Witchfire is a first person shooter focused on challenge and mastery, it’s accessible and there are many roads to the ultimate victory but you’ll still need to prove your witch-hunting skills if you’re after all of its secrets.

During the 300 years of European witch hunts that started in the 15th century, tens of thousands of women, men and children lost their lives due to superstition, politics and profit.

But that’s our history and our world.

In the world of Witchfire, witches are real.

And you are the punishing hand of the Church.

That’s the core idea behind the game, even if things are not as black-and-white as one might think.

In Witchfire, a deadly war rages between powerful witches and the Church. In this alternate reality, witches are very real and very dangerous— but so is the witch hunter. Armed by Vatican sorcerers, players wield an ungodly array of guns and forbidden magic as they combat dark terrors on behalf of their shadowy benefactors.

Built in the Unreal Engine 4, Witchfire boasts AAA graphics made by an indie team of only nine people. Players explore gorgeous, semi open-world levels, featuring advanced photogrammetry and post-processing that create an immersive and realistic dark fantasy world.

Witchfire will be the second release for The Astronauts, following the BAFTA award-winning title, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. The studio’s upcoming shooter returns co-founders Adrian Chmielarz, Michał Kosieradzki, and Andrzej Poznański to their roots— they are also the developers behind the trigger-happy hits Painkiller and Bulletstorm from their time at People Can Fly.

Initially announced at the 2017 Game Awards, Witchfire has been in development for over five years. The Astronauts confirmed, however, that the wait will be well worth it. Players can expect a polished Early Access experience with plenty of content to explore and a solid gameplay loop, featuring RPG elements to power up and customize their skills. 

“Witchfire is a dream project for us,” said The Astronauts Creative Director and Co-Founder, Adrian Chmielarz. “After The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, we’re back to familiar shooter territory, but with the benefit of 2022 graphics and design. Now we’re able to bring our dark fantasies to life with spine-tingling realism!”

Witchfire uses the photogrammetry tech The Astronauts previously used in The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. This tech allows the devs to 3D scan real-life objects – even entire buildings! – and use them as digital assets in our games for unparalleled visual quality, and natural, organic look and feel. The Astronauts believe we can push the tech even further, with new tools, hardware, and all the experience we gathered during the development of their first game and can’t wait to bring you along on the ride.

Witchfire will launch into Early Access (Epic Games Store) later this year as a premium title.