Wardens of Avalon Developers on a Darker King Arthur, Rebuilding Camelot, Co-op and Chaotic Boss Fights

At gamescom 2026, VGTimes played Wardens of Avalon and spoke with Runes Studio Creative Director Kévin Renault. We discussed the team's darker take on King Arthur, why rebuilding ruined Camelot is a core part of progression, how the oath and classless build systems work, how the game scales between solo and co-op play, and why boss fights with a full group can turn into complete chaos.

Wardens of Avalon is a dark Arthurian action RPG in which players become one of the Twilight Knights, explore Avalon, fight the fallen Knights of the Round Table, gather resources and gradually rebuild the ruins of Camelot. The game can be played solo or in online co-op.

VGTimes: Your version of King Arthur seems much darker than the usual legend. What kind of Arthur will we see in the game?

Kévin Renault: I can't say too much because it's part of the game, but Arthur isn't really a good character in this story.

He did certain things that I can't talk about too much because of spoilers. Some of his knights are still on his side, while others want to fight and resist him.

So yes, it's a pretty dark version of the legend.

VGTimes: Can you tell us about the setting? Were you inspired by games like Tainted Grail, or did you have completely different references?

Kévin Renault: No, Tainted Grail wasn't an inspiration for us.

Of course, we play a lot of games and can take inspiration from different things. We like games such as V Rising, for example. But when it comes to the universe and our version of Arthurian legend, we wanted to create our own thing.

We've seen other interesting interpretations of King Arthur, but they weren't direct inspirations. We're telling our own story and creating our own version of the legend.

VGTimes: I've already had a chance to play, but can you tell us about the main gameplay features?

Kévin Renault: It's a survival-crafting game. You'll explore the world, find and gather resources, refine those resources and use them to progress.

We have one large city with a lot of districts. At the beginning, the city is completely destroyed, including its districts and buildings.

During the tutorial, you'll have to defeat a boss. Once you've beaten it, you can claim the city and start rebuilding it.

The core loop is about heading out into the world, exploring, gathering resources, fighting enemies and completing activities, then returning home and continuing to develop your fiefdom.

VGTimes: There are no traditional classes in the game. Why did you choose this system?

Kévin Renault: We wanted to give players as much freedom as possible when building their characters and let them change their playstyle whenever they want.

If you want to play as a spellcaster, you can create that kind of build. If you want to play as a tank, you can find the right equipment and use a big shield.

We don't want to lock players into a single class.

If your current build doesn't work well in a particular situation, you can change it and try something else. We're trying to make the different approaches viable even when you're playing solo.

In co-op, of course, you can divide roles between the players. One person can focus on survivability, another on dealing damage, and so on.

VGTimes: How does the oath system work?

Kévin Renault: Oaths are another way to specialize your character further in the direction and playstyle you want.

As you play the game, explore and fight enemies, you progress that system and gain access to additional options.

It's another way to customize and specialize your character.

VGTimes: What happens when you break your oath?

Kévin Renault: You no longer have the benefits of that oath, but you can swear another one afterward.

It's not a choice that permanently locks you out of the other options. You can break one oath and choose another.

VGTimes: How important is building your fiefdom? Is it a major part of the game, or more of a side activity?

Kévin Renault: It's a major part of the game. If you don't rebuild your fiefdom, you won't be able to progress.

Some areas of the world, for example, are blocked by magical barriers. You'll need to restore certain buildings and use your alchemist to create the runes you need to get through them.

Some buildings can be more optional, but there is core infrastructure that you have to rebuild. The fiefdom is a core part of the game.

VGTimes: What can players actually lose if enemies attack their fiefdom?

Kévin Renault: As you progress, you'll need to upgrade your citadel, which is at the heart of your fiefdom's progression. Certain upgrades require unique items tied to specific activities.

Your fiefdom can also be invaded by waves of enemies.

If the enemies take over part of it, you lose access to the affected buildings. To use them again, you'll have to reclaim that territory.

It doesn't mean all of your buildings disappear and you have to start the game again. You'll be able to fight back and reclaim the part of the fiefdom that was lost.

VGTimes: Will playing solo be very different from playing with friends?

Kévin Renault: We have a lot of mechanics that adapt the game to the number of players.

If there are more players, more enemies will spawn. Their health, resistance and damage can also increase. The difficulty depends on how many players are in your group.

But the system also looks at how many players are actually in your area.

For example, if you're in a group but split up and you're alone in one area, you'll essentially get the single-player version of that encounter. If one of your friends joins you, the game adapts again.

VGTimes: The visual style and combat reminded me of No Rest for the Wicked. How fair is that comparison?

Kévin Renault: We don't really have the same style. Of course, I understand the comparison, but we're aiming for a more realistic kind of rendering and trying to find our own visual identity.

We like a more realistic representation of the world, so that's the direction we're taking.

The build you played isn't finished at all, either. We're working heavily on the visuals right now, so there are still going to be many upgrades.

VGTimes: What part of the game are you most excited for players to discover?

Kévin Renault: I like that question. I think I'd say the boss fights.

You can fight bosses both solo and in multiplayer, but they're especially fun with other players. Sometimes we're literally screaming at each other on Discord while fighting them.

The bosses don't scale only by getting more health. Their patterns change as well.

So fighting the same boss solo, with two players or with four players isn't the same experience. Some of their abilities depend on the number of players.

With certain bosses, a four-player fight can become complete chaos. So I think boss fights are probably my favorite part of the game.

VGTimes: Does the game have a release date already?

Kévin Renault: No.

At the time of our interview, the developers weren't ready to provide a more specific release date. Wardens of Avalon is being developed for PC and supports both single-player and online co-op.

VGTimes has been operating since 2011 and over that time has attended dozens of exhibitions and festivals, where our journalists have gathered a wealth of exclusive material. For example, in 2019 we attended a closed showing of Cyberpunk 2077 at gamescom, in 2017 we prepared a photo report from WG Fest, in 2020 we were at the largest gaming event in Central Asia — CAGS, and we have visited IgroMir several times, where we met Hideo Kojima and other famous developers. In 2024 we traveled to the Land of the Rising Sun for TGS 2024, where we were amazed by the scale of the Tokyo event. In 2025 we witnessed one of Asia's premier gaming exhibitions — ChinaJoy in Shanghai. We also made it to the Thai edition of gamescom 2025 in Bangkok, and at the start of this year attended CES 2026 in Las Vegas and later Computex 2026 in Taipei.