The Blood Of Dawnwalker, the debut game from Rebel Wolves, launches today, September 3, 2026, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. In a launch-day interview, game director Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, formerly co-director of The Witcher 3, discussed the pressures of releasing a brand-new IP in a crowded market and confirmed the game will feature a 60fps performance mode at launch.
Launch Day Stress and Excitement
Speaking just days before release, Tomaszkiewicz described a mix of emotions. “There is a lot of opposite feelings because, on the one hand, I’m really excited, because we will show to the world our first game and our creation which is quite unique and quite… different than the games out there, with a lot of cool but also risky ideas,” he said. “And on the other hand I’m really stressed, at how people will react and how they like what we’re doing. Because this is like you show your baby to the world for the first time and you are really curious what will be the reaction. It’s an amazing feeling, but there’s constant stress until we will know how people like it.”
Tomaszkiewicz noted that unlike previous launches, the studio feels unusually calm. “This is the first release I feel this way, that it’s really calm. I mean, we have the database in which we have the stuff we want to fix – the bugs we want to fix or bugs which are already fixed – and a lot of people are on their holidays right now,” he explained. “But the team are on their holidays right now and this feeling of peace and calm in the studio worries me because, from my past, when I remember these times, it was always quite intense.”
60fps Mode Confirmed for Launch
The developer also addressed the recently announced 60fps performance mode, which was confirmed just days before launch after fans raised questions. “Yes and no, because the truth is that we have this rule, that if we release some materials to the fans we only confirm the stuff we are sure about,” Tomaszkiewicz said. “When we were at the point when we recorded it, we weren’t sure if we will be able to release a 60fps mode on release. And we prepared the material, we dropped it on Friday and we checked today with the testers and the programmers, and it seems that we are in the good place and it worked. That’s why we confirmed it and we will have it for the launch.”
Tomaszkiewicz acknowledged fans’ concerns: “We saw what fans were writing and we were sad that they thought that there will be no 60fps mode, because we worked on it for some time and we knew that we will release it eventually, on the release or after release because we didn’t know if we will fit it in, production-wise. But thankfully, to our great team, we are able to release it.”
Positive Preview Feedback and Lessons Learned
Reflecting on the hands-on previews, Tomaszkiewicz said the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. “I think that it was great, the feedback is really good. First of all, we received a lot of positive energy after the previews,” he said. “And on the events, in London, in Milan, and the other places, we get also the feedback about the game itself, because it’s important to know that. That was a build from May and in this industry the builds, week after week, are a lot different.”
He added: “Actually, we didn’t receive any negative feedback, to be honest. People spoke with us about what they liked, what they would upgrade in the game, but not what they would change totally… We got a lot of positive feedback about the combat. We got a lot of positive feedback about the time mechanics that that influence the emotions the way we wanted to, that it boosts the story.”
Tomaszkiewicz stressed the value of such events, even late in development: “You cannot change the foundations of the game, but this is the first time when a bigger group of people who are from the industry played the game and were telling us if we are on the good track or not… And for us it was the first big test, which I believe we passed.”
Building a New IP and Future Plans
On the challenge of creating a new IP alongside a new studio, Tomaszkiewicz said he relishes the freedom. “It is difficult, but I like challenges and I think that if you have the proper challenge it gives you the proper motivation to do more,” he said. “We are the creators and we are used to having these challenges in front of us… For us, after all of this experience we have from the past, it’s easier to create a new IP. Because we don’t have all these conditions, all these frames you need to fit in. Everything is possible and we just created our own frames… And this freedom gives us a lot of space to create and it was, in my opinion, a really good choice.”
Regarding the franchise’s future, Tomaszkiewicz confirmed early work has begun. “What I can say is that we already start to work on the future of the franchise, let’s say,” he said. “And right now most of the team is focusing on the release and preparing a patch to deliver the best possible experience.” He added, “I keep my fingers crossed that sales will be this amount of units to allow us to create the sequel and make this adventure continue.”
The Blood Of Dawnwalker is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, priced at £59.99, published by Bandai Namco, and rated 18.
