Poncle Expands with New Studios and 15+ Games, Including Vampire Survivors Spinoffs and Warhammer 40K Roguelite

Poncle, the developer behind the hit roguelike Vampire Survivors, is scaling up with ambitious plans for the future. According to an interview with The Game Business, the company’s chief strategy officer, Matteo Sapio, revealed that Poncle is opening two new studios—one in Japan and another in Italy—and has over 15 games in active development.

This expansion marks a significant shift for a studio previously known primarily for a single franchise. Sapio outlined three key categories for Poncle’s upcoming projects:

• Spinoffs to Vampire Survivors, such as the recently released deckbuilder Vampire Crawlers.
• Original IPs, including two games set in entirely new universes.
• Roguelites with Vampire Survivors-style mechanics, but leveraging other intellectual properties (IPs). One confirmed title in this category is Warhammer Survivors, a roguelite set in the Warhammer 40K universe, slated for release on Steam later this year.

To support these diverse projects, Poncle has developed a proprietary engine capable of adapting existing IPs into games that emulate the playstyle of Vampire Survivors.

Is the Market Ready for More Vampire Survivors-Style Games?

The success of Vampire Survivors has spawned a wave of top-down roguelites with simple controls and bullet-hell mechanics. Recent examples include Halls of Torment, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, and Soulstone Survivors. This genre’s popularity is likely tied to the original game’s continued success, which has amassed over 27 million players.

Poncle Pauses Third-Party Publishing

Despite its growth, Poncle has temporarily halted its third-party publishing initiatives after releasing a few titles last year. Sapio described the experience as a "learning process," noting that the company struggled to provide adequate support. However, he left the door open for revisiting this strategy in the future.

"It was a learning experience. But we found that we weren’t able to give the right support."

— Matteo Sapio, Chief Strategy Officer, Poncle

Lean Teams and Indie Roots: A Recipe for Success?

Unlike large AAA studios, Poncle operates as an indie developer, and its new studios will maintain lean teams with "little teams of people," according to Sapio. This structure is designed to keep the company "agile and flexible," reducing the risks associated with rapid expansion.

The recent release of Vampire Crawlers has further bolstered confidence in Poncle’s ability to diversify successfully. The game blends elements of Slay the Spire with first-person dungeon crawlers like Etrian Odyssey, all while retaining the signature Vampire Survivors vibe. If Poncle maintains this level of quality across its upcoming titles, gamers could be in for a long-term treat.