Lightspeed Studios and Level Infinite have announced their latest game, Undawn, a cross-platform PvP and PvE title which puts players into a post-apocalyptic setting in a fight for survival.
In Undawn players explore a world set four years after a global disaster. The game combines PvP and PvE experiences as players fend off the dual threats of infected hordes and desparate fellow humans across bleak wasteland in a fight to survive.
Lightspeed Studios are a subsidiary of Tencent-owned Level Infinite, and Undawn will be their debut title. The decision to choose a popular genre (survival, post apocalyptic etc.) feels expertly pitched to seize the Last-of-Us zeitgeist and deliver the best chance of success. Plus, the cross-platform release model is something that offers cross-progression and cross-play, potentially maximising its audience.
Tencentralised
Level Infinite was previously an effort to create an entirely new game brand, disconnected from Tencent itself. With the Tencent brand getting the blame for everything from poor launches to even unfounded accusations of censorship no matter how tangential the connection, Level Infinite will hope that the game will stand on its own merits without considerations of connections to the Chinese game giant.
The decision to point this game firmly towards non-Chinese markets with an English-language trailer and social media campaigns is also further indication that Tencent is looking outside China. After a damaging period due to regulations and pandemic restrictions the company has brought a number of previously Chinese-exclusive titles to the West in order to boost profits.
The presence of Undawn seems to indicate that games developed solely for the non-Chinese market have been in the works for a while now, and may be the way of the future for the embattled giant. And with games such as Honor of Kings boasting massive playerbases, they’ll be hoping for an equally massive release for Undawn.
