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Cyanide (company)
Cyanide (company)
Cyanide (company)
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Cyanide SA (also known as Cyanide Studio) is a French video game developer based in the Nanterre suburb of Paris. The company was founded in 2000 by Patrick Pligersdorffer, formerly of Ubi Soft. Since 2007, Cyanide operates a second studio, Amusement Cyanide, in Montreal, Canada, and employs a total of 110 staff members as of 2018. Cyanide was acquired by French publisher Bigben Interactive (now Nacon) in May 2018.

Key Information

Big Bad Wolf, founded in 2015 at Bordeaux, and Rogue Factor, founded in 2013 at Montréal, are branches of Cyanide.[1][2]

History

[edit]

Before founding Cyanide, Patrick Pligersdorffer began working in the video game industry with Ubi Soft, where he assisted the opening of an internal development studio in Japan.[3] After leaving Ubi Soft, Pligersdorffer established Cyanide in Nanterre in 2000.[3] In November 2007, Cyanide announced that they had set up a new studio in Montreal, Canada.[4] At the time, the new studio, known as Amusement Cyanide, was tasked with creating a new proprietary 3D animation engine for a game that was in development at Cyanide's headquarters.[5] On 14 May 2018, French publisher Bigben Interactive (now Nacon) announced that they had wholly acquired Cyanide for a total sum of €20 million.[6] By this time, Cyanide employed 110 people in its two studios.[7] Focus Home Interactive, Cyanide's primary publisher, previously also attempted to take over the studio, but the move was rejected by the publisher's supervisory board, which eventually led to the resignation of Focus Home Interactive's chief executive officer, Cédric Lagarrigue.[8]

Developed titles

[edit]

Games by Cyanide

[edit]
Year Title Platform(s) Publisher
2001 Cycling Manager Windows Focus Home Interactive
2002 Cycling Manager 2
2003 Cycling Manager 3
Final Stretch: Horse Racing Sim Bigben Interactive
2004 Chaos League Focus Home Interactive
Cycling Manager 4
Pro Rugby Manager
2005 Chaos League: Sudden Death Focus Multimedia
Pro Cycling Manager Focus Home Interactive
Pro Rugby Manager 2 Digital Jesters
Pro Rugby Manager 2005 Scubb Interactive
2006 Horse Racing Manager 2 Micro Application
NFL Head Coach Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox Electronic Arts
Pro Cycling Manager: Season 2006 Windows Focus Home Interactive
Wintersport Pro 2006 Crimson Cow
2007 Loki Focus Home Interactive
Pro Cycling: Season 2007 PlayStation Portable
Pro Cycling Manager: Season 2007 Windows
Runaway 2: The Dream of the Turtle Nintendo DS
2008 Pro Cycling: Season 2008 PlayStation Portable 93 Games
Pro Cycling Manager: Season 2008 Windows Focus Home Interactive
2009 Blood Bowl Windows, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360
Le Tour de France 2009: The Official Game Xbox Live Arcade
Pro Cycling Manager: Season 2009 Windows
2010 Blood Bowl: Legendary Edition
Dungeon Raiders Nintendo DS UFO Interactive Games
Pro Cycling Manager: Season 2010 Windows Focus Home Interactive
2011 Le Tour de France PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Pro Cycling Manager: Season 2011 Windows
2012 Blood Bowl: Chaos Edition
Confrontation
Dungeonbowl Cyanide
Game of Thrones Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Focus Home Interactive
Le Tour de France 2012 PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Of Orcs and Men Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Pro Cycling Manager: Season 2012 Windows
2013 Aarklash: Legacy Cyanide
Dungeon Party
Le Tour de France 2013: 100th Edition PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Focus Home Interactive
Pro Cycling Manager: Season 2013 Windows
2014 Basketball Pro Management 2015 Cyanide
Dogs of War Online
Front Page Sports Football
Le Tour de France: Season 2014 PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 Focus Home Interactive
PRM 2015: Pro Rugby Manager Windows 505 Games
Pro Cycling Manager 2014 Focus Home Interactive
Styx: Master of Shadows Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
2015 Blood Bowl 2
Le Tour de France: Season 2015 PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Pro Cycling Manager 2015 Windows
2016 Le Tour de France: Season 2016 PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Pro Basketball Manager 2016 Windows Cyanide
Pro Basketball Manager 2016: US Edition
Pro Cycling Manager 2016 Focus Home Interactive
2017 Le Tour de France: Season 2017 PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Pro Basketball Manager 2017 Windows Cyanide
Pro Cycling Manager 2017 Focus Home Interactive
Styx: Shards of Darkness Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
2018 Call of Cthulhu Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Le Tour de France: Season 2018 PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Pro Cycling Manager 2018 Windows
Space Hulk: Tactics Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
2019 Blood Bowl: Death Zone Windows Bigben Interactive
Tour de France: Season 2019 PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Paranoia: Happiness is Mandatory Windows
Pro Cycling Manager Season 2019
2020 Pro Cycling Manager 2020 Nacon
Tour de France 2020 Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
2021 Pro Cycling Manager 2021 Windows
Rogue Lords Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Tour de France 2021 Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Werewolf: The Apocalypse - Earthblood Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
2022 Tour de France 2022[9] Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Pro Cycling Manager 2022[9] Windows
2023 Chef Life[10] Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Blood Bowl 3[11] Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Pro Cycling Manager 2023 Windows
Tour de France 2023 Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
2024 Pro Cycling Manager 2024 Windows
Tour de France 2024 Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
2025 Pro Cycling Manager 2025 Windows
Tour de France 2025 Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
Styx: Blades of Greed Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Games by Amusement Cyanide

[edit]
Year Title Platform(s) Publisher
2011 A Game of Thrones: Genesis Windows Focus Home Interactive
2013 Impire Paradox Interactive

Games by Big Bad Wolf

[edit]
Year Title Platform(s) Publisher
2018 The Council Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One Focus Home Interactive
2022 Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S Nacon
2026 Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Games by Rogue Factor

[edit]
Year Title Platform(s) Publisher
2015 Mordheim: City of the Damned Windows Focus Home Interactive
2016 PlayStation 4, Xbox One
2020 Necromunda: Underhive Wars Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
2025 Hell is Us Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S Nacon

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Cyanide (company)

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Cyanide Studio is a French video game development and publishing company founded in 2000 by Patrick Pligersdorffer and six former Ubisoft employees, headquartered in Nanterre near Paris. The studio initially focused on sports simulations and strategy games, expanding into role-playing and action-adventure titles over the years. In 2007, it established a second facility, Amusement Cyanide, in Montreal, Canada, to support international development efforts. Cyanide gained prominence for its adaptations of tabletop games and licenses, including the Blood Bowl series of fantasy football games, the stealth-action Styx series, and cycling simulations like Tour de France and Pro Cycling Manager. Other notable titles include Call of Cthulhu (2018), Game of Thrones (2012), Space Hulk: Tactics (2018), and Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood (2021). In May 2018, the company was acquired by Bigben Interactive (rebranded as in 2020) for €20 million, becoming a while retaining creative autonomy under Pligersdorffer's leadership. As of 2025, Cyanide continues to release annual sports titles such as Tour de France 2025 and Pro Cycling Manager 2025, alongside simulation games like Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator and the tactical . The studio emphasizes deep gameplay mechanics in niche genres, contributing to 's portfolio of over 100 games.

Overview

Founding and headquarters

Cyanide Studio was founded in 2000 by Patrick Pligersdorffer, a former employee, along with six other ex- staff members, in , . The new venture started as a compact team dedicated to developing games for personal computers, drawing on the founders' prior experience in the industry. The company's headquarters were established in , a western suburb of , where it has remained as the primary operational base for creative production and administrative oversight. This location in the Paris metropolitan area has supported the studio's growth while maintaining proximity to key talent pools and industry resources in . In its early years, Cyanide concentrated on sports simulation and strategy games, genres that became foundational to its expertise, with initial projects emphasizing management simulations for real-world sports like rugby and . These efforts highlighted the studio's strengths in detailed gameplay mechanics and competitive dynamics.

Ownership and current status

In May 2018, Bigben Interactive acquired for €20 million, securing 100% ownership of the studio's shares and voting rights. The deal, which included half payment in cash and half through new Bigben shares, aimed to bolster Bigben's capabilities in the AA segment by integrating Cyanide's expertise in strategic and tactical titles. At the time of acquisition, employed approximately 110 staff members across its operations in and . Following the acquisition, was integrated into Bigben's gaming portfolio, with the parent company providing additional resources to support the studio's ongoing projects while preserving its operational autonomy under its existing leadership. In February 2020, Bigben Interactive rebranded its gaming division to , consolidating its publishing and accessory businesses under a unified . As part of this structure, has continued to contribute to Nacon's annual release cadence, notably developing the series, with editions released each year through 2025. Cyanide currently operates as a wholly owned of , focusing on within the group's ecosystem. Employee numbers were last reported at around 110 in , though the studio may have experienced growth in line with Nacon's expansion of its development teams post-acquisition. The studio remains active in producing titles aligned with Nacon's strategy for mid-tier gaming content.

History

Early years (2000–2007)

Cyanide Studio was founded in 2000 in Nanterre, France, by seven former Ubisoft employees, including Patrick Pligersdorffer, who sought to create sports management simulations focused on professional cycling. The studio's debut title, Erik Zabel's Cycling Manager, released in 2001 for PC and published by Singularity Software, introduced players to team management, race strategy, and rider training in the cycling world, establishing Cyanide's early expertise in simulation gameplay. This was followed by Cycling Manager 2 in 2002, which expanded on the formula with improved AI and more detailed season management, solidifying the studio's niche in the genre. By 2003, Cyanide had grown from a small startup to a recognized developer, releasing Cycling Manager 3 and Horse Racing Manager, the latter published by Bigben Interactive and marking the studio's diversification into other equine sports simulations. These titles demonstrated the studio's ability to handle complex management mechanics, such as and event , while securing initial partnerships that provided financial stability and market exposure. The partnership with Focus Home Interactive, which began with titles like Cycling Manager 3 in 2003, continued in 2004 with Pro Rugby Manager, allowing Cyanide to branch into team sports beyond cycling and build a reputation for accessible yet deep strategy games. Entering the competitive sports management genre presented challenges for Cyanide, particularly with the evolution of its series into starting in 2005, which required annual updates to reflect real-world events like the and compete against established simulation developers. Despite technical hurdles in rendering dynamic races and balancing realism with playability, the studio iterated through versions up to 2007, growing its team and output to position itself as a mid-sized European developer specializing in niche simulations. This period laid the groundwork for Cyanide's enduring focus on enthusiast-driven titles, with the series becoming a property that attracted dedicated players and informed future projects.

Expansion and subsidiaries (2007–2018)

In 2007, Cyanide expanded its operations internationally by establishing Amusement Cyanide, a studio in , , aimed at accessing North American talent pools and facilitating entry into broader markets. This move marked the company's first significant step beyond its Paris headquarters, enabling collaborative development on projects like sports management simulations while building a presence in Quebec's growing game industry ecosystem. A pivotal milestone during this period was the 2009 release of , a video game adaptation of Games Workshop's tabletop fantasy football game, which solidified Cyanide's expertise in licensed titles and turn-based strategy genres. The title's success, evidenced by its critical reception and the subsequent licensing agreement for multiple sequels, boosted the studio's profile and revenue streams, allowing further investment in expansion. By 2013, Cyanide opened another Montreal-based subsidiary, Rogue Factor, dedicated to developing tactical RPGs and strategy games, leveraging the region's skilled workforce to diversify its portfolio. This studio contributed to projects emphasizing deep gameplay mechanics, aligning with Cyanide's growing focus on narrative-driven and competitive titles. In 2014, partnerships with publishers like Focus Home Interactive culminated in Styx: Master of Shadows, a stealth RPG that highlighted Cyanide's innovation in infiltration mechanics and expanded its reach in the action-adventure space. The expansion continued in 2015 with the founding of in , , a specializing in adventures and RPGs, staffed by veterans from , , and Cyanide itself. This studio's establishment reflected Cyanide's strategy to foster specialized teams for ambitious storytelling projects, enhancing overall creative output without diluting the parent company's core operations. By 2018, these subsidiaries had collectively grown Cyanide's workforce to around 110 employees, positioning the company for sustained international collaboration.

Developments under Nacon (2018–present)

In May 2018, (then operating as Bigben Interactive) acquired for approximately €20 million, enabling the studio to leverage 's publishing resources for broader distribution and development support. This integration allowed to expand post-release support for titles like , which received ongoing updates including balance patches and community event tie-ins through 2019, while transitioning resources toward the series' next iteration. A significant early milestone under was the 2018 launch of The Council, developed by Cyanide's subsidiary , marking the studio's entry into episodic narrative adventures with RPG elements focused on player-driven choices and geopolitical intrigue. This release aligned with 's strategy to diversify Cyanide's portfolio beyond sports simulations, incorporating the subsidiary's expertise in story-rich experiences. Cyanide maintained its tradition of annual sports titles, with the series continuing uninterrupted under Nacon's publishing, culminating in the release of and on June 5, 2025, which introduced enhanced career management, real-time race simulations for over 80 professional teams, and adopted for improved graphics and realism. This ongoing pipeline exemplified Nacon's emphasis on reliable, franchise-driven content, allowing Cyanide to refine mechanics annually while integrating official licensing from events like the . To adapt to evolving industry demands for connected experiences, and its subsidiaries incorporated advanced multiplayer features in subsequent releases. For instance, , developed by subsidiary Rogue Factor, emphasized persistent gang progression and co-op skirmishes supporting up to four players, reflecting a shift toward immersive, competitive modes in tactical RPGs. Similarly, , from and published by , enhanced its single-player narrative RPG framework with adaptive AI, prioritizing player agency in a lore-deep setting. These projects underscored 's evolution under toward hybrid single- and multi-player designs, fostering longer-term engagement amid rising and trends, as seen in ongoing support for Blood Bowl 3 with Season 10 released on September 12, 2025.

Organization

Studio structure

Cyanide operates as a wholly owned of SA within the company's Publishing division, maintaining operational independence while integrating into 's broader structure as part of a single Cash Generating Unit that fosters resource sharing across studios. Acquired by Bigben Interactive (rebranded as in 2020) in June 2018 and fully consolidated by September 2019, SAS serves as the parent entity, overseeing subsidiaries including Amusement Inc. in , ; Big Bad Wolf in , ; and Rogue Factor in , . This hierarchical setup positions Paris as the lead studio, coordinating sports and strategy projects, with oversight from 's executive team including Chairman and CEO Alain Falc. The studio's collaborative model emphasizes integration through Nacon's Publishing Committee, where Cyanide works alongside subsidiaries like Rogue Factor and to share production monitoring, licensing, and technological resources. For instance, studios leverage common tools such as Unity and , enabling the reuse of RPG elements like narrative systems and character development frameworks across projects developed by Rogue Factor and . This shared approach amortizes development costs over multiple titles, typically 4 to 8 years, and supports genre-specific expertise, such as action-RPG mechanics. Employee distribution totals 198 across sites as of 31 March 2024, with 139 in (primarily in , with a smaller contingent in through ) focused on core operations, including specialized teams for simulations like . The remaining 59 employees are based in () via Canada and Rogue Factor, supporting efforts. This distribution aligns with Nacon's overall workforce of 1,113 as of 31 March 2024, where 711 are in , emphasizing 's role in coordinating strategy and sports initiatives; no significant changes to Cyanide's structure were reported in 2025.

Key personnel and employee information

Cyanide was founded in 2000 by Patrick Pligersdorffer, who previously worked at assisting in the establishment of an internal development studio. As the studio's CEO, Pligersdorffer directed its initial focus on role-playing and strategy games, drawing from his industry experience to build a team of former colleagues. Following the 2018 acquisition by Bigben Interactive (rebranded as in 2020), Pligersdorffer retained his role as CEO, guiding the company's growth and integration into the larger group while maintaining creative independence. Key leadership in Cyanide's subsidiaries includes Fabrice Granger, who served as of the Montreal-based Amusement Cyanide studio upon its opening in 2007 and later co-founded the Bordeaux-based in 2015 alongside Thomas Veauclin and Sylvain Sechi. At , which specializes in narrative-driven RPGs, Thomas Pinaire leads the narrative design team. For Rogue Factor, established in in 2013, Yves Bordeleau serves as founder, with Jonathan Jacques-Belletête as creative director since 2019, bringing expertise from . In 2018, Cyanide employed approximately 110 staff across its operations in and . The company leverages a robust French-Canadian talent pool through its studio, fostering cross-Atlantic collaboration on projects. Post-2020, Cyanide has prioritized flexibility, which employees highlight as a key benefit supporting work-life balance and distributed team dynamics. As of 31 March 2024, the workforce stands at 198 members across the group, reflecting growth under with no major changes reported through 2025. The studio culture emphasizes passion for gaming, combining industry veterans with emerging developers to drive innovative title development.

Developed titles

Games by Cyanide

Cyanide Studio's Paris-based team has primarily focused on developing sports simulations and turn-based strategy games, often incorporating licensed properties for enhanced realism and depth. The studio's portfolio emphasizes intricate gameplay mechanics, such as detailed team and tactical , particularly in simulations that integrate official routes, riders, and events to provide an authentic experience. The flagship series, launched in 2001 and rebranded under the "Pro" title by 2005, features annual releases up to Pro Cycling Manager 2025, allowing players to manage professional teams through strategic planning, rider training, and race simulations. These games highlight realistic mechanics like impacts, equipment upgrades, and multi-stage event recreations, contributing to the series' enduring popularity among enthusiasts. The series, running annually since 2007 and integrated with official licenses, simulates the prestigious cycling race with real riders, teams, and dynamic stages, emphasizing endurance management, tactics, and live event replication up to Tour de France 2025. In the strategy genre, (2009) adapts Games Workshop's Warhammer fantasy football into a turn-based , blending humor, , and tactical combat with customizable teams of orcs, elves, and undead. It garnered a dedicated within the Warhammer community for its faithful adaptation and replayability, though specific sales figures for the original remain undisclosed; the franchise's later entries, like (2023), sold 50,000 copies in their first week alone, underscoring ongoing interest. (2015) expanded on the original with improved graphics, new races, and online multiplayer modes, enhancing the strategic depth while maintaining the series' satirical tone. The game's Legendary Edition, released in 2017, bundled additional content including star players and expansions, further solidifying its appeal to fans. introduced refined mechanics, new teams like the Imperial Nobility, and enhanced online features for competitive play. Shifting to action-adventure, (2014) introduced a stealth-focused RPG where players control a sarcastic assassin navigating a towering world through infiltration, abilities, and environmental puzzles. The title received praise for its challenging gameplay and atmospheric design, achieving an estimated 776,000 units sold and $13.2 million in gross revenue on , marking a commercial success for Cyanide's foray into narrative-driven titles. Its sequel, (2017), expanded the goblin's adventures with co-op modes, new abilities like versatile clones, and larger levels in a high-dark-fantasy setting, praised for improved stealth and replayability. Cyanide also developed A Game of Thrones (2012), an RPG set in George R.R. Martin's Westeros, where players control characters from noble houses in a narrative of political intrigue, combat, and moral choices across multiple campaigns. Space Hulk: Tactics (2018) brought Games Workshop's Warhammer 40,000 board game to life as a turn-based tactics title, featuring Space Marines versus Genestealers in claustrophobic spaceship battles with card-based abilities and strategic depth. Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Earthblood (2021) is an action-RPG in the World of Darkness universe, allowing players to shift between human, wolf, and Crinos forms for stealth, combat, and exploration in an eco-horror storyline. Rogue Lords (2021) is a tactical RPG where players manage a band of supernatural villains from folklore, using "cheat death" mechanics and roguelite elements to battle heroes in turn-based combat. Additionally, Chef Life: A Restaurant Simulator (2023) offers a management simulation for building and running a customizable restaurant, focusing on cooking, staff oversight, and customer satisfaction. Call of Cthulhu (2018), an investigative RPG inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's mythos, immerses players in a horror narrative as a unraveling cosmic mysteries through mechanics, choices, and puzzle-solving. It earned positive reviews for its atmospheric storytelling and role-playing elements, with approximately 449,000 units sold and $9.4 million in revenue on , reflecting solid performance in the genre.

Games by Amusement Cyanide

Amusement Cyanide, the Montreal-based subsidiary established in 2007, specialized in titles and adaptations of established intellectual properties. The studio's first major release was : Genesis in 2011, a game set in George R.R. Martin's Westeros universe, covering over 1,000 years of history through campaigns, , and political intrigue among noble houses. The innovatively integrates and mechanics alongside traditional RTS elements, allowing players to amass prestige via , alliances, and conquest to claim the Iron , supporting both single-player campaigns and multiplayer for up to eight players. In 2013, Amusement Cyanide released Impire, a dungeon management simulation where players embody the demon Báal-Abaddon, rebuilding an underground empire by constructing lairs, recruiting monstrous minions, and defending against heroic invaders in real-time. Drawing inspiration from classics like Dungeon Keeper, the game emphasizes resource management, minion customization through upgrades, and tactical combat in subterranean environments, blending strategy with direct control over demonic forces. Following Impire, the studio produced no major titles after , winding down operations as part of broader integration within following the acquisition.

Games by Rogue Factor

Rogue Factor, 's Montreal-based studio established in , specializes in tactical turn-based games, with a strong emphasis on Warhammer licenses that feature intricate strategy and squad management. The studio's debut title, Mordheim: City of the Damned (2015), is a adaptation of Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy tabletop game. Players assemble and lead customizable warbands—such as mercenaries, Skaven, or Sisters of Sigmar—through procedurally generated ruins in lethal skirmishes, managing persistent injuries, equipment upgrades, and skill progression that carry over between missions. The game includes single-player campaigns with narrative elements, online PvP multiplayer for competitive play, and deep tactical depth influenced by real-time elements in combat resolution, earning praise for its faithful recreation of the source material's grim atmosphere. Building on this foundation, Necromunda: Underhive Wars (2020) shifts to the Warhammer 40,000 universe, simulating gang warfare in the dystopian underhive of Necromunda. Developed as a tactical RPG, it allows players to recruit, specialize, and customize fighters from houses like Escher, Goliath, and Orlock, equipping them with modular loadouts, cybernetic enhancements, and role-specific skills to dominate hazardous environments in turn-based combat. Distinct features include territory control mechanics in the Operations mode for persistent campaigns and robust multiplayer options for skirmishes, emphasizing strategic positioning and resource exploitation over brute force. Post-launch under Nacon's oversight, : Underhive Wars received ongoing support through multiple patches addressing balance, bug fixes, and new content, such as the addition of fighter archetypes in update 1.4.4.2. A key expansion, the Van Saar Gang DLC released on December 14, 2020, introduced a technologically advanced faction with radiation-based abilities and energy shields, expanding customization and multiplayer variety while integrating seamlessly into existing campaigns. In 2025, Rogue Factor released Hell Is Us, a game where players explore a mysterious as a soldier searching for his missing brother, blending third-person action, environmental puzzles, and combat against otherworldly threats in a narrative-driven . This period marked Rogue Factor's evolution toward sustained title maintenance and broader project development.

Games by Big Bad Wolf

Big Bad Wolf, a Bordeaux-based studio established in 2015 as part of Cyanide, focuses on narrative adventure and RPG titles characterized by episodic storytelling and player-driven intrigue. The studio's flagship release, The Council (2018), is a supernatural thriller set in 1793 among a secret society's elite, where players embody investigator Louis de Richet and make choices that shape geopolitical and occult conspiracies. Its mechanics blend adventure gameplay with RPG progression, including skill trees for abilities like eloquence, manipulation, and detection, allowing players to confront historical figures such as George Washington and Napoleon Bonaparte through branching dialogues and confrontations. The Council earned critical acclaim for innovating on episodic narratives by emphasizing meaningful choice mechanics and detective elements, which empower players to alter story outcomes and character alliances in ways that surpass traditional point-and-click adventures. Released across five episodes by Focus Home Interactive, it highlighted Big Bad Wolf's ability to fuse historical fiction with horror, achieving a Metacritic score of 74 and praise for its sophisticated writing and replayability. Building on this foundation, Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong (2022) delivers an investigative RPG within the universe, tasking players with controlling three vampires—Galeb, Emem, and Ailara—as they probe a mysterious massacre threatening Boston's society. Published by , the game features turn-based dialogue combats, infiltration puzzles, and vampiric disciplines that influence investigations, with narratives diverging based on clan politics and moral decisions. It incorporates detective systems for evidence gathering and interrogation, enabling multiple paths to uncover a broader conspiracy, though reviews noted mixed reception for its pacing and technical polish despite strong atmospheric immersion. Central to Big Bad Wolf's output are branching narratives that support extensive replayability through consequence-driven choices, often leading to varied endings and character arcs, alongside detective systems that integrate environmental clues, skill-based interrogations, and puzzle-solving to advance plots. These elements underscore the studio's emphasis on intellectual engagement and emotional depth in RPGs, distinguishing their work with innovative hybrids of adventure and genres.

References

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  49. https://procyclinguk.com/the-history-of-pro-cycling-manager/
  50. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2899460/Tour_de_France_2025/
  51. https://www.ign.com/games/producer/cyanide
  52. https://gamesensor.info/news/blood_bowl_3_first_week
  53. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1016950/Blood_Bowl_3/
  54. https://app.sensortower.com/vgi/game/styx-master-of-shadows
  55. https://store.steampowered.com/app/355790/Styx_Shards_of_Darkness/
  56. https://store.steampowered.com/app/365360/Space_Hulk_Tactics/
  57. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1271860/Werewolf_The_Apocalypse__Earthblood/
  58. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1249850/Rogue_Lords/
  59. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1550980/Chef_Life__A_Restaurant_Simulator/
  60. https://store.steampowered.com/app/399810/Call_of_Cthulhu/
  61. https://app.sensortower.com/vgi/game/call-of-cthulhu
  62. https://store.steampowered.com/app/58550/A_Game_of_Thrones__Genesis/
  63. https://www.mobygames.com/game/53844/a-game-of-thrones-genesis/
  64. https://www.gameinformer.com/games/a_game_of_thrones__genesis/b/pc/archive/2011/10/06/review.aspx
  65. https://store.steampowered.com/app/202130/Impire/
  66. https://www.mobygames.com/game/64471/impire/
  67. https://www.denofgeek.com/games/impire-pc-review/
  68. https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Company:Rogue_Factor
  69. https://store.steampowered.com/app/276810/Mordheim_City_of_the_Damned/
  70. https://www.pcgamesn.com/mordheim-city-of-the-damned/mordheim-city-of-the-damned-has-multiple-campaigns-and-heroes
  71. https://www.godisageek.com/reviews/mordheim-city-of-the-damned-review/
  72. https://store.steampowered.com/app/566440/Necromunda_Underhive_Wars/
  73. https://necromunda-underhivewars.com/
  74. https://steamcommunity.com/app/566440/allnews/
  75. https://www.focus-entmt.com/news/necromunda-underhive-wars-house-van-saar-joins-the-fray-on-december-14
  76. https://www.ign.com/games/producer/rogue-factor
  77. https://rogue-factor.com/games/?lang=en
  78. https://www.pcgamesn.com/the-council/the-council-review
  79. https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-council/
  80. https://www.ign.com/articles/vampire-the-masquerade-swansong-review
  81. https://www.shacknews.com/article/104301/the-council-episodic-review-genre-evolution
  82. https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/vampire-the-masquerade-swansong-review
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