- The debut work of Octopus Panic, a new studio founded by former employees of DICE and 343 Industries
- First revealed at Gamescom Opening Night Live, supports Xbox Game Pass Day 1
- Combat and construction utilizing gravity, and cooperative gameplay alternating between risk and reward.
Octopus Panic, an independent developer and publisher based in Seattle, USA, has unveiled a new cooperative action builder game called ‘GRAVHOUNDS’ .
First revealed at Gamescom Opening Night Live (ONL), ‘Gravehounds’ will be released in Early Access on PC and Xbox Series X|S on November 2. It will also join the Xbox Game Pass lineup immediately on launch day, allowing subscribers to play the game right away.
The game was developed based on Unreal Engine 5. Key features include physics-based interactions utilizing the core system ‘Grav Beam’ and dynamic battlefield visuals.
Planetary Infiltration Operation by Gravity-Manipulating Bioengineered Dogs
‘Gravehounds’ is a cooperative action builder that can be played by up to four people. Players take on the role of a pack of bionic dog workers, built to perform various missions on dangerous planets, and are deployed to hostile alien planets.
The goal is to secure resources while dealing with swarming alien life forms and to escape safely before the situation spirals out of control. In particular, the ability to freely manipulate gravity plays a key role in combat, construction, and movement.
Players can use the ‘Grab Beam’ to blast objects across the battlefield or bounce off enemies. Additionally, they must personally build the infrastructure necessary to complete missions by deploying turrets, generators, and fabricators, as well as constructing complex pipeline networks.
However, the longer you stay on the planet to secure more resources, the more intense the attacks from the alien life forms become. Deciding whether to take the risk to secure more resources or withdraw at the appropriate time becomes a critical choice for the mission.
As you progress through missions, you can expand your new abilities and upgrades, allowing you to enjoy a different playstyle every time. Additionally, a movement system that maximizes mobility, featuring all-directional high-speed boosts and levitation, enables dynamic gameplay, such as rescuing teammates in danger or securing resources in critical situations.
Physics-based cooperative play implemented with Unreal Engine 5
‘Gravehounds’ utilizes Unreal Engine 5 to implement physics-based interactions centered around the Grave Beam. The core idea is to connect the unpredictable situations that arise from picking up and throwing objects, knocking back enemies, and placing various facilities to the fun of cooperative gameplay.
The development team cites the moments when players improvise in situations where things do not go according to plan and resolve unexpected chaos together as the most important fun of cooperative play.
The overall direction of the game was introduced as being influenced by the large-scale physics-based multiplayer action of the ‘Battlefield’ and ‘Halo’ series, in which the development team previously participated.
A 7-person development team founded by ‘Halo’ and ‘Battlefield’ veterans
Octopus Panic is a studio co-founded by Josh Holmes and Scott Sims.
Josh Holmes served as the Creative Director for ‘Halo 4’ at 343 Industries and also worked as the Head of the FPS Development Studio for ‘Halo 5: Guardians’. Scott Sims is from DICE, the developer of the ‘Battlefield’ series.
Most of the team members, including the two, have experience participating in large-scale game projects, and currently, seven full-time developers are directly involved in the overall game production.
Scott Sims explained that he founded Octopus Panic to move away from large-scale development environments and return to the essence of game development, focusing on making games himself.
They cited the ability to reduce unnecessary procedures and accelerate iterations during the development process with a small team, while simultaneously maintaining close relationships with players, as a strength.
Octopus Panic is developing ‘Gravehounds’ using its own funds without relying on external investment, and is also handling the publishing itself. ‘Gravehounds’ is the studio’s first title.
Attracting attention from numerous international media outlets immediately after Gamescom reveal
Although ‘Gravehounds’ has not yet been released, several international gaming media outlets took notice of the game’s unique gameplay immediately after it was unveiled at Gamescom Opening Night Live.
In particular, physics-based interaction utilizing grab beams and a base-building system utilizing pipelines are considered elements that differentiate it from existing cooperative extraction genre games.
The game can be experienced firsthand at the Xbox booth in Hall 7 during Gamescom. Additionally, extra gameplay footage will be revealed via the ‘Xbox @ Gamescom’ livestream, which will begin at 3 p.m. (Central European Standard Time) on August 26.
Gravehounds has been attracting attention from the industry since its reveal, as it is the first work presented by veterans who joined forces to develop ‘Halo’ and ‘Battlefield’.
In particular, as seven developers are developing and publishing this themselves using their own funds, attention is focused on how developers from large studios will create a new cooperative action experience in a small team.
Gravehounds will be released as an Early Access title on PC and Xbox Series X|S on November 2, and will also be available on Xbox Game Pass starting day one. Attention is focused on how the physics-based chaos and cooperative gameplay emphasized by the developers will be received by actual users.
Information regarding ‘Gravehounds’
| item | detail |
|---|---|
| Developer | Octopus Panic (Seattle, USA, 7-person team – Co-founders Josh Holmes, Scott Sims) |
| Publisher | Octopus Panic (Self-published) |
| Genre | Cooperative Action Builder, Survival/Extraction, Physics-based Shooter |
| platform | PC (Steam, Windows Store), Xbox Series X |
| Release date | November 2, 2026 (Early Access) |
| personnel | 1-4 player co-op |
| etc | Xbox Game Pass support from launch day, based on Unreal Engine 5 |
| Homepage | Shortcut |
| Steam Pay | Shortcut |
