Neowiz signs global rights to Shadowlight's inaugural game, Kill the Shadow "We were grateful to find a partner who shares our philosophy on game development," says Shadowlight CEO Image credit: Shadowlight News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on June 4, 2025 Lies of P publisher Neowiz has signed a deal with Shadowlight for the global rights of the studio's inaugural game, Kill the Shadow. As spotted by GamesBeat, the Shanghai studio said Neowiz shared its "philosophy on game development," and emphasized the publisher's openness to collaborating. "What initially drew us to Shadowlight was a collaborative development philosophy to deliver premium narrative games for PC and console audiences,” said Neowiz CEO, Kim Seung-chul. "We look forward to working closely with the team to release Kill the Shadow globally, and we hope audiences find the same charm we experienced as we reveal more about the title.” CEO of Shadowlight said of the deal: "Neowiz is a reliable global publisher, and we were grateful to find a partner who shares our philosophy on game development. As we see the games industry evolve to be inclusive of other cultures, it’s important to have a publisher that is open to collaborating and emphasizing the significance of your content." Neowiz similarly signed a $8 million deal with Warsaw-based developer Zakazane at the end of last year to publish its upcoming neo-Western RPG. In 2023, Neowiz invested $17 million in Polish developer Blank Game Studios. It also acquired a 21% stake in the developer.

While Lies of P is set to receive a big update this year when the prequel DLC Overture arrives, another update will be just as noteworthy: Lies of P is going to receive difficulty options. Meaning, the notoriously difficult soulslike is going to become easier — and more accessible. “We wanted to make sure a wider audience of players could play the game,” game director Jiwon Choi told VGC. Lies of P has already found an audience — it sold 1 million copies in its first month on market and has been played by at least 7 million people — and an easier gameplay experience can open it up to more players who were put off by its difficult and unforgiving nature. Choi noted this decision stemmed from player feedback as well as “from our developers” at Neowiz and Round8 Studio. “So by making development adjustments and introducing these difficulty options, we can offer the experience to different types of players. This broadens the base.” The default difficulty will be named “Legendary Stalker” while the two new options will be called “Butterfly’s Guidance” and “Awakened Puppet.” Polygon has reached out to Neowiz for further comment on the details of these difficulty options, and will update this story when we hear back. New difficulty options will also be a welcome addition for longtime Lies of P players and soulslike vets; anyone who’s been absolutely bodied by the Mad Clown Puppet before the Opera House knows what I’m talking about. And while Lies of P has plenty of bosses worthy of a challenging and engaging fight, some, like the Green Monster of the Swamp and the Walker of Illusions, are more frustrating than fun. The ability to lower the difficulty on future playthroughs for bosses like those will certainly circumvent some of the frustration stemming from those encounters. Alongside the DLC and difficulty options will also be a new boss rush mode, Death March. You’ll also be able to replay boss fights via the new Battle Memories mode, which is really something that every soulslike game needs. Lies of P, your other favorite Belle Époque game next to Clair Obscur, launched in 2023. It was a Game Pass hit and a critical darling, with our review saying it, “breath[ed] new life into an overcrowded genre by allowing you to fabricate your own truth with the characters you meet, shaping the world with your choices.” Overture is expected to launch this summer and will include 15-20 hours worth of content.

Lies of P to receive difficulty options in free update alongside Overture DLC Strings attached. Image credit: Neowiz News by Ed Nightingale Deputy News Editor Published on May 22, 2025 Lies of P will receive difficulty options in a free update due alongside its forthcoming DLC, Overture. As a Soulslike game, Lies of P is certainly challenging. But the new difficulty options will ensure both the base game and the DLC are more approachable for newcomers. "We wanted to make sure a wider audience of players could play the game," said game director Jiwon Choi (thanks VGC), adding the team had had "a lot of feedback" from players and the game's developers. Lies of P: Overture - Story TrailerWatch on YouTube "So by making development adjustments and introducing these difficulty options, we can offer the experience to different types of players. This broadens the base." The default difficulty for Lies of P will be named "Legendary Stalker", while two easier modes will be added named "Butterfly's Guidance" and "Awakened Puppet". If you're after even more challenge, though, the game is also receiving a Battle Memories mode where players can replay bosses through five tiers of difficulty, including ultra hard modes. What's more, a Death March boss rush mode will challenge players to take down as many bosses as possible with a limited pool of health and items. Both of these modes will have bespoke rewards yet to be confirmed. Lies of P: Overture is a prequel to the base game that was initially teased in 2023 following the game's release, along with confirmation a sequel is in development. It was then officially revealed earlier this year. As a prequel, the DLC will follow the protagonist puppet during the final days of the city of Krat. It will feature new weapons such as slashing claws, a gunblade, and a ranged bow. Lies of P: Overture will be released at some point this summer. Earlier this year, Eurogamer spoke with Choi about FromSoftware's forthcoming Elden Ring: Nightreign, though the Lies of P team is focused solely on creating a single-player game. "I've tried [Nightreign] and it was very refreshing and new," he said. "So that obviously gave me the impression that they're good developers, they always push their boundaries, their imagination and vision, and it shows. In turn, that for some reason motivated me to deliver the Overture experience as good as it could be." Elden Ring and Dark Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki has frequently discussed the high difficulty level of his games. Ahead of Elden Ring's release he stated it would be more approachable than previous games, and then last year said turning down the challenge would "break the game itself". Souls fans have long debated whether difficulty options should be included, but it's great to see other studios implementing what FromSoftware hasn't so far.

With over seven million players and extensive critical praise, NEOWIZ’s Lies of P resonated with many Souls-like fans, especially those who loved Bloodborne. There were demands for the option to rematch against bosses or even a boss rush, and NEOWIZ is finally obliging when the expansion, Overture, launches this Summer. As outlined by IGN in its preview, Battle Memories lets you battle previously cleared bosses at five different difficulty tiers, each adding different stats. Death March is your boss rush ticket and lets you consecutively challenge bosses to see how far you can go. You must select three at the very minimum, but it doesn’t seem like there’s any limit to how many can be fought. NEOWIZ seemingly hinted at rewards but didn’t provide more details. Both modes will be available in a free update when Overture launches, though it’s unknown if the expansion’s bosses can be selected in them. With how the new difficulty options apply to the base game and expansion, it seems a given. Lies of P: Overture will be available for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC. Check out our review of the base game here.