Exclusive: Towerborne Developer Video Interview – Gamescom 2024

Although Gamescom 2024 is taking place in Cologne, Germany, a parallel event is also happening in Los Angeles. Iron Lords Podcast and LOGNET’s very own Lord Cognito sat down with Kevin from Stoic Studio, the developers behind Towerborne.

Towerborne Developer Interview at Gamescom 2024 Parallel Event

Towerborne is a co-op sidescrolling game inspired by some legendary brawlers, but feels very new. The core of the game is an action RPG, similar to Destiny 2. That same core loop is present in Towerborne that brings back players to check out new content.

Art Style in World Building

The art style has a lot of callbacks from Stoic’s previous title, The Banner Saga, as well as renowned animator, Hayao Miyazaki. The game’s art style plays a big role in the game’s world-building, by opening up new environmental biomes. Similar to Destiny 2, whenever the world expands, this introduces new biomes for players to explore. Towerborne is heavily inspired by this design philosophy and implements it with its own unique art style.

Towerborne and the Steam Early Access Question

Stoic’s decision to launch Towerborne first on Steam Early Access raised a few eyebrows, especially since it’s an Xbox Game Studios-published game. However, Kevin clarified that the decision was not taken lightly. He noted that it was important that fan feedback was incorporated during the game development process. Steam Early Access provides a robust platform to get that feedback.

By the time Towerborne launches into game preview on Xbox in early 2025, the game should be in a much more finely-tuned state. This ensures that Xbox players will get to try out a better version of the game at that moment.

Because of Stoic’s relationship with Xbox, they are also retaining the ability to help ensure player’s progression no matter the platform. With that said, cross-progression is a big part of the game’s experience.

Co-Op, a Big Part of the Game

In addition to online multiplayer, Towerborne will also feature full local co-op. Not only that, but local co-op will also work in tandem with online multiplayer. This means that you can play with your buddy in your home with other players online.

The Basic Loop of Questing, Loot, and Bosses in Towerborne

The game begins with a basic map that will expand with new biomes the more you play the game. Questing and acquiring new loot are a big part of the experience and expect to have some boss encounters as well.

Again, similar to Destiny 2, the Umbra -which acts similarly to ghosts in D2– are spirits that look after the player. The combination of different loot and your Umbra will play a big role in the combos you can unleash.

Player Customization and Class Swapping

Players can expect to change up their characters on the fly. This applies to both their looks and the class as well. Since this is a live-service game, there should be a plethora of cosmetics that players can mix and match to customize the look of their characters. Best of all these customization options occur immediately.

What About the End Game?

In Towerborne, players can expect a breadth of different types of content based on the biomes. There will also be new classes, weapons, and more in the game that players can look forward to. That is why the Steam Early Access launch on September 10 will also allow players to play a direct role in shaping the game’s direction. Especially in implementing their feedback to build on the game’s loop, itemization, and content.

Check out the full video interview on the Lords of Gaming’s YouTube channel or below.

Towerborne is slated to launch in Steam Early Access on September 10 and Xbox Game Preview in early 2025.

While you’re here, check out our interview with some of the developers of Avowed, where they discussed 30 FPS, creating impactful decision choices, a classless RPG system, and more.