive.

Deathloop is launching exclusively for PS5 and PC on May 21. 2021.