News
‘The Vanishing of Ethan Carter’ Devs Talk Medieval Shooter ‘Witchfire’
Accounced back in 2017, The Astronauts’ dark fantasy shooter, Witchfire, hasn’t been heard of much until the team brought it up recently with a progress report, along with a couple of clips.
Witchfire is described as as a sort of alternative-history shooter where witches, as they were described in medieval times, are very real, and as “the punishing hand of the Church”, you’re responsible for seeking them out and exterminating them. However, as the developers describe it, “things are not as black and white as one might think.”
Given the admittedly flimsy good vs. evil setup, the devs say that Witchfire is a shooter “focused on challenge and mastery”. In fact, the devs put it bluntly: Witchfire is not a story-based game. “We’re trying to make sure it’s accessible and there are many roads to the ultimate victory but you’ll still need to prove your witch-hunting skills if you’re after all of its secrets.”
“There’s lore to discover and decipher, but no cut-scenes to follow. A project like that — e.g. like Bulletstorm, a game that some of us directed — would be bordering on impossible for a tiny team like ours. More importantly, though, the heart of the game is somewhere else. We will talk about it more as soon as we’re ready.”
Development on Witchfire has progressed to the point where The Astronauts will begin posting weekly updates on the game (“Witchfire Wednesdays”, as they proposed calling it). However, the game probably won’t be ready until 2020. To keep up with the updates, you can check out The Astronauts’ Twitter or Facebook.
News
Legendary Grimdark ‘Warhammer 40,000’ Artist John Blanche Has Passed Away at 78
In the grim darkness of the far future there is only war, but it was a cheerful illustrator from England who helped to define the terrifying war-torn imagery that inspired what we now know as Grimdark (a hybrid genre combining horror with sci-fi/fantasy).
Unfortunately for fans of Warhammer 40,000, Trench Crusade and countless other sources of Grimdark thrills, veteran artist John Blanche passed away this week after struggling with health issues for the past few years.
While the artist retired back in 2023, he leaves us with an enormous legacy of iconic artwork that continues to inspire gamers and storytellers around the world to this very day.
The news is especially gloomy as it was only last year that Daniel Lowman and Napoleon Dynamite himself Jon Heder released The Grim & the Dark: The Search for John Blanche, a documentary following Heder’s exploration of the Grimdark genre culminating in a heartwarming encounter with Blanche in his own home.
Below is one of my favorite pieces by Blanche, his highly influential depiction of Warhammer 40k’s God-Emperor of Mankind on his Golden Throne.
We send our deepest condolences to John Blanche’s family, friends, and fans.

You must be logged in to post a comment.