Award-winning game DARQ celebrates its first birthday with a new publisher, a Complete Edition coming soon to next- and current-gen consoles, and brand-new free DLC “The Crypt” for all platforms
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 13th, 2020, Kraków Poland and Los Angeles USA, FEARDEMIC sp. z o.o., a wholly-owned subsidiary of BLOOBER TEAM S.A, and UNFOLD GAMES, LLC, an independent development studio based in California U.S.A concluded a publishing deal which will see FEARDEMIC deliver the game DARQ to consoles by end of the year
Press kit: https://bit.ly/DARQ-CE-press-kit
Sign-up form: https://bit.ly/DARQ-CE
DARQ: Complete Edition - “The Crypt” Trailer
The Console Release
The publishing agreement with FEARDEMIC will see the weight and experience of the Bloober Team group of companies focused on the porting of the game to all available consoles and making the amazing experience that is DARQ available to a wider range of gamers. FEARDEMIC has confirmed that DARQ: Complete Edition will be coming to XBOX ONE, PS4, XBOX SERIES X, PS5, and SWITCH. Both FEARDEMIC and UNFOLD GAMES are working toward a DECEMBER 2020 rollout of the console versions. FEARDEMIC also has plans to bring DARQ: Complete Edition to new distribution channels via physical console releases in early 2021.
In making a statement about the publishing agreement, Scott Millard, Managing Director at FEARDEMIC, said: “DARQ has been one of the most successful debut releases of the last year and we are humbled and proud to be partners in the journey to bring such a fantastic game to new audiences across multiple consoles. We welcome Wlad to the family of companies that work closely with Feardemic and the wider Bloober Team group and we are confident that this will not simply be a one-off deal”
Wlad Marhulets, Founder at UNFOLD GAMES, LLC and the creator of DARQ said when referring to the publishing deal: “Since DARQ became one of the most upvoted titles on Steam Greenlight, I’ve been contacted by multiple publishers. While I met and negotiated with many, I wasn’t able to find a partner I felt was right for DARQ. When Scott Millard at Feardemic reached out to me, I quickly got a sense that it might be the perfect fit. Feardemic and Bloober Team are the leaders in the genre of psychological horror. Having been a fan of “Layers of Fear,” “Observer,” and other titles developed by Bloober Team, our creative visions aligned from the get-go. Given my Polish roots, it also brings me much joy to collaborate with a company based in Poland. I’m thrilled to team up with Feardemic to bring DARQ to consoles. I believe that DARQ will be the beginning of our ongoing partnership."
New Content
UNFOLD GAMES had previously promised two DLC’s to be released for free, as a way to say “thank you” to all the fans of DARQ. The first DLC “The Tower” was released in March 2020 to a warm reception (100% positive user score on Steam).
The second DLC “The Crypt” is still in development, as the developer decided to make it into a much more ambitious expansion than originally planned. It will offer much more content, new achievements, as well as completely new mechanics that haven’t been seen in the game before.
Though originally slated for an earlier release, the new schedule allows for releasing “The Crypt” simultaneously both on the PC and Consoles in December. This means that from December users on all platforms will be able to receive the Complete experience of DARQ as each game purchase will include both “The Tower” and “The Crypt” DLCs as free bonus content, making DARQ console releases the equivalent of Complete Editions.
About DARQ
“DARQ” is the award-winning game that tells the story of Lloyd, a boy who finds himself in the middle of a lucid nightmare. Unable to wake up, Lloyd has to face his fears and decipher the meaning of the dream. He learns to control the dream by bending the laws of physics, manipulating the environment in the most unexpected ways, and solving puzzles that defy the rules of logic.
This month represents the anniversary of the first release of DARQ and the journey of Lloyd that has seen him travel beyond simply a game’s protagonist to one of the most successful horror-themed games of the past year.
To understand the success of the game in the past 12 months, it’s worth noting some of the highlights of its journey so far:
● DARQ was one of the top 10 most upvoted titles on Steam Greenlight.
● It was also in the top 50 most wishlisted games on Steam.
● The game became a viral sensation due to its innovative art style and unique engagement with fans through multiple social media platforms.
● DARQ landed on the front page of Reddit multiple times. One particular post garnered more than 191,000 upvotes, making it one of the most upvoted posts in the history of the platform.
● On the launch day, the game was immediately listed on the Steam’s New and Trending, Top Selling, and Featured and Recommended tabs.
● DARQ was nominated for and won numerous industry awards (Best Game Award at MIX / PAX West, Best Adventure Game and Best Video Game Music at Chainsaw Festival, Best Sound Firestarter Award at Game Audio Awards, Best Sound Design at MUSIC+SOUND Awards, Best Cover Art at Dreamhack Festival, and others).
● DARQ has become the #42 Most Shared PC Video Game of 2019, according to Metacritic.
What the critics had to say:
● “Wonderful taste of surrealism rarely seen in games.”
IGN
● “Its gloomy atmosphere and exceptional sound design enrapture you in its dreary world of dreams”
Gamespot
● “The puzzle-platform game that excels in graphic quality and the lighting system in the monochromatic nightmare is remarkable.”
Forbes
● “My Jaw just dropped”
Kotaku
● “DARQ looks absolutely arresting.”
PC Gamer
● 96% of 1349 reviews on Steam are positive with over 877 overwhelmingly positive.
The book:
Further to the release of the game DARQ, Wlad Marhulets recently released his first book titled “GAMEDEV: 10 steps to making your first game successful.”
The book charts the journey of Wlad Marhulets modest beginnings, to successful Hollywood composer and then to follow his dream to become a game developer.
The book assumes no knowledge of game development on the reader’s part and provides a detailed how-to guide on all parts of the game development process.
The book features quotes from 14 of luminaries in the games industry to drive home critical points in the process.
Currently, the book holds a 5-star rating on Amazon across all regions, and was praised by Forbes as “remarkable and inspiring.”
About FEARDEMIC:
FEARDEMIC sp. z o.o, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BLOOBER TEAM S.A, is a publisher of computer games and their related entertainment products. The company strives to deliver the most interesting entertainment experiences which involve situations that evoke the most fascinating and important human emotion: fear. The company pursues this direction not because it is evil or sadistic, but because through the contrast of intense emotions, humanity can learn more about who or what it truly is.
This targeted use of horror provides a framework that allows the company to focus on the key propositions and values of each of the intellectual properties that they create. The single direction also allows the company to grow and share the specific knowledge that has been acquired through the many years’ experience in specializing in psychological horror games.
FEARDEMIC sp. z o.o. is based and is registered at Cystersów Street 9, 31-553 Kraków, Poland, entered into the Register of Entrepreneurs of the National Court Register kept by the District Court for Kraków – City Center in Kraków, XI Commercial Division of the National Court Register under the number KRS 0000354722, NIP 675-142-99-42.
About UNFOLD GAMES, LLC
Unfold Games is an independent video game development studio based in Los Angeles, California. Founded by a former film composer Wlad Marhulets, the studio is known for its customer-first approach, open communication, and transparency. Their first title, DARQ, became one of the most shared video games of 2019 (Metacritic) and ensured its rapid growth, with multiple new projects planned in the near future.
Contact:
FEARDEMIC
UNFOLD GAMES