Vampire Survivors developer Poncle is opening more studios and has over 15 games in the works

Source: Engadget

Company Overview

Poncle, the developer behind Vampire Survivors, outlined ambitious plans in an interview with The Game Business conducted by chief strategy officer Matteo Sapio. The studio is opening two new locations—in Japan and Italy—and has more than 15 games currently in active development.

Upcoming Projects

Spinoffs

• Vampire Crawlers – a deck‑builder spinoff released this week. (Engadget)

Original IPs

• Two new games set in original universes are slated for release later this year.

Roguelite Adaptations

• Warhammer Survivors – a roguelite set in the Warhammer 40K universe, scheduled to launch on Steam sometime this year. (Engadget)

Poncle has also built an engine that can adapt existing IPs to play like Vampire Survivors, facilitating the development of these titles.

Genre Landscape

The top‑down, bullet‑hell roguelite genre has grown popular, with titles such as Halls of Torment, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, and Soulstone Survivors joining the market. Vampire Survivors itself has surpassed 27 million players. (WCCFTech)

Publishing Strategy

Poncle paused its third‑party publishing efforts after releasing a couple of games last year, citing a learning experience and insufficient support for external partners. The company may revisit third‑party publishing in the future.

Industry Context

The expansion mirrors past industry moves, such as Embracer Group’s aggressive acquisition strategy beginning in 2019, which later led to studio closures and asset sales.

• (Engadget – Layoffs & Cancellations)
• (Engadget – Gearbox Sale)
• (Engadget – Studio Shutdown)

Organizational Structure

Poncle’s new studios will operate as lean, “little teams of people,” a structure intended to keep the company agile and flexible.

Outlook

With the positive reception of Vampire Crawlers—a blend of deck‑building and first‑person dungeon crawling that retains the core feel of Vampire Survivors—Poncle demonstrates capability beyond a single franchise. Continued quality across its expanding portfolio could provide a long‑term treat for gamers.