The fate of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers as a series looks to be hopeful, as publisher and Wuchang IP rights owner 505 Games announced a sequel is in the works. Or to use the language from the press release: “a new chapter of the Wuchang series.”
The follow-up to Wuchang: Fallen Feathers will be developed by a new studio Indolphinity (legally known as Chengdu Recursive Dolphin Technology Co., Ltd.) headed by Xia Siyuan. Xia was the creative director behind Wuchang: Fallen Feathers.
505 Games and Indolphinity are now in a development and publishing agreement where creative development of the next Wuchang game will be led by Indolphinity, with 505 Games providing funding and global publishing duties.
505 Games has made assurance that “all future creative development will remain firmly rooted in China through the close collaboration between the original creator and 505 Games, ensuring continuity of vision, quality, and execution” as part of their belief in the long-term potential of the Wuchang series.
505 Games parent company Digital Bros Group will be establishing a subsidiary in Chengdu as well to support development and publishing activities.
“We are delighted to embark once again on a deep collaboration with 505 Games under our
new studio banner, Indolphinity, said Xia Siyuan. “As a homegrown development team made up of Chinese creators, we have always believed that a rich cultural heritage is the essence of our games
and their competitive strength.
“505 Games’s respect for the creative process and its genuine understanding of developers’ needs are perfectly in tune with our own values, and this shared vision gives us confidence in the long-term future of the series.”
“We strongly believe in Wuchang as a long-term global franchise, and partnering with
Xia Siyuan and Indolphinity is a natural step in building its future,” said Raffi Galante, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of Digital Bros group. “From the outset, our priority has been to safeguard and amplify the original creative vision, while equipping the development team with the resources and publishing expertise needed to succeed worldwide.
“We are committed to preserving the cultural authenticity of the IP, keeping its creative heart in China while bringing the world of Wuchang to players across the globe.”
This announcement more or less confirms the reported news of the demise of Leenzee, the original developer behind Wuchang: Fallen Feathers. From its ashes rise Infolphinity, which is also based in the same city of Chengdu where the previous development team was.
A year since release, Wuchang: Fallen Feathers have over 5 million players (the game was offered on Game Pass and PS Plus subscriptions, so we have total player count instead of copies sold). It’s a really good soulslike action RPG that has the level design and worldbuilding tricks of Bloodborne and the faster-paced parry-driven combat seen in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, if you ask us.
However, it also caught controversy, in particular back in mainland China due to how the game handles its historical aspects of the game world (it’s based on the tail end of a decaying Ming dynasty), which caused Xia Siyuan himself “intense cyberbullying, weight loss, and stress” according to one report. A major update significantly alters the game to address the blowback, with mixed results.
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers is available now PS5, PC (Steam) and Xbox Series X|S.