Hopetown has received a gameplay teaser that focuses on its investigation and publication systems, while also confirming Olga Moskvina’s involvement on the development team. The game is a psychogeographic RPG set in New Greenwich, a fictional mining town shaped by the aftermath of The Flare, a global event that knocked out electronics and communications worldwide.
Players take the role of a journalist and build stories by photographing scenes, interviewing characters, observing details, and deciding what to publish. Three classes are available: Correspondent, Columnist, and Gonzo. The publication system also allows evidence to be selected, or fabricated, with outcomes that affect both the story and the island’s factions.
The team also includes Stark Holborn, known for work on Shadows of Doubt and Nivalis, alongside other names previously associated with Disco Elysium and ZA/UM. A time- and quantity-limited Newsflash edition is currently available to preorder on Kickstarter until May 29. No release date has been confirmed yet.
The teaser also makes clear that the journalism systems are meant to shape the wider game world. Published stories feed into a psychogeography layer that changes relationships, public standing, and the state of the island, so each article has consequences beyond the immediate investigation. Different classes and skill-voices alter how evidence is interpreted, which gives the player several ways to approach the same case.
Hopetown’s skill structure is built around 21 distinct voices spread across different writing styles and personas. Some lean toward investigation, others toward style or sensationalism, and those differences affect how the protagonist reads scenes and people. The result is a character system that ties role-playing directly to reporting, rather than treating journalism as a side activity.
