Last night, the Polish studio 11 bit studios hosted an online broadcast, where in half an hour they managed to talk about all their current projects. We started by updating The Alters and The Frostpunk 2 DLC, then unexpectedly confirmed the release of Death Howl just a day later (today, December 9th!), reminded us about the early access of Moonlighter 2 and showed fresh footage from the remake of Frostpunk 1886 on Unreal Engine 5. Let’s look at what was interesting there.
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Updating The Alters with photo mode and a new game module
During the studio’s broadcast, the developers showed a trailer for the free content update of The Alters, which became available right during the show. In addition to what has already been announced before — difficulty settings, customization of the base and the suit, interface improvements — the team has a surprise in store.
With a major update, a gamer module called Gamer’s Den has been added to the game. There you can launch a noir detective story about an alter version of Ian in black and white style. In fact, this is a mini-game inside The Alters, but it looks very atmospheric — as if we entered the classic noir of the 50s.
Similarly, a photo mode appeared, which many had been asking for since the release. Now you can catch interesting moments on the base module, experiment with camera angles and share screenshots. It’s a small thing, but it’s nice — especially considering that the sci-fi environment of the game looks very photogenic.
DLC Fractured Utopias for Frostpunk 2: Building Faction Utopias
The Frostpunk 2 DLC called Fractured Utopias was also released immediately after the show. This is the first major addition to the second part of the survival strategy in the cold, and it changes the approach to the free-to-play mode.
Previously, factions in New London appeared randomly, but now you decide for yourself who will live in your city. Do you want to build a utopia of technocrats? You are welcome. Do you dream of a religious society? It is also possible. The Utopia Tree of factions now gives control over the ideological development of the city, with each group given unique buildings, laws, and technologies.
The content has been added decently. Two premium storylines with their own challenges, plus over a hundred mini-events that diversify each game. Events can now also be customized — if you don’t want to face a plague epidemic or riots, just turn them off in the settings.
Each faction of Frostpunk 2 can come to its own version of an ideal society. But everyone has their own “ideal” — for some it is technological progress at any cost, for others it is a strict religious order. Choose for yourself which utopia is closer to you.
The release of card souls-like Death Howl
Death Howl, a card roguelike game with features like in Souls-like games, will be released on PC on Steam, GOG and Epic right now, on December 9th. Versions for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch will be released later, on February 19, 2026.
The game tells the story of a shamanic mother who went to the spirit world to save her son from death. The setting is unusual — instead of the usual fantasy or science fiction, there is a spiritual world with a tribal aesthetic.
The mechanics are built around a customized deck of cards — you collect combos, choose synergies, and fight ancient boss spirits. Death here is not the end, but part of a cycle: enemies are reborn, just like the heroine herself. Some powerful spirits become allies, others become a deadly threat.
The developers promised tactical battles where every decision has weight, and plenty of challenges for hardcore fans. If you like souls-like maps like Slay the Spire, Death Howl is definitely worth a try.
Frostpunk 1886: Rethinking Classics on Unreal Engine 5
A remake of the first part of Frostpunk, now known as Frostpunk 1886, will be released sometime in 2027. The guys are making it on Unreal Engine 5, and it looks like it won’t just be improved graphics, according to their stories.
They are mostly occupied by the residents of the city and the way they move. Previously, the townspeople were just icons, but now everyone will have their own character. They film people’s movements to make the characters more alive and sympathetic. They want the player to worry more about those whom he is trying to save from the cold.
They promise a lot of new things: all kinds of stories, cooler lights and pictures, and even change how we survive. In general, it will be a completely different game, and not just a tinted old one.
The release is scheduled for 2027 for PC, there is no information about console ports yet. But if Studio 11 bit continues to show such results, there is definitely something to wait for.
The impact of presentation on the industry: trends in survival and narrative games
The 11 bit studios broadcast showed where Game Dev is heading in 2026. If you look closely, all the studio’s announcements fall into two of the hottest niches — narrative survival games and emotionally intense stories. This is not an accident, but a clear trend that is gaining momentum.
Survival is a genre undergoing a rebirth. According to Steam, more than 15 major survival projects are expected to be released in 2025-2026, including Subnautica 2, Light No Fire, and Blackfrost.: The Long Dark 2. But if earlier survival meant just “get resources and survive,” now players are demanding more. They need an emotional connection with the characters, difficult choices and consequences of decisions. This is exactly what The Alterers does with its psychological approach to alter versions of the hero, and Frostpunk 2 with its moral dilemmas about which utopia to build.
Narrative games are dominating the market in 2025 — players are getting older, and they are interested in mature topics: loss, identity, moral choice. Many people prefer deep stories reminiscent of movies and literature, rather than reflex shooters. 11 bit studios, known for This War of Mine and the original Frostpunk, has historically relied on this very thing — games that ask uncomfortable questions.
Death Howl, with its shamanic aesthetic and souls-like mechanics, shows another important shift: studios are increasingly turning to non-traditional cultural layers instead of the usual fantasy or science fiction. The spirit world, tribal motifs, maps instead of direct combat — due to this experience, it is formed with the properties of dozens of Dark Souls clones.
Meanwhile, 11 bit is actively introducing artificial intelligence into development, which may change the approach to creating adaptive gameplay and smart NPCs. If the technology lives up to expectations, we will see games that adapt to each player — not just changing the difficulty, but forming unique story arcs. This is especially true for narrative projects, where the player’s choice must carry weight.
The studio’s influence on the industry cannot be overestimated. Frostpunk sold over 250,000 copies in the first three days, and This War of Mine has become a benchmark for civilian war games. Now, with plans for a new project in the Frostpunk universe as early as 2027 and a big game by 2029, the Poles have managed to position themselves as the authority of one of the main indie publishers with AAA ambitions.
The presentation on December 8th is not just about showing updates. A manifesto of the direction in which the new game dev is moving: fewer empty open worlds, more meaning in every decision. Survival should not be about the grind, but about what you survive for. And stories are not linear kinematics, but living worlds where your choice means something.
