RocketWerkz’ C# framework ‘BRUTAL’ is now available to all developers
By Kitten Space Agency and Icarus creator RocketWerkz alongside gaming platform provider Ahwoo—both established by seasoned DayZ creator Dean Hall—have revealed the open-source launch of the game development framework referred to as “BRUTAL,” a C#-centered framework that provides developers with an alternative to third-party gaming engines such as Unity, Unreal Engine, or even Godot.
This framework integrates C# and .NET with C++ libraries and low-level graphics access, serving as a basis for developers to construct and sustain their own development resources.
Such choices have gained appeal following significant issues like the Unity Runtime Fee incident and Epic Games’ declaration regarding the deprecation of Unreal’s Blueprints functionality, which have raised concerns for some developers about the reliability of their technology stacks. RocketWerkz has been actively utilizing BRUTAL in the creation of Kitten Space Agency, though developers in search of an external case study should refer to the latest update on Ludeon Studios’ Rimworld. The developer announced last week that it has transitioned the game from Unity to a new engine termed “Waylith,” which is said to provide players with enhanced performance and a quicker loading time compared to earlier iterations.
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The framework is available free of charge for commercial games without any royalty obligations; however, the open-source license necessitates that developers give credit and show a logo before gameplay begins when initiating your game.
Developers should understand that utilizing BRUTAL is not as straightforward as adopting other popular open-source engines like Godot. BRUTAL functions as a programming framework that can act as a foundation for proprietary game engines or simply a method to develop your game from the ground up—a more demanding challenge that necessitates an eagerness to delve into the intricacies of a programming language such as C#.
In 2025, Hall and Kerbal Space Program creator Felipe Falanghe articulated to Game Developer that they found working with BRUTAL significantly more manageable due to advancements in large language models (LLMs).
