Diablo Veterans Unveil Darkhaven: A Living ARPG World Shaped by Players

Moon Beast Productions, an independent studio founded by Diablo veterans Philip Shenk, Peter Hu, and Erich Schaefer, today announced Darkhaven, a next-generation action RPG that returns to the genre’s roots while pushing it forward with a fully dynamic, persistent world. Alongside the announcement, Moon Beast has launched the game’s Steam page and revealed plans for an upcoming Kickstarter campaign, with a Kickstarter coming soon page inviting the ARPG community to help bring the project to Early Access. 

Darkhaven is a dark fantasy isometric ARPG set in the aftermath of a great and final collapse of civilization. Ancient empires have fallen, their ruins reclaimed by wilderness, monsters, and predatory supernatural forces. Players are heirs to a legacy of power that is the last hope for this dying world. As eldritch evil worms its way into the world to feed on its remains, it falls to these few to bring the land back from the brink of death.

Designed for solo play, cooperative adventures, and high-stakes PvP-enabled realms, Darkhaven is set in a procedurally generated, fully dynamic, and persistent world. Terrain and structures are deformable and buildable, allowing players to dig through earth, tunnel through dungeon walls, drain lakes to uncover buried ruins, redirect lava flows to reshape battlefields, or rebuild shattered fortresses. Seasons change, weather alters combat and traversal, and world-altering events leave permanent scars. Every action contributes to a shared, evolving history.

Combat in Darkhaven enhances the balance between stat progression, build choice, and player skill. Heroes can jump, climb, swim, dash, and traverse the world freely, introducing a new layer of action and skill rarely seen in the genre. Success is not just a function of stats, but of movement, timing, and terrain awareness, dramatically expanding the “action” at the heart of action RPGs.

“From the very beginning, we wanted Darkhaven to feel good to play,” said Erich Schaefer, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer. “Movement is fun. Being able to jump over attacks, climb cliffs, dash out of danger, or swim across a lake that may or may not be infested with riverfangs changes how combat feels in this kind of game. It’s not just about numbers fighting numbers anymore. It’s much more engaging. For me, it becomes more about skill, finding flow, and making smart decisions in the moment. I’ve never had more fun making and playing an ARPG.”

The game’s itemization and progression philosophy draws heavily on the originators of the ARPG genre, Diablo and Diablo II. Rejecting the incrementalism common in many modern titles, Darkhaven embraces bold, expressive loot – items that feel powerful, sometimes surprisingly so, and capable of redefining builds rather than merely optimizing them.

"Great itemization is about possibility,” said Peter Hu, Co-Founder and President. “In Darkhaven, we want items that open doors, gear that makes you stop and rethink your build, your strategy, or even how you play the game. Finding something powerful should be exciting and inspiring, not something that gets smoothed out into tiny percentage gains.”

Moon Beast Productions brings together decades of experience across genre-defining titles, including Diablo, Diablo II, Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, Diablo III, Hellgate: London, Torchlight, Torchlight II, Nox, and Marvel Heroes Online.

“We’re incredibly excited to finally reveal Darkhaven and open its Steam page,” said Philip Shenk, CEO and Co-Founder. “This project represents everything we’ve learned about ARPGs over the last two decades, and what becomes possible when those ideas are combined with modern technology. We’re building a world that remembers what you’ve done, bears the scars of your victories and failures, and tells stories that only your playthrough can create. With the community’s support, we’re ready to bring Darkhaven to Early Access, which will allow us to continue to build the game into the incredible experience we all want it to be.”

Players can follow Darkhaven’s Kickstarter campaign now and wishlist the game on Steam. There will also be a playable demo available alongside the Kickstarter when it goes live.