Blood of Dawnwalker: $40 million NetEase investment and 1 million sales
In brief
- Bloomberg says Rebel Wolves’ Blood of Dawnwalker was made with $40 million from NetEase, launched in 2026, and has sold over 1 million copies.
- The studio is described as a first-time team with several former CD Projekt Red staff, including Witcher 3 director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz.
- According to the same report, the game launched in 2026, has sold more than 1 million copies, and its gameplay revolves around a day-night cycle with a time limit.
What happened
Bloomberg describes Blood of Dawnwalker as a vampire RPG from Rebel Wolves, a studio made up largely of former CD Projekt Red developers. The piece names Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz as one of the best-known figures on the team; he previously worked as a director on The Witcher 3.
The core of Bloomberg’s report is the financing: NetEase reportedly put up $40 million to help produce the game, in exchange for a 26% stake in Rebel Wolves. According to the report, Tomaszkiewicz also personally funded the first year of development in 2022 before the studio was able to scale up.
On the design side, the game reportedly emphasizes a day-night cycle that unlocks vampire powers, combined with a time mechanic that prevents players from seeing or doing everything in a single playthrough. Bloomberg also says Rebel Wolves deliberately borrowed elements from The Witcher 3 where useful while building the action RPG, rather than trying to reinvent the genre.
The same report also cites a studio of around 160 employees and says Blood of Dawnwalker launched in 2026. It also claims the game has now sold more than 1 million copies, although the provided material does not make clear what source that sales figure is based on.
Timeline
2022 — According to the report, Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz funds Rebel Wolves’ first year of development.
2022 — NetEase reportedly invests $40 million in Blood of Dawnwalker’s production in exchange for 26% of Rebel Wolves.
2026 — Bloomberg says Blood of Dawnwalker launches in 2026.
2026 — The same report says the game has sold more than 1 million copies.
Background
Rebel Wolves is a relatively new studio and is described in the provided sources as a first-time developer. The combination of experienced ex-CD Projekt Red developers and outside funding from NetEase forms the main backdrop for Blood of Dawnwalker’s production.
The game is presented in the sources as an action RPG with a distinct structure: different systems come into play during the day and at night, and the time pressure is meant to ensure that a single playthrough cannot cover all content. That makes the title different from a traditional open-world RPG without a time limit.
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Sources
- Bloomberg via Kotaku: The Blood of Dawnwalker / Rebel Wolves / NetEase reporting
- Kotaku: analysis and summary of the Bloomberg report