It was a sad day when Scribblenauts developer 5th Cell was hit by heavy lay offs in 2016, leaving many of its employees having to seek new employment elsewhere. One of the co-founders of 5th Cell has since gone on to create his own studio Digital Continue and is now ready to lift the lid on their first project, Next Up Hero.

Next Up Hero is a community driven arcade action rogue-like in which players take turns fighting – and dying – in community gaming sessions, working to conquer monsters and bosses together, one hero at a time. You’ll be able to choose from nine different heroes with an assortment of weapons and abilities, so you can pick which one will best suit your playstyle. When you die, you leave behind an Echo of your hero which can be revived as an AI companion by the next hero in line. You’ll take turns continuing friends games, fighting and dying, until you have an army of Echos at your back to destroy any opponent in your way.

Next Up Hero is scheduled to release on Steam Early Access in the Australian Spring, with a full release on PC, PlayStation 4, Switch and Xbox One in early 2018.