Nearly two years ago, Swedish indie developer Stunlock Studios (mostly known for the action MOBA Battlerite) released a vampire survival game called V Rising on Steam Early Access. The game quickly rose to the very top of Steam charts, selling over a million units in just over a week since launch.
Just a few months later, V Rising had registered over two and a half million players. Over time, some users moved on to more recent releases, but Stunlock Studios slowly but steadily kept adding to the game, with the first major content update (Secrets of Gloomrot) hitting roughly on the game’s anniversary.
Now, V Rising is just about ready to leap out of early access, adding major features like a new endgame region, Dracula and his army, a crossover with Castlevania, proper gamepad support, and much more. With two days left until version 1.0 is out on live servers, here’s our interview with Stunlock Studios reflecting on these two years of early access, what will be in version 1.0, and what might be coming afterward. Also, come back tomorrow to read our full review of V Rising.
Now that the early access phase of V Rising is coming to an end, what were the main surprises you encountered throughout these two years, both positive and negative?
Oh, big question. The whole process of developing an open-world survival game for the first time has had plenty of surprises that span the spectrum of experience, from surprisingly difficult challenges to discovering puzzle pieces that fit into the picture just perfectly. I think if I tried to get too specific, this would be the whole interview, so I’ll just say that there were plenty of unexpected boons and battles and many good and hard lessons have been learned that we’ll carry with us forever as a studio.
Did the game’s early success lengthen or shorten the amount of time V Rising was in early access?
It’s hard to say, but the breakout success in Early Access gave us a lot of confidence in the game and the leeway we needed to decide to release V Rising exactly when it’s ready. Not every studio gets that opportunity, and we’re extremely grateful to be in this position.
Overall, did the game meet your expectations so far in terms of sales?
Above our expectations! Let’s just say that you can never underestimate the vampire community.
How did the Castlevania collaboration happen? Can you share details on this process?
We had some contact with KONAMI, and after a little back and forth, things fell into place! It took us some time to find the perfect sweet spot in how to best work together, but we’re such huge fans of the Castlevania series that we were pretty relentless about making it happen. Thankfully, KONAMI was receptive, and here we are!
As for details on the process, from our side, I can just say that it was fantastic to work with KONAMI. They showed real attention to detail and love for their characters and IP that we were eager to match. A lot of time was spent making sure the details communicated all the little themes and nuances that long-time fans will be looking for.
Will 1.0 add more character customization options?
Oh yeah, more than ever, and to a huge degree. We’ve added an additional level of slots to your worn equipment, so you can choose one piece of equipment for its stats and another for its appearance. There are also around 31 color palettes for every single piece of armor you can choose from, and you can edit these at any time. Let’s not forget about the Legacy of Castlevania Premium Pack, which has some pretty sweet new looks. You can’t see me right now, but I’m winking at you.
Are there going to be any weapon balance passes in version 1.0?
There have been some adjustments, especially to the crossbow, to make it more distinct from the new longbow weapon. There are some tweaks across the board to various weapons, as well as an entire new level of legendary weapons that have unique, altered weapon skills. All of that on top of another new weapon, the whip, you’ll definitely be feeling some serious differences.
Can you discuss the graphics improvements in this version (e.g., the light engine)?
The lighting system has received a facelift that really changes how the game looks. It’s easier to pick up on smaller details, and there’s a lot more depth to the world in general. The whole thing is also a lot lighter on your machine’s performance, which allows for a little farther rendering distance. A lot of places that used to just be dense fog you can now actually see at all times. We also tweaked the feel a bit, making it a little less cozy, a little more stark, and gothic to better lean into that horror vibe we adore.
What are your post-launch goals for V Rising? How long do you plan to support the game, and will there be any paid DLCs?
Well, after 1.0, we’re setting our sights on the PlayStation 5 release. It’s our first-ever console release, so we’re pretty focused on that right now. Beyond that, we’ve still got planning to do before we can share anything definitive.
Is there still a goal of making one player feel like the “Dracula of the server,” as was mentioned in initial blog posts, and if so, how will the new endgame feed into that idea?
The “Shards” that players fought over are now jewelry slot items. Instead of keeping them in your castle to defend with a buff anyone in your clan can take, they’re confined to a single player who gets some pretty strong stats and a powerful ultimate spell. I will say that if you’re carrying the pendant that drops from Dracula himself, you’ll definitely feel like the Dracula of the server.
Will servants be updated to do more at some point?
We’ve always wanted to expand the servant system, but I can’t give any specifics on whether or how. We are absolutely teeming with ideas for it though, so there is a lot of potential to expand that feature more.
Aside from clans, are there any plans to make temporary groups/parties, even if it’s only in PvE? Adding on to that, any plans for an in game friends list?
No plans for that right now!
What is your stance on official modding support? Will it be available at some point and if so, would you add Steam Workshop support?
Modding support is hard for us to offer in any official capacity. There are a lot of really talented modders working on trying to bring their imaginations to life with our game, and that is really cool! However, I’m afraid we can’t comment on any plans to add any official modding support in the future.
Speaking of mods, there was a popular one a while ago that added an over-the-shoulder camera to V Rising. Did you ever consider adding this perspective in an official capacity?
We’ve seen it! It’s very cool that a lot of players seem to enjoy it, but there are a few levels of quality control that just don’t pass for us. The game isn’t meant to be viewed from that angle, and the combat doesn’t really control to our standards from that perspective, either. If we were to do that, it would have to be on a new project entirely. Is that something players would want?
Why did you pick PlayStation 5 as the console of choice for V Rising?
It felt like a natural fit for V Rising, and Sony has been a spectacular partner for us! All around, we’re very happy with the decision.
Are you going to take advantage of the DualSense controller’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers features? If so, will those be available on PC as well as PS5?
We’ve had some fun implementing some of those, yeah! For instance, the controller gives a little bit of resistance on the trigger when you’re feeding to really give the feeling of biting down on someone’s neck. There’s also around 255 (the last time I checked) unique rumble triggers. If you’re using a DualSense controller, these will all be available on PC as well!
Several players have been asking for crossplay. How likely is that to happen?
It seems pretty unlikely at this time.
What are the odds of seeing V Rising on Xbox or Nintendo consoles later down the road?
Never tell me the odds. Or ask me to tell you the odds. Our top priority right now is ensuring the success of our upcoming launches on PC and PS5. We must dedicate our full attention to optimizing these releases to their highest potential before considering any future endeavors.
Anything else to add for your fans?
All we can really say is thanks for all the amazing times so far, and that we’re looking forward to all the incredible adventures to come! It’s always super exciting to watch players get their hands on our game, we live for those reactions, and when you’re happy it makes us happy.
See you all in Vardoran, Vampires! It’s all real now!
Thank you for your time.