Revitalizing Classic IPs: The Uncharted Story of Evil Empire

The indie hit Dead Cells has officially surpassed ten million copies sold, marking six years of continuous support since its initial Early Access release in 2017. Following a string of successful DLCs, the latest being Return to Castlevania in partnership with Konami, the game's success has been well-documented. However, what's less known is that Motion Twin handed over the reins to another developer after the first DLC in 2019. This is where Evil Empire comes into play. Co-founded by CEO Steve Filby, COO Benjamin Laulan, creative director Joan Blachere, and CTO Thomas Pfeiffer, all of whom have a background with Motion Twin, Evil Empire has become the driving force behind the continued development of Dead Cells. Filby humorously describes Evil Empire as a place to do 'everything the Dead Cells devs didn't actually want to do – which turned out to be quite a lot.' This isn't Filby's first experience with taking on a broad range of responsibilities; when he initially joined Motion Twin in 2014, he took on a diverse role that included marketing and various other tasks that the developers didn't want to handle. As Dead Cells neared the end of its development cycle in 2016, Filby found himself with less work to do and decided to create his own games marketing consultancy, Indie Catapult, which was soon joined by Blachere and Laulan. The trio worked almost exclusively as contractors on Dead Cells and also collaborated on other games like Northgard from Shiro Games. Filby describes their role as a 'kind of ninja publisher' for Dead Cells. When Motion Twin decided it was done with Dead Cells, Filby, Laulan, and their team saw an opportunity to continue working on the game and thus Evil Empire was born. Since 2019, Evil Empire has been quietly handling the development and release of all DLCs for Dead Cells, allowing Motion Twin to focus on other projects. The contract between Motion Twin and Evil Empire was designed to enable the continued creation of Dead Cells content while giving Motion Twin the freedom to pursue new games without worrying about the indie hit. However, Evil Empire is keen to distance itself from the 'work-for-hire' label, emphasizing that its contract with Motion Twin is a result of their close relationship rather than a traditional work-for-hire arrangement. With 65 employees, Evil Empire is now looking to establish itself with its own projects while continuing to work on Dead Cells. The studio has a roadmap for Dead Cells content that extends to at least the end of 2024. In addition to its work on Dead Cells, Evil Empire has signed deals to revive two retro IPs, which Filby describes as 'really big historic parts' of the video game world. These IPs have been dormant for some time, and Evil Empire is not interested in simply remastering old games; instead, the studio aims to reboot or reinvent them for modern audiences. The first title is set to be released in Early Access next year, with the second planned for 2025. Evil Empire's approach to these IPs will be different, focusing on co-creation rather than simply following a brief. The studio's goal is to create games that resonate with today's audience while still honoring the core elements of the original IPs. Despite the challenges associated with being seen as a 'work-for-hire' studio, Evil Empire is committed to transparency and community engagement. The studio's low profile at the beginning was a deliberate choice, driven by concerns about how the community would react to the news that Evil Empire had taken over the development of Dead Cells. However, Filby and Laulan now recognize that they could have handled things differently, emphasizing the importance of transparency and community trust. As Evil Empire continues to grow, with plans to reach 70 staff by the end of the year, the studio is adopting a more traditional company structure. Filby explains that this decision was made to create a 'professional development studio' where employees can project themselves across a whole career and have the stability to live off their work. The studio has an R&D team, nicknamed 'Skunk Works,' which is working on new ideas for when the Dead Cells team eventually runs out of content to create. With its solid financial position thanks to the deal with Motion Twin, Evil Empire is well-placed to achieve its goals and establish itself as a major player in the gaming industry.