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Dungeon Defenders: Going Rogue devs talk taking the franchise rogue-lite

Chromatic Games CEO Augi Lye took us into the depths of the latest Dungeon Defenders game and how it's shifting the focus with Going Rogue.

TJ Denzer

April 8, 2022 11:50 AM

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The Dungeon Defenders games have long been about tower defense. Even if you have some RPG elements, various character classes, and skill and leveling elements, it’s still about putting up traps and outposts to blast invading enemies to bits. With Dungeon Defenders: Going Rogue, Chromatic Games aims to change up the formula a bit. The spotlight is being pulled a bit from tower defense to focus more on the characters in this rogue-lite action sequel.

We recently got to talk to Chromatic Games CEO Augi Lye about the shift in focus for Dungeon Defenders: Going Rogue. In our interview, Lye confirmed the shift in focus.

“Tower defense… in the land of Dungeon Defenders has sort of been a solved problem,” Lye explained. “Our first three games - Dungeon Defenders 1, Dungeon Defenders 2, and Dungeon Defenders: Awakened - sort of perfected tower defense. And we sort of asked ourselves these questions, ‘where do we go from here? What can we do that’s new, fresh, and brings a new generation of Defenders into our universe.’”

Ultimately, for Lye and Chromatic, the answer was pursuing a rogue-lite type of game in the Dungeon Defenders universe.

Dungeon Defenders: Going Rogue has all the auspices one should expect out of a proper rogue-lite game. You go as far as you can go with your chosen hero and when you die, permadeath makes you start over. However, you’ll collect loot and experience along the way that allow you to improve your starting position and progress into the game even stronger than the first time you began. Of course, each time you take on the adventure in Dungeon Defenders: Going Rogue, it will be completely randomized with different challenges.

Dungeon Defenders: Going Rogue is available in early access on PC via Steam now. Be sure to check out the game, as well as more videos at our Shacknews and GamerHubTV YouTube channels. There, you’ll find all of our latest interviews, reviews, gameplay, unboxings, and more on the latest video games, technology, and toys.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on Twitter @JohnnyChugs.