From Humble Beginnings to Revolutionizing Retro IPs: The Uncharted Story of Evil Empire

The indie hit Dead Cells has surpassed ten million copies sold, marking six years of continuous support since its initial Early Access release in 2017. The game has seen a string of successful DLCs, including the latest Return to Castlevania, developed in partnership with Konami. However, what's less well-known is that Motion Twin handed over the reins to another developer after the first DLC in 2019. This studio, run as a cooperative, had expressed a desire to remain small after Dead Cells' success, and supporting the game long-term would have required growth in a more traditional sense. This is where the idea for Evil Empire originated. Co-founded by CEO Steve Filby, COO Benjamin Laulan, creative director Joan Blachere, and CTO Thomas Pfeiffer, all former Motion Twin members, Evil Empire became the entity responsible for 'everything the Dead Cells devs didn't actually want to do,' Filby explains. This isn't Filby's first experience with such a role, as he initially joined Motion Twin in 2014, taking on a diverse set of responsibilities. Towards the end of Dead Cells' development in 2016, Filby found himself with less work and created his own games marketing consultancy, Indie Catapult, which Blachere and Laulan soon joined. They worked almost exclusively as contractors on Dead Cells and other games like Northgard from Shiro Games, essentially acting as a 'ninja publisher' for Dead Cells. When Motion Twin decided it was done with Dead Cells, Filby and his team saw an opportunity and became the driving force behind the game's subsequent DLCs, starting with Rise of the Giant in 2019. The contract between Motion Twin and Evil Empire was designed to allow Motion Twin to move on to new projects while enabling Evil Empire to exist independently, not just as a work-for-hire company. Evil Empire, now employing 65 people, is uniquely positioned to make a name for itself with its own projects while being behind one of the most successful indie games of the past decade. The studio is set to grow to 70 staff by the end of the year and has signed deals to revive two retro IPs, which Filby describes as 'really big historic parts of the video game world.' These titles will be reimagined for today's audiences, with the first expected to launch in Early Access next year and the second planned for 2025. Evil Empire is not interested in simply remastering games; instead, it aims to reboot or reinvent these IPs. The studio's approach is centered around co-creation, with the IP holders providing creative freedom and funding. Filby emphasizes that Evil Empire is not a work-for-hire studio, and even if given a brief and budget, the studio would not simply follow specifications but instead strive to create something awesome and resonant with today's audiences. The challenge for Evil Empire is to establish its brand, distinct from Motion Twin, despite its significant contribution to Dead Cells' success. Initially, the studio maintained a low profile, which Filby attributes to a desire to avoid alarming the community by announcing that a new studio would be taking over the development of their beloved IP. However, the team now realizes that transparency and respect for the community are key. Evil Empire's growth and decision to adopt a more traditional company structure, as opposed to Motion Twin's cooperative setup, are driven by the desire to create a professional development studio where employees can project themselves across a whole career with stability. The studio has an R&D team, nicknamed 'Skunk Works,' working on new ideas for when the Dead Cells team eventually runs out of content. Filby concludes that the goal is to create a 'perpetual game-making machine' that provides financial stability and maturity, allowing developers to keep making games without the constraints of a traditional pre-production phase.