RWBY: Grimm Eclipse

RWBY: Grimm Eclipse is an official RWBY video game to be released by Rooster Teeth, originally created by independent developer Jordan Scott. The game is targeting release on multiple platforms.

A demo version was independently released by Scott on April 1st, 2014, but is no longer available for download. A pre-alpha has been made available for Rooster Teeth sponsors. The game was also made playable to the public for attendees of RTX 2015.

Gameplay
Grimm Eclipse is a survival-based action role-playing game. Scott cites the games Kingdom Hearts, Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy, and Mystic Heroes as inspirations for the gameplay mechanics of Grimm Eclipse.

In the independently released version, the player controls Ruby Rose as she fights Beowolves in a setting similar to the "Red" Trailer. The objective of the game is simply to survive for as long as possible against indefinitely respawning enemy waves. Other gameplay elements, such as items and stats, are also present in the user interface, but are not functional in the released version.

Rooster Teeth announced through their informational video game show The Know that in the full version of the game, the rest of Team RWBY would be playable as well, and that co-operative multiplayer was a focus. Each character will have a unique set of moves and abilities that will be put at the disposal of the player. Subsequent pre-alpha development builds available to sponsors introduced additional features, including functional co-operative multi-player elements.

The official player guide refers to the game as a "mission-based character action game." In the mission "Extermination," players must progress through several different playable zones by defeating enemies in the area. Once all areas have been cleared of enemies, players are ranked on their performance from A, B, C, D, and F. In another gametype, players must cooperate to protect a generator and substation from waves of Grimm.

Independent Development
The game was originally created as a fan-game by Jordan Scott over a period of approximately 5 months. A demo version was released on April 1st, 2014 (the 11th anniversary of the founding of Rooster Teeth) and quickly received widespread recognition from other fans. Upon its release, Scott stated that no further development would be made on the game as he intended to follow original concepts out of necessity.

With Rooster Teeth
Less than 24 hours after the public release of the game, Scott was contacted by Monty Oum and brought into discussions to develop the game for Rooster Teeth. On July 4th, 2014 during the RTX 2014 RWBY Panel, it was announced that the game was picked up by the company to be made into an official game. The game was shown off with more polished graphics, a new heads up display, and a teaser for another playable character: Yang Xiao Long.

With respect to the game, Rooster Teeth CEO Matt Hullum has stated that, "RWBY is a natural choice for us to focus on for our first in-house produced video game. Fans can expect that we will bring the same level of originality in action, comedy and design to the video game that has made the RWBY animated series such a hit. We're excited about expanding the RWBY universe, and also excited that this is a project that originated as a homegrown community endeavor."

On December 25th, 2014, a pre-alpha version was released to sponsors in order to showcase the updated animation and mechanics. It was made available only until shortly after New Year. The pre-alpha version included updated gameplay elements, environments and assets, as well as a new enemy: a stronger version of the Beowolf that was white in color.

On April 1st, 2015, Rooster Teeth's 12th anniversary, and exactly one year after the initial independent release of the game, several updates were added to the sponsors-only pre-alpha. The additions included a co-operative multiplayer element for up to 4 players, with players controlling re-colored versions of Ruby, corresponding to her team colors of red, white, black and yellow.

The update included new enemies and "a variety of tweaks to gameplay and the environment." These updates were broadcast in a journal by Gray Haddock on the Rooster Teeth website, in which it was also announced that a new developer, Michael Hadwin, had joined the team.

Team Expansion


At RTX 2015, the game was playable on the show floor, with a new game mode where up to four players must protect an objective. At the showcase during the RWBY Panel on August 7th, 2015, all four members of Team RWBY were revealed to be playable, each with their own unique set of moves in a co-operative multiplayer mode.

In an interview, it was announced that the game is targeting a holiday 2015 release on Steam, but may release on other platforms depending on the level of success. More content, such as more playable characters, potentially including Team JNPR, might also be added as downloadable content.

Abe Robertson, Casey Donnellan and Brian Reilly also joined the team in order to handle other sectors of development in support of Scott, who will continue to focus primarily on gameplay. The team commented that they were given the creative freedom to add new elements that might later appear in the show, and expressed their desire to create an original type of Grimm for the game.

On October 15, 2015, the game was added to Steam Greenlight for the public to pledge support for. An official website was also unveiled.

Trivia

 * Grimm Eclipse was one of the games played during Rooster Teeth's 8-Bit Salute Livestream event on May 17th, 2014, months before it was officially announced as being picked up by the company.
 * Grimm Eclipse was originally named RWBY: Grim Eclipse, but was renamed some time after being picked up by Rooster Teeth, likely to match the canonical spelling of Grimm.

Links

 * Demo Release Trailer
 * Jordan Scott's YouTube Channel
 * Official Website
 * Steam Greenlight Page