The co-founder of Raw Fury is reviving Stumpysquid, the developer behind Kingdom: Two Crowns. The company is currently looking for partners and investors to support a new game project

Image credit: Raw Fury

Gordon Van Dyke, the co-founder of acclaimed Swedish indie publisher Raw Fury, has revealed the revival of Stumpysquid, the original developer behind the popular strategy title Kingdom: Two Crowns. Although Raw Fury, which published the game, had acquired the studio, Van Dyke remained the owner after Raw Fury was substantially acquired by Altor. Van Dyke exited Raw Fury in March.

Stumpysquid is currently on the lookout for partners and investors to bring to life a new game. Described as a "micro-strategy survival game," this project promises to evolve the design elements of Kingdom Two Crowns while introducing innovative mechanics and themes to create a fresh experience.

Fans of Kingdom Two Crowns can anticipate a game that remains intuitive and familiar while establishing a unique identity of its own.

In a conversation with GamesIndustry.biz, Van Dyke provided further insights, mentioning the origin of the game’s setting traces back to 2013 after watching the third season of The Walking Dead. The concept involves transforming a prison into a desirable living space within this fictional universe — a compelling idea he felt was timely to revisit. While zombies are absent, the new game involves constructing bases in intriguing locations.

With a team of four, Van Dyke plans to expand by two or three as funding becomes available, though he intends to maintain a small team. Thomas van den Berg, the Kingdom series creator, isn’t part of the team, yet Van Dyke acknowledges their continued friendship and the valuable feedback van den Berg provided for the new game.

The studio aims to self-publish, seeking around €1.8 million to fund the game's development and release. "Strong discussions" have progressed beyond initial paper pitches, with feedback on the concept being positive. The challenge has been converting interest into financial commitment, prompting the team to develop a prototype within three weeks, significantly advancing talks.

Although Van Dyke is not collaborating with Raw Fury, whose Fury Studios solely develops Kingdom titles now, he supports their endeavors from afar. Returning to game creation drove his decision to establish an independent studio, build his intellectual property, and refine the design philosophy he pioneered with the Kingdom series.

Jonas Antonsson, another Raw Fury co-founder, recently announced his departure, leaving the company under CEO Pim Holfve's leadership. Alongside Van Dyke, COO Iris Andresdottir also exited in March. In February, Raw Fury achieved a major success with Blue Prince, engaging two million players by September and selling nearly 600,000 copies on Steam, as per GameDiscoverCo.