CI Games have announced new studio Hexworks has been working on beleaguered action RPG Lords of the Fallen 2.

The game was previously announced in 2014 with developer Deck 13 Interactive. In June 2018 the game re-entered development with Defiant Studios. In May 2019 publisher CI Games announced they cut ties with Defiant Studios, but confirmed in March of this year that the game was still in development.

Now, CI Games have announced the opening of Hexwork. Based in Barcelona and Bucharest, this studio will be working on Lords of the Fallen 2; now “targeted for next gen consoles and PC.” Despite stating their “opening,” CI Games CEO Marek Tyminski revealed they have been working on the game for the last six months.

“It’s been a long time since we started talking about Lords of the Fallen 2 and trying different ideas. I am very excited for us to be able to announce the new studio that has been already at work for the last half of the year and made significant progress. Initially we decided to keep that quiet as we didn’t want to bring that to public eyes before we would build the core team and before we would all agree on the details of the first project and move forward with our vision. So, this is the time to officially say we are here and we’re here to stay.”

The new studio is lead by creative director Cezar Virtosu and executive producer Saul Gascon, with 25 “veteran” staff who have previously worked on AAA games in the past. Despite this, the new studio is “embracing a bit more of an indie approach to development.” The studio will also focus on role-playing games.

The game’s tone will also be different from the original Lords of the Fallen; from a “power fantasy” to a dark fantasy. The sequel will also “be much more loyal to the challenging combat experience that the Soulsborne and Souls-like communities enjoy.”

We will keep you informed as we learn more.