Draft:Zoopunk
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Comment: Uses a great deal of unreliable sources (WP:VG/S) and is focused a lot on trivial announcement coverage (see WP:TOOSOON#Video games). IGN China seems like the one exception. I heavily suggest merging into a "Sequel" section of the F.I.S.T. article until such time as the game gets more full-length previews/reviews. ᴢxᴄᴠʙɴᴍ (ᴛ) 13:36, 15 September 2026 (UTC)
| Zoopunk | |
|---|---|
| Developer | TiGames |
| Publisher | TiGames |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 5 |
| Platforms | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S |
| Release | TBA |
| Genre | Action role-playing |
| Mode | single-player |
Zoopunk is an upcoming action role-playing video game developed and published by the Chinese studio TiGames.[1]
The game is a prequel to TiGames's 2021 title F.I.S.T. Forged in Shadow Torch, taking place decades earlier during the formation of Torch City and the First Torch War. It changes the earlier game's side-scrolling Metroidvania format into a fully three-dimensional, third-person action role-playing game.[2][3][4]
Gameplay
[edit]Zoopunk is played from a third-person perspective and combines melee and ranged combat with exploration. TiGames has described its areas as wider and more vertically layered than those in F.I.S.T., but not as a seamless open world.[5] Environments shown before release include forests, airships, industrial fortresses, and ruined cities.[6][7]
Three playable characters were announced: Rayton, an agile rabbit who specializes in close-range attacks; Braton, a rhinoceros who fights with heavy attacks and a large flame sword; and Trixie, a chipmunk who relies on acrobatics and hit-and-run tactics.[8][9] Each character has a distinct combat role.[10] A trailer shown at Gamescom 2026 also briefly presented an unidentified serval character, which publications interpreted as a possible additional protagonist.[7]
Premise
[edit]The story is set decades before F.I.S.T. Forged in Shadow Torch, during the origins of Torch City. The discovery of Fire Seed energy accelerates technological development but also awakens mechanical debris, which becomes a self-aware mechanical empire.[11][12] Rayton, Braton, and Trixie travel through territories controlled by competing animal factions as the First Torch War begins, with the characters shown pursuing an object called the Spark.[13][14]
Development
[edit]TiGames began informal discussions about the project in early 2023 and began prototype development in 2024. In a 2025 interview with IGN China, studio chief executive Tao Zhang said that the development team had grown from about 20 people on F.I.S.T. to approximately 50 on Zoopunk, while retaining members of the earlier game's action-design team and composer Caisheng Bo.[5] Chinese concept artist Su Jian was invited to contribute to the visual design.[5]
The game is being made with Unreal Engine 5, replacing the predecessor's use of Unreal Engine 4. TiGames cited the newer engine's handling of fur, feathers, lighting, and larger environments as reasons for the change.[5] The term animal punk was used by the developers to describe the combination of anthropomorphic characters, industrial machinery, ruins, and resistance to technological domination.[5]
Promotion and Release
[edit]The January 2025 Nvidia technology demonstration was the first public announcement of Zoopunk, which was then described as a project in the same setting as F.I.S.T. without a release window.[15] In an interview published during CES 2025, Zhang called Zoopunk a provisional title and described it as a conventional PC and console game rather than an AI-focused experiment.[16] However, following the November 2025 gameplay reveal, the game's visual assets and an in-game tool allowing players to use generative AI for creating content sparked online discussion. TiGames publicly clarified that the core game is entirely human-made, which was independently reported by Kotaku and Eurogamer.[17][18]
TiGames formally revealed the game with a gameplay trailer during the Xbox Partner Preview on November 20, 2025. The presentation confirmed the Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and Series S versions, and Microsoft's recap announced a 2027 release window.[11][13][19]
A second trailer premiered during Gamescom Opening Night Live on August 25, 2026, followed by an extended five-minute gameplay presentation.[20][21][22] TiGames also presented a behind-closed-doors demonstration to press at Gamescom.[23]
Pre Release Coverage
[edit]Writing after the 2025 reveal, Alberto Zaragoza Lerma of MeriStation characterized the move from a Metroidvania to a three-dimensional action role-playing game as a substantial change from F.I.S.T.[2] Michael Hoglund of Windows Central praised the game's "grizzled combat and wondrous colors" but noted that certain visual elements felt off.[24]
At Gamescom 2026, GamesRadar compared the presentation's premise and large-machine combat to other third-person action games, but commented that the density of the trailer made the action difficult to follow.[25] Fabiano Uslenghi of GameStar called it his action-game surprise of the event and subsequently attended TiGames's gameplay demonstration.[23]
Reference section
[edit]- ↑ "Zoopunk". Xbox. September 9, 2026.
- 1 2 Lerma, Alberto Zaragoza (November 20, 2025). "A standout Chinese game makes the leap to 3D action in its prequel". MeriStation.
- ↑ "ZOOPUNK brings the Animal Punk universe into 3D". VGTime. November 21, 2025.
- ↑ Lyons, Ben (November 20, 2025). "Zoopunk appears at Xbox Partner Preview with extended gameplay trailer". Gamereactor.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Wesker, Lin (November 22, 2025). "Zoopunk and the revival of wildness beyond wasteland aesthetics". IGN China.
- ↑ Harrold, Kate (November 20, 2025). "Zoopunk Revealed in Epic Gameplay Trailer Incredible Upcoming RPG". GamingBible.
- 1 2 Bernardo, Anna (August 26, 2026). "ZOOPUNK trailer shows new combat bosses and mysterious fourth character at Gamescom 2026". GosuGamers.
- ↑ oshua, Orpheus (August 25, 2026). "ZOOPUNK Trailer Highlights Three Playable Characters Combat and More". Noisy Pixel.
- ↑ Genga, Giuseppe (November 20, 2025). "China's TiGames announce animalistic action game Zoopunk". MondoXbox.
- ↑ Maki, Jonas (August 26, 2026). "Zoopunk shown in a spectacular new trailer". Gamereactor.
- 1 2 Romano, Sal (November 20, 2025). "ZOOPUNK confirmed for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC; reveal trailer". Gematsu.
- ↑ Watton, Neil (November 21, 2025). "Enter the Dieselpunk Chaos of Torch City in ZOOPUNK Coming to Xbox and PC". TheXboxHub.
- 1 2 Partis, Danielle (November 20, 2025). "Xbox Partner Preview November 2025 Everything Announced From Our Amazing Partners". Xbox Wire.
- ↑ "Zoopunk announced with flashy animal action". Dengeki Online. November 21, 2025.
- ↑ Romano, Sal (January 6, 2025). "TiGames announces ZOOPUNK for console PC". Gematsu.
- ↑ IGN China (May 1, 2025). "Interview with TiGames CEO Tao Zhang on expanding the Animal Punk universe". TapTap.
- ↑ Shepard, Kenneth (November 20, 2025). "Zoopunk Says The Game Is All Human Made But Lets Players Use Gen AI To Make Stuff". Kotaku.
- ↑ Purchese, Robert (November 21, 2025). "Rabbit action game Zoopunk was made by humans not AI says Chinese dev TiGames". Eurogamer.
- ↑ "Every big announcement from the Xbox Partner Preview". Polygon. November 20, 2025.
- ↑ Romano, Sal (August 25, 2026). "ZOOPUNK Gamescom 2026 trailer screenshots". Gematsu.
- ↑ Stenbuck, Kite (August 25, 2026). "Animal Punk action RPG Zoopunk is coming to PC and consoles". RPG Site.
- ↑ Cope, Alexander (August 26, 2026). "All the Xbox and PC game announcements at Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live". Windows Central.
- 1 2 Uslenghi, Fabiano (September 7, 2026). "Zoopunk was my action surprise of Opening Night Live". GameStar.
- ↑ Michael, Hoglund (November 21, 2025). "ZOOPUNK showcases grizzled combat and wondrous colors but something feels off". Windows Central.
- ↑ Bishop, Rollin (August 25, 2026). "Gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 Everything announced". GamesRadar.
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