Guns of Eschaton is a first-person Soulslike shooter set in a cursed, occult version of the 19th-century American West, and it carries a heavy piece of history with it. The game is the final original world shaped by Viktor Antonov, the art director behind Half-Life 2’s City 17 and Dishonored’s Dunwall, who died in 2025 at the age of 53.
Quick answer: Guns of Eschaton is a monster-hunting FPS with deliberate, Soulslike combat, coming to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. It is developed by Eschatology Entertainment, the studio Antonov co-founded in 2022, and it is currently listed as “coming soon” with no confirmed release date.
Setting and genre: A cursed Wild West FPS
The pitch is a first-person Soulslike shooter dropped into a decayed, post-apocalyptic frontier of monsters, revolvers, and fire. Rather than blasting through arenas at high speed, the game promises slower, more deliberate fights where every bullet matters, enemies need to be studied, and death is a frequent event.
The look leans hard into horror and southern gothic tones. Dilapidated shantytowns sit beneath brutalist industry, dying trees mark the few signs of life, and towering architecture communicates control over a broken world. The announcement trailer’s first cityscape immediately echoes Dunwall and City 17, and the world also folds in maritime touches that recall Dishonored’s whaling-inspired environments.
Combat, weapons, and the Cherokee Codex
Combat mixes gunplay with occult tools and Soulslike defensive options. The reveal points to parries, dashes, occult abilities, talismans, armor, and consumables, alongside customization and what appear to be actual spells that keep encounters varied.
| System | Details |
|---|---|
| Weapons | More than 20, plus special ammunition |
| Defense and movement | Parries and dashes |
| Powers | Occult abilities, spells, and talismans |
| Gear | Armor and consumables |
| Enemy intel | A hand-drawn Cherokee Codex that reveals enemy behavior and weaknesses |
The Cherokee Codex turns monster study into a mechanic. It documents how enemies behave and where they are vulnerable, which fits the game’s emphasis on learning fights instead of rushing them.
Platforms and multiplayer modes
Guns of Eschaton is confirmed for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. You can play solo or in co-op with a friend, and the reveal also mentions player-versus-player, meaning another player could eventually invade your run.
| Detail | Status |
|---|---|
| Platforms | PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC |
| Solo play | Planned |
| Co-op | Planned |
| PvP | Mentioned, including invasions |
Who is making Guns of Eschaton
The developer is Eschatology Entertainment, a new studio Antonov co-founded in 2022 with colleagues, and this is its debut game. The team is not made up of newcomers. It includes former Wargaming developers and people connected to Lesser Evil Games, the studio behind the RPG The Executioner.
Funding is also in place. The project raised significant investment, including a round led by Krafton, so this is more than a one-off announcement trailer.
Viktor Antonov’s role and why it matters
Antonov defined some of the most distinctive spaces in gaming. At Valve he was the principal designer of City 17, the decaying Eastern European city under the Combine’s surveillance state in Half-Life 2. At Arkane Studios he shaped Dunwall, the steampunk Victorian city of Dishonored. Both are regularly ranked among the best worlds ever built for video games.
The trailer frames Guns of Eschaton as his “final game and final vision.” The southern gothic horror tone and the imposing, control-through-architecture design language sit squarely in the territory he spent his career exploring, which is why the game’s cityscapes read as a clear continuation of his earlier work.
Release date and where it will launch
There is no confirmed release date. The announcement trailer labels the game as “coming soon,” and it is also headed to Steam under that same “coming soon” status. Until the studio commits to a date, treat any specific launch timing as unconfirmed.
For now, what is locked in is the shape of the thing. A slow, punishing FPS built on cursed cowboys, occult powers, and monster-hunting, wrapped in the unmistakable design sensibility of one of the medium’s most influential world-builders. It is a fitting last note, and a reason to keep an eye on Eschatology Entertainment’s first release.
