Vampire Survivors developer Poncle is expanding aggressively, with 15 projects in active development and new studios planned in Japan and Italy. Chief strategy officer Matteo Sapio outlined the plans in an interview, leveraging the game's success with over 25 million players. The projects include spin-offs, new IP, and Survivors-style games in other franchises.
Poncle, the studio behind Vampire Survivors, revealed ambitious expansion plans during an interview with Game Business. Matteo Sapio, the company's chief strategy officer, confirmed that the studio is actively developing 15 projects, including games, DLC, free updates, and porting efforts, with more in early conception stages. Vampire Survivors has now surpassed 25 million players, providing the momentum for this growth, as first reported by Eurogamer citing 27 million players reached last week at the London Games Festival. A Poncle spokesperson clarified that the projects encompass more than just new games, following an initial report of 15 games alone. Sapio detailed three main types of projects: spin-offs like Vampire Crawlers, co-developed with Nosebleed Interactive and now available on consoles and PC; two new intellectual properties; and Survivors-branded titles set in other franchises, such as Warhammer 40,000 Survivors, co-developed with Auroch Digital using Poncle's 'Vampire Survivor Engine' template. 'A lot of people came to us and said: ‘Let’s do a collaboration with Survivors,’' Sapio said. The studio prefers partnering with IP experts to avoid disappointing fans, sharing its engine for authentic experiences. To support this pipeline, Poncle is opening small studios in Japan and Italy with teams of five to 15 people each, aiming to tap local talent and facilitate deals, particularly with Japanese companies. 'We don’t want to be AAA or AA,' Sapio emphasized, focusing on efficiency and maintaining an indie spirit. The company has paused third-party publishing after early efforts like Kill the Brickman and Berserk or Die, calling it a learning experience, but plans to resume later.
