Shadowy Passenger Secures $3 Million Investment to Launch Its First Multiplayer Adventure
Image by Shadowy Passenger.
The independent studio Shadowy Passenger recently secured $3 million in initial funding. According to the announcement, investment firms The Games Fund and Blite Fund spearheaded this funding round for the Polish studio.
These funds will be allocated toward the development of its inaugural project, a multiplayer game inspired by feudal Japan. The developer first emerged and showcased its untitled game back in 2022.
Shadowy Passenger comprises several former CD Projekt Red developers who previously worked on The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077. Various team members come from other Warsaw-based studios, such as People Can Fly, Reikon, and Flying Wild Hog.
This studio is yet another recent establishment created by CDPR alumni. Another indie studio, Rebel Wolves, was also founded in 2022 by Witcher 3 director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz after departing CDPR amid allegations of workplace bullying. Earlier this year, his brother Mateusz (also from CDPR) joined his studio, which is currently developing the triple-A dark fantasy RPG, The Blood of Dawnwalker.
Rebel Wolves’ debut will be published by Bandai Namco. Over the weekend, the studio released a teaser for Dawnwalker, promising a full reveal on January 13, 2025.
“While we’re primarily recognized for triple-A, narrative-driven RPGs, our genuine passion has always been multiplayer,” stated Shadowy Passenger CEO Jakub Ben in a statement. “It requires imagination, trust, and vision to completely grasp our direction, and we found these qualities in The Games Fund. This investment is transformative for us—it has helped us grow our team and lay the groundwork for our project, enabling us to concentrate on production.”
Games Fund managing partner Ilia Eremeev expressed that the firm was attracted to Shadowy Passenger’s “vision [of] an exhilarating, undiluted power fantasy. There’s a lack of games that dare to take chances and provide bold, unapologetic experiences that leave players yearning for that ‘Hell yeah’ factor. After viewing their early demo, we immediately recognized that Dark Passenger is poised to deliver precisely that.”
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Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com
A native of Kansas City, MO, Justin Carter has contributed to numerous websites, including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to Game Developer, his writings can also be found at io9 over on Gizmodo. Don’t ask him about how much gum he’s chewed, as the answer will likely be more than he’s willing to admit.