Banner Saga creator working on Killers and Thieves

Alex Thomas from Stoic has left the development of The Banner Saga 2 and is heading up development on a new game - Killers and Thieves - with a new studio, Candle & Key.

The title was detailed in a Q&A on the game's website. There the management side of the title was unveiled:

From the map view of the city, the player manages the growth of their guild. They'll recruit new, inexperienced thieves and send them on missions. As they earn gold, they'll be able to spend it on upgrading their headquarters, improve their thieves and expand their holdings. Everything has an upkeep; failing to pay the weekly expenses will result in lost property and personnel. Become too weak and you'll be found out and taken down by your enemies.

Players control their guild and send their thieves out into various locations to, you know, steal stuff. Here's a description of how the game will play:

Missions are where you acquire stolen goods. Choose multiple thieves and head to a procedurally generated city block. Direct them in real-time through locked and guarded rooms using the skills at your disposal, and loot as much as you can without getting caught. Raising an alarm will have the guards hunting you down, and your thieves aren't super-human: they will get caught and can permanently die.

Balance the risk vs reward of how much you try to get away with on each mission- play it too safe and you might not be able to pay your upkeep. When you get back, inspect your ill-gotten gains and fence the goods for gold. Each mission will cost you a day, so don't waste it.

The game will feature a mixture of management elements and stealth gameplay, and we can't wait to see more of the game. We're also expecting roguelike elements ("permanent death, modular gameplay and lose conditions") which has us even more intrigued.

The title might end up on Steam Early Access, but Thomas confirmed that they won't be using Kickstarter to raise funds. The developer also assured fans that development on Killers and Thieves won't affect the work on The Banner Saga 2. Stoic will be publishing the title when it finally does see the light of day, probably in 2016.