GreedFall Release Date, Trailer And Gameplay

GreedFall, an upcoming third-person action-RPG, calls to your inner explorer. With the Old World on the brink of collapse due to pollution, overpopulation, and the devastating Malichor plague, you set sail for the island of Teer Fradee, a place rich in history, resources, and secrets. Seeped in magic and brimming with life, this new world offers mankind's best hope for survival; yet, nothing comes without a price. 

Saving your own people could spell the destruction of the island's inhabitants. It is within your power to heal, connect, or destroy, becoming an integral part of GreedFall's living and evolving world. As you hunt for a cure to the disease ravaging your home, you'll contend with other settlers, mercenaries, treasure hunters, and religious zealots. Where you go, what you do, and who you become rests in your hands, a unique identity forged through deep character interactions and a robust lineup of quests, pathways, and personalization options.

Focus Home Interactive first revealed GreedFall in February 2017, announcing the renewal of their partnership with Spiders alongside the project's first trailer. The teaser offered a glimpse of Teer Fradee and the conflict brewing between the colonizers and the natives. Though they first advertised a 2018 release date, Spiders later delayed the launch, breaking the news alongside the unveiling of the E3 2018 trailer. At E3 2019, the developer released a story trailer, pinpointing the new September 2019 release window.

On July 11, Focus Home Interactive shared the latest trailer, which confirmed GreedFall's Sept. 10 release date. The trailer highlights the many challenges awaiting you in the role of De Sardet, a member of the Congregation of Merchants and cousin to the mayor of New Serene, a burgeoning colony on Teer Fradee. Beyond offering a taste of GreedFall's gameplay, the trailer shines a light on the impact of your choices and the potential relationships and romance options you can cultivate. Prior to the release date reveal, Spiders offered a look at Serene, the port city where the game begins, and New Serene. 

Further driving home its emphasis on freedom, GreedFall allows you to choose your character's gender, customize your appearance, and select starting attributes, which you can then build into your ideal playstyle. Unlike many RPG games, you'll enjoy a classless progression with over 100 skills to mix and match. Thousands of equipment combinations further augment this personalization system, complementing the choice-based narrative.

GreedFall boasts about 80 quests spread over 35 hours of gameplay. Continuing to break the RPG mold, the game will not include any fetch quests that involve running baseless errands or completing other arbitrary tasks. "We really wanted each quest to bring some lore elements," explained Spiders CEO Jehanne Rousseau, "to really be intricate with the rest of the story, so of course some people will probably ask you to create some object for them or to find something for them but [...] we have very strong narrative support, and every time it will make sense. No one will ask you to, you know, 'kill me three birds' or anything."

In GreedFall's colonial, consequence-based narrative, negotiation takes center stage. Teer Fradee will feature six factions for you to contend with, all balanced on a knife's edge. The right words can spell the difference between peace and annihilation. Your relationship with each faction will also influence how quests and other aspects of the story play out. De Sardet belongs to the Congregation of Merchants, a collective governed by merchant princes who use their wealth to secure more power and resources. Though the group has claimed your allegiance, you still wield influence over the fates of the five other groups.

The Bridge Alliance believes in the power of knowledge and seeks to learn more about the surrounding world through science and reason. A guild of mercenaries, The Coin Guard, offer their services as soldiers, bodyguards, assassins, and combat instructors — for a price. Seeking to expand their religion, the Theleme have come to Teer Fradee to convert the natives, often by whatever means necessary. A guild of skilled navigators, The Nauts, hold the key to cross-sea voyages and prosper by helping other factions reach new ports. The Yecht Fradi, or Islanders, live divided among themselves but in harmony with nature.

When creating the native culture, Spiders drew inspiration from the Gauls and Celtic nations like Scotland and Ireland. Their faith, a core part of the faction's identity, centers on myths and stories tied to different landmarks. To further enrich the world and keep it coherent and consistent, the team hired a linguist to create a language for the Islanders. Drawing from the established Celtic roots, the language functions as a mash-up of Flemish, Breton, Gaelic, and Irish. 

In contrast to other games where all the characters understand one another, the native tongue presents a realistic barrier to communication. Without Siora in your party, you won't be able to understand or communicate with the Islanders. This further emphasizes the importance of strategy, especially when choosing your party composition. Of course, the game does not force you to work with the Islanders. The choice to befriend or conquer remains yours. You can also explore different approaches, alliances, and outcomes via additional playthroughs.

When creating GreedFall, Spiders drew inspiration from the baroque art, music, fashion and architecture of the 17th century, a time period not commonly explored in games. According to artistic director Cyril Tahmassebi, Rembrandt, Jan Steen, Frans Hals, Vermeer, and Chiaroscuro's technique of contrasting light and darkness served as vital references for forging the game's visual identity. Several films and books also influenced the project, such as Princess Mononoke, Brotherhood of the Wolf, and the works of Dumas, especially The Three Musketeers and The Vicomte de Bragelotte.

The team has clarified that GreedFall is not strictly historical, with strong roots in fantasy and magic. But each creature and location has a story, a reason for being there. "We absolutely didn't want to be strictly historical," said Rosseau. "Rather, it had to remain an inspiration. We're inviting players to dream, explore, and discover a totally new universe. The fantasy is also part of this and seems necessary to me for an RPG to bring weirdness and magic."