Moon Beast Productions, an independent studio founded by Diablo veterans Philip Shenk, Peter Hu, and Erich Schaefer, has officially unveiled Darkhaven, a dark fantasy action RPG built around a fully dynamic and persistent world. Alongside the announcement, the studio launched the game’s Steam page and confirmed plans for an upcoming Kickstarter campaign to bring the project to Early Access.
A Dark Fantasy World Rebuilt Through Player Action
Set after the final collapse of civilization, Darkhaven takes place in a world where ancient empires have fallen, and their ruins have been overtaken by monsters, wilderness, and eldritch forces. Players step into the role of powerful heirs tasked with resisting the world’s slow corruption by supernatural forces. Every action taken within the game contributes to a shared, evolving history shaped by the community.
A Fully Dynamic, Persistent ARPG Experience
Designed for solo play, cooperative adventures, and PvP-enabled realms, Darkhaven features procedurally generated worlds that can be permanently altered. Players can dig through terrain, tunnel through dungeon walls, drain lakes to uncover hidden ruins, redirect lava flows, or rebuild fallen fortresses. Environmental systems such as seasons, weather, and large-scale world events directly affect combat, traversal, and the long-term state of the world.
Movement-Driven Combat Expands the Action RPG Formula
Combat in Darkhaven places a heavy emphasis on player skill and mobility. Characters can jump, climb, swim, dash, and traverse environments freely, introducing a level of physicality rarely seen in traditional isometric ARPGs. Terrain awareness, timing, and positioning play a major role in success, shifting combat beyond pure stat optimization.
Loot and Progression Inspired by Classic Diablo
Drawing inspiration from Diablo and Diablo II, Darkhaven embraces bold itemization that prioritizes impactful gear over incremental stat boosts. Items are designed to meaningfully alter builds and strategies, encouraging experimentation and discovery rather than gradual numerical optimization.
Built by Genre-Defining ARPG Veterans
Moon Beast Productions brings together decades of experience from genre-defining titles, including Diablo, Diablo II, Diablo III, Torchlight, Torchlight II, Nox, Hellgate: London, and Marvel Heroes Online. The team describes Darkhaven as the culmination of lessons learned across two decades of ARPG development, combined with modern technology and community-driven design.
Steam Page Live, Kickstarter Coming Soon
Players can now wishlist Darkhaven on Steam and follow its upcoming Kickstarter campaign, which will include a playable demo at launch. Community support during Early Access will play a key role in shaping the game’s future development.
