Ukrainian Developer Frogwares Reveals New Game, Calls It ‘Clear Middle Finger’ To Russian Invasion

Frogwares, the developer of Sherlock Holmes Series has announced that its next game is now available. 

It is currently untitled but the Ukraine-based studio, which recently received a grant from Epic Games to fund the relocation of developers there due to Russia’s invasion of the country, is referring to it as Project Palianytsia. Alongside this working title, Frogwares has released four pieces of concept art to set up the game, which it calls “a mix of eldritch horror coupled with Victorian-era mystery.” It says the game is aimed at fans of The Sinking City and its Sherlock Holmes series. 

 

“We are revealing the game now in this way to simply show people we are pushing on and also as a clear middle finger to those who thought they could just roll into our country hoping to disrupt and ruin our lives,” Frogwares communications manager Sergey Organesyan writes in a press release. “While still challenging, prior to this, everything we released during the war was existing projects that needed to be finalized. This is the first time we are making anything entirely new, which makes it a much more difficult task under these conditions. We had to be realistic about our options. This idea was approved because it’s something that our existing team can do, compared to pre-production for another open-world game. That is exactly what we did before the war. 

“The name Palianytsia is symbolic to Ukraine as it’s considered part of our national cuisine. But it’s also the equivalent of phonetic Dark Souls for Russians who can’t pronounce it correctly when trying to pass off as Ukrainian. And so now it’s often used in the field as a test to quickly identify possible affiliation of unknown individuals.” 

Alongside this press release, Frogwares has released a full statement in regards to the game’s announcement, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and why the studio needed to pivot from its open-world game to this new one. This is the full statement. 

The war continues. And so do we. We are working on a new game.

Now we are in the fourth month since the Russian invasion. This so-called “special operation” was supposed to take only a few days to complete. Funny how life doesn’t always work out to plan. It is certain that Ukraine will continue to be an independent country, no matter what Russian forces try. However, the war has forced us to change. The work has to continue. We have an announcement. 

Officially, we now know that we’re working on a brand new game codenamed Palianytsia. It’s a horror and mystery experience that fans of both The Sinking City and Sherlock Holmes should like. We’ll make a proper announcement soon, but for now, we have a few early concept pieces to share with you. 

To be frank, ‘Palianytsia’ is not the project we had originally planned on doing next, but with the war taking place, we needed to re-evaluate everything. It is a bit more streamlined than our latest open-world titles but it’s a game we are sure we can deliver under these extreme circumstances. 

Independent studios have to manage their resources in order to produce quality games. Our established processes have been challenged by the war. We require a project that allows staff to have greater autonomy and constant communication between the teams. It was necessary to change roles and responsibilities to make up the gaps created by people who signed up for humanitarian assistance or fighting. We need to be flexible because tomorrow could bring about a change in our lives that will force us to adapt again. We had to take this into consideration when making our decision.

Do we go ahead with a large scope project and risk disruption, have less room for R&D and innovation, less access to your highly skilled staff, and have smaller pre-production and development of specific tools? Perhaps we could be more creative and make a smaller project that is easier to turn around and has a narrower scope. However, it will still have great quality and storytelling. So, not only can we make a brand new game but also support those who fight. 

Our next title will soon be revealed. And, if you are interested, we’d like to give you a more detailed look into our lives and our work during a war. Maybe it will bring us closer. We’re also looking at other ways to bring the game to you directly – more info on that soon.

Thanks for your assistance during this difficult time. Stay safe wherever you are.”

More information is available here Game Informer’sA running list of game studios who have supported Ukraine.

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