The Witcher 3 legends explain their “very experimental” new vampire game, The Blood of Dawnwalker

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Creative director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz explained that the game is highly experimental, as few other games attempt this approach.

Just so you know, the complete conversation is available on the TopMob Gaming podcast or their YouTube channel.

At Gamescom, Tomaszkiewicz told us about The Blood of Dawnwalker, a new vampire game being developed by a company he and several former developers from The Witcher 3 created.

He described how the game’s time system will create challenging choices for players. Each day in the game has a limited number of hours, and you’ll have a limited number of days to rescue your character’s kidnapped wife.

Tomaszkiewicz explained that they really wanted players to feel the pressure of time in the game. They aimed to create a sense of urgency with the goals, making players carefully consider their choices and how they want to use their resources – deciding what to prioritize and when.

Honestly, we really didn’t want to add any artificial pressure that would stop me from just wandering around and enjoying the game world, you know? The game always makes sure I know what’s going on, so I’m never totally lost or stressed about a ticking clock.

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We observed this system in action during a recent Gamescom demo. The game clearly shows how much time certain choices, such as starting a side quest, will take.

Tomaszkiewicz explained that the game build shows players how much time each quest objective will take to complete. He also mentioned that certain choices in conversations can affect how much time is used.

Tomaszkiewicz explained their concept of ‘time as a resource.’ He emphasized that simply remaining still doesn’t use up any time – time essentially waits for you to take action.

To help you understand this system, Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz compares it to the game Persona, while his brother and colleague, Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, suggests it’s similar to the original Fallout games from the 1990s.

Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, game director and CEO of Rebel Wolves, revealed that the central objective of their game is rescuing your kidnapped family, something they’ve been discussing in recent interviews.

As a player, it’s way more engaging when characters feel like they could be taken away. If you know someone’s always going to be around, it just kills the tension and emotional impact. Storytelling needs stakes! That’s why we put in the time limit system – to show you that things are happening, and not everything is safe forever. It makes the choices feel real.

“Our game structure is totally different than the games you know,” Konrad Tomaszkiewicz added.

We were curious about what happens if you fail to rescue your family. Does the game simply end then?

Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz hinted that the game focuses on player choices having meaningful results rather than traditional game-over screens. He didn’t want to reveal too much, but emphasized the importance of choice and consequence in the game’s design.

We watched a long demo of the game, and the way time passes in it seemed interesting, though it might take players a while to learn how it works.

The time of day in the game affects what you can do. During the day, you play as Coen, a man from the 14th century, and can move around freely, attempting to solve problems by talking or fighting.

At night, he transforms into a vampire-like figure with enhanced abilities for sneaking, moving around, and fighting. However, relying solely on nighttime will cost you precious time and put your family in greater danger.

This game seems really enjoyable, and we’re excited to try it out. Stay tuned for more updates as the release date gets closer!

Blood of Dawnwalker is scheduled to launch in 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. You can add it to your wishlist today!

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Authors

Rob LeaneGaming Editor

Rob Leane leads gaming coverage at TopMob, managing news and features for PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC, mobile, and VR games. He creates content for TopMob’s website, social media, and video platforms, and also writes the weekly gaming newsletter. Before joining TopMob, Rob worked at Den of Geek, Stealth Optional, and Dennis Publishing.

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2026-02-18 14:05