- Polish studio VARSAV, celebrating its 10th anniversary, confirms release after 4 years of development
- Ivy, a spy dog action platformer encompassing stealth, combat, and parkour
- New PC demo unveiled at Gamescom 2026 with significantly improved graphics and content
BARKOUR, an action platformer currently under development by VARSAV Game Studios in Warsaw, Poland, will be officially released on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S in the fourth quarter of 2026.
This announcement was made alongside the release of a new story trailer, and the developer stated that they will unveil a new PC demo during Gamescom 2026 with significantly improved visuals, gameplay, and content.
According to the Steam store page, ‘Vacore’ is an action platformer game featuring stylized cartoon-style 3D graphics from a third-person perspective. Set in a futuristic sci-fi world, it is characterized by action that freely switches between stealth, parkour, and combat, and stands out for its differentiation achieved by incorporating humorous comedy elements throughout.
The adventures of a spy dog freely switching between parkour, stealth, and combat
The protagonist of the game is ‘THUNDER,’ an elite intelligence agent and a born canine. Players must complete missions without a set answer, engaging in dynamic action such as running on walls and leaping between rooftops, as well as neutralizing enemies through stealth infiltration and diverse spy equipment. If you prefer exhilarating combat over complex strategies, you can also engage in a head-on battle at any time.
Various spy gadgets featured in the game, such as grappling hooks, stun mines, active cloaking, and freeze guns, expand the range of gameplay options. By utilizing these, you can move around avoiding enemies, set traps, and use the surrounding environment to gain an advantage in combat.
Unlike previous videos that focused on introducing core gameplay such as parkour, stealth, combat, and gadgets, the released story trailer focused on why THUNDER came to fight.
The game was created as a handcrafted single-player adventure spanning approximately 15 to 18 hours, encompassing various worlds and missions.
The coexistence of spy comedy and serious moments
‘Vacore’ captures the atmosphere of a humorous sci-fi spy thriller based on stylized, cartoon-style third-person 3D graphics. It is characterized by humor, distinctive character animations, cartoonish visual comedy, and the way it unfolds absurd spy movie-style situations alongside serious and emotional moments.
In particular, the protagonist THUNDER’s thoughts are translated into human language through a special device. However, the developer explains that the character’s true personality and emotions are revealed not through dialogue, but through actions, facial expressions, and reactions to the increasingly absurd world.
Through this, ‘Bacore’ is expected to create a unique atmosphere by oscillating between serious spy action and a comedy featuring a dog as the protagonist.
Warsaw-based animal IP studio celebrating its 10th anniversary
VARSAV Game Studios is an independent game development and publishing company founded in Warsaw, Poland in 2016. With a development team of approximately 40 people, they are developing their own projects such as ‘Bee Simulator’, ‘Giants Uprising’, and ‘Vacore’, and have also participated as a co-publisher of ‘Everdream Valley’ and a co-developer of ‘The Path of Calydra’.
2026 also marks the 10th anniversary of VARSAV Game Studios. ‘Vacore’ is also set to be released after approximately four years of development.
The studio, which previously introduced the animal-led ‘Bee Simulator’ and ‘Everdream Valley’ series, is introducing ‘Vacore’ as the largest-scale project developed to date, while continuing the lineage of animal protagonist IPs.
New Demo Unveiled at Gamescom… Attracting Attention from International Media
As ‘Vacore’ has not yet been officially released, Steam user reviews and ratings from major media outlets have not yet been compiled. However, some of the game’s content has already been revealed through the existing free demo.
In the existing demo, players could experience stealth, sprinting, and combat as Agent THUNDER set in a Gothic castle. The developer plans to unveil a new version of the PC demo at Gamescom 2026 with significantly improved visuals, gameplay, and overall content.
Overseas game media also showed interest in the announcement of the release schedule. One media outlet introduced ‘Vacore’ as a global spy action game in which THUNDER, an agent of an elite intelligence agency composed of animals, tracks down villains across the globe.
‘Vacore’ is the largest project developed over approximately four years by VARSAV Game Studios, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Ahead of the official launch, the large-scale new demo to be unveiled at Gamescom is expected to serve as an important test case to directly verify the game’s quality and direction.
Attention is focused on how ‘Vacore,’ which combines gameplay that freely switches between parkour, stealth, and combat with the unique humor of a spy comedy, will be received by actual players.
Information regarding ‘BARKOUR’
| item | detail |
|---|---|
| Developer | VARSAV Game Studios (Warsaw, Poland, 10th anniversary · Approx. 40 employees) |
| Publisher | VARSAV Game Studios (Self-publishing) |
| Genre | Action Platformer, Stealth, Parkour, 3D Adventure |
| platform | PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series |
| Release date | Q4 2026 |
| Volume | Single-player approximately 15–18 hours, 26 characters |
| Reactions/Evaluations | User and media ratings not yet compiled prior to official release (Free demo available, new demo scheduled for Gamescom 2026) |
| Steam Page | Shortcut |
