Digital Extremes is possibly best-known for creating Warframe, but the developer has a new title up its sleeve. DE revealed its upcoming title, Soulframe, at Tennocon 2022, giving fans a taste of what to expect when the game launches. Outside of the visual similarity to Warframe, players can expect Soulframe to stand out from its sister franchise. Its reveal trailer was enough to enrapture some of the most avid players, and crashed the game’s official website due to the sheer volume of traffic it created.
DE registered the Soulframe trademark in May, and some fans of the studio knew to expect something from it in the future. Though the similar name may have led players to believe it was a sequel or possibly a spin-off, Soulframe is a departure from Warframe—though it will feature familiar faces at the helm.
DE hasn’t revealed much information about Soulframe so far, but here’s what we know about the new title. We will update this article after new information surfaces.
Everything we know about Digital Extremes’ Soulframe
Leadership
Soulframe is bringing former Warframe creative director Steve Sinclair and lead designer Scott McGregor to the helm of DE’s new title. The two had an integral role in creating Warframe, and now they will brave new ground with Soulframe.
What is the genre of Soulframe?
Soulframe takes heavy influence from fantasy, and Sinclair mentioned the team “set our sights on the Fantasy genre to tell the story of Soulframe.” He said it would be “a lot more slow and heavy” and “focused on melee” in an interview with the Washington Post, giving fans an idea of the distinction between the two.
Sinclair called Soulframe “the mirror universe version of Warframe,” leaning into different strengths and elements. Players can likely expect a more grounded combat without the fast-paced movement and acrobatics of its sister franchise, but Soulframe will also boast the dose of mystique and magic that made Warframe so unique. The reveal trailer has plenty of elements that lean heavily towards adding some power to that fantasy—for instance, with the mysterious and deadly sword, or the direwolf shown in the video.
Soulframe will also explore the relationship between the characters and the game’s universe, though that connection between the two may not always be positive. The world is “a little angry about what’s been done to it,” creative director Geoff Crookes told the Washington Post, and players will likely see some procedural elements in the environment.
Despite its name, Soulframe won’t necessarily be a soulslike title. The Dark Souls series “certainly isn’t an inspiration for the initial ideas or what we wanted to do,” Sinclair said, though he hailed FromSoftware’s Elden Ring as “absolutely fantastic.” Regardless of its genre, however, Soulframe will be a departure from Warframe, taking the new title into directions its sister franchise didn’t explore, at least not with as much depth as Soulframe promises.
When does Soulframe release?
After the Tennocon 2022 announcement, Sinclair said Soulframe development “has officially just begun,” meaning fans may have a long wait ahead of them. Soulframe hasn’t set a release date yet, and given the development process, it will likely be years before fans can dive into the game’s universe.
