Owlcat Games

Owlcat Games is a developer and publisher.

Owlcat Games Webpage, Facebook

Independent Russian development studio. Owlcat Games' headquarters was initially located in Moscow, but after Russia invaded Ukraine it was moved to Cyprus. The Moscow branch of the studio was then reduced to a satellite office, as was the branch in Armenia. Owlcat Games creates games for PC and consoles, and its portfolio is dominated by the Pathfinder series.

History of Owlcat Games

The history of the Owlcat Games studio began in 2016, when it was founded by former employees of companies Nival and My.com. From the very beginning, the team included experienced developers whose portfolio included titles such as Evil Islands, Etherlords, Silent Storm, Skyforge, and Heroes of Might and Magic V. For its debut project, the studio partnered with Chris Avellone – an industry legend known for his work on Planescape Torment, Fallout 2, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords, and Neverwinter Nights 2.

Pathfinder

As you might guess, the first game bearing the Owlcat Games studio logo was to be a full-fledged RPG. In May 2017, the studio revealed Pathfinder: Kingmaker, which was based on the narrative RPG system Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, published in 2009 by Paizo Publishing. Shortly thereafter, the studio had a successful fundraising campaign on the Kickstarter platform. The game debuted on PC at the end of September 2018. In February 2019, the game received an expansion – Varnhold's Lot, and in August 2020 it was released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

In September 2021, the studio released a sequel called Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. The game debuted on PC, but a year later it was also released on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. Over the following months, the project saw a number of expansions, the most prominent of which were large story expansions such as Inevitable Excess (March 2022), Through the Ashes (April 2022), The Treasure of the Midnight Isles (August 2022), The Last Sarkorians (March 2023), The Lord of Nothing (November 2023) and A Dance of Masks (June 2024).

Working with Warhammer 40,000

In the meantime, the Russians were working on another project. In December 2023, Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, a turn-based RPG set in the titular science fiction universe, was released for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. In September 2024, the game received an expansion pack titled Void Shadows.

As it turned out, in May 2025, Rogue Trader wasn't the only project set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe that Owlcat Games was supposed to be involved with. The studio was preparing Warhammer 40,000: Dark Heresy, done in the same genre, for the same platforms. It was again an isometric turn-based RPG, allowing players to take control of a party. This time, however, players were to assume the role of an acolyte of the Inquisition.

Expansion

Interestingly, June 2025 brought the announcement of yet another project Owlcat Games was working on. That game was The Expanse: Osiris Reborn, a third-person action RPG reminiscent of the Mass Effect series, set in the futuristic universe of The Expanse - specifically, the version known from the TV series. The game would allow players to take on the role of a custom created captain and participate in a mission that would shape the fate of the entire solar system.