Background layer
Middle layer
Foreground layer
Development Chronicles

News & Updates

Join us as we forge a 4X-ARPG trilogy combining innovative combat, deep strategy, and revolutionary pixel art technology.

We Are Zealbourne

About Us

Pioneering a new genre-blending RPG, but built on the foundations of of the great games we all know and love.

Art Innovation at Our Core

We're redefining game development by merging the timeless charm of pixel art with cutting-edge procedural technology. Our proprietary tools break traditional boundaries, delivering dynamic worlds that evolve gameplay emergence — faster, smarter, and more lively than ever.

Passionately Driven Towards Innovative Gameplay

We're passionate gamers who've celebrated the industry's greatest triumphs — and mourned the missed opportunities that could have pushed games even further. Now, we're channeling our technical, design, and artistic skills to challenge the status quo and create something truly bold, innovative, and new.

Open Positions

We're growing! As a humanist organization, we're seeking passionate developers, artists, and designers to join our expanding team. United by a shared commitment to craft exceptional games, we are a diverse and cultured group, bringing together a wide range of backgrounds in pursuit of lasting creative excellence.

The Meaning Behind Zealbourne

Zeal is the fire within — a fierce, unwavering passion that propels bold action and relentless pursuit of purpose. Bourne is ancient force — a sacred, unstoppable flow guided by destiny, drawn from deep roots and destined for impact.
Zealbourne is the fusion of fire and flow — a movement fueled by purpose and power, where passion meets destiny to create, elevate, and drive change not just for oneself, but for the world.

The Fellowship

Meet the Team

At heart, we’re story-hungry, game-obsessed fiends who turn our lifelong passion into carefully crafted experiences. We don’t just make games — we live them. Sure, some of us might be a little nuts — but in the charming, mostly functional kind of way.

??? - Master of Visual Concepts portrait
??? - Back view

???

Kingdom Illustrator

Concept Artist breathing life into medieval worlds through digital artistry. Designs the visual foundations that shape kingdoms, characters, and the very essence of Zealbourne's aesthetic.

Click to learn more
Edward - Technical Art Director portrait
Edward - Back view

Edward

Technical Forge Master

Lead Technical Developer and Tech Artist commanding procedural magic through Houdini and Unreal Engine. Architects the systems that transform pixels and polygons into living worlds through innovative thinking and pipeline mastery.

Click to learn more
??? - Court Interface Designer portrait
??? - Back view

???

Court Interface Designer

UX Designer weaving intuitive experiences into complex 4X interfaces. Ensures every click, drag, and strategic decision feels as natural as commanding a medieval army.

Click to learn more
Sean - Master of Realms portrait
Sean - Back view

Sean

Master of Realms

A seasoned Lead Game Designer and Instructor with a strong background in both academia and the gaming industry. He has taught at several post-secondary institutions and served as a Content Specialist, contributing to the development of forward-thinking game design curricula.

Click to learn more
??? - Artificer of Intelligence portrait
??? - Back view

???

Artificer of Intelligence

Game-AI Specialist bringing intelligence to the kingdom's inhabitants. Crafts behavioral systems that make NPCs feel alive, from merchant negotiations to tactical battlefield decisions.

Click to learn more
Rocky - Keeper of Balance portrait
Rocky - Back view

Rocky

Keeper of Balance

As a trained Game Designer Generalist, Rocky brings analytical rigor to systems design, UI/UX, and quality assurance. A lifelong game designer with cross-genre expertise, ensuring every system feels interconnected and every player experience is finely tuned.

Click to learn more

Forged With

Join the Realm

Community
(Coming Soon)

The kingdoms are still in development, but as we showcase our prototypes, technical innovations, content, designs, and gameplay, we hope to earn your interest — and your support in helping us spread the word. While we are funded, every great game is ultimately shaped and strengthened by the trust, honest enthusiasm, and community of those who believe in its vision.

In the near future, you’ll be able to experience our work, join the conversation, and connect with the team behind the project.

Discord Sanctuary

We will offer a special place for our early adopters to share their creativity, insights, and passion for role-playing games, storytelling, strategy, and 4X design. Those who contribute may even earn a place in our official credits as a lasting part of the project.

Fan Gallery

A space to feature community-created art, strategy guides, and pixel art tributes — where your creativity helps shape the Kingdoms beyond our wildest vision. Select works may even become part of the world itself. For a reward, of course.

Beta Council

This will be a space reserved for our most passionate and dedicated supporters. While access to the beta may eventually be available for purchase, there will always be a distinction for those who earn their place within the Beta Council — individuals who actively help us refine and elevate the game to its fullest potential. This will be a place of honor, not only for this project, but for all future titles to come.

Strategic Insights

Frequently Asked Questions

Something missing?

Hiding email from bots...

To answer the ‘ARPG’ first:

Rooted in the classic RPG experiences we all cherish, we've reimagined the formula with a fresh, dynamic vector-based combat system. Combine this with innovative magic mechanics and uniquely challenging monsters, and it opens the door to the kind of emergent gameplay that keeps every battle thrilling and unforgettable. A lot of the old, with a little of the new.

On the 4X side of gameplay:

For years, strategy RPGs came close — but never quite reached the depth we knew was possible. So we’ve reimagined the explore, exploit, expand, and exterminate formula, bringing a new level of strategic depth to the role-playing genre.

Take command of your kingdoms, townships, armies, and navies with deep customization and expansion options. Uncover valuable resources, grow your influence through diplomacy, trade, and internal economics — or seize power through warfare. This freedom, layered around our multi-narrative ARPG, offers players endless reasons to return and reshape their world with each playthrough.

The core philosophy behind our combat system is to build upon the classic gameplay you'd expect from an ARPG while introducing a new layer of depth. Players can strike in various directions, combinations, and patterns, while also countering, blocking, and defending — adding meaningful engagement to every encounter without sacrificing the familiar mechanics that define the genre. Think of it as drawing inspiration from rhythm-based gameplay — not in the sense of following beats, but in how timing, precision, and responsiveness elevate player actions. While some elements of this approach have existed in RPGs for decades, we're evolving it into a modern, fluid system that fully supports diverse character classes and playstyles.

Yes! While we’re keeping narrative details under wraps to protect the experience — if you choose to, you’ll be able to replay the game, carrying forward your equipment and select valuable items. Every choice is designed to leave you wondering, 'What if?', encouraging new paths with each optional playthrough.

We’re passionate about recreating the magic of gathering with friends to play local co-op, just like we experienced with classic RPGs. While we’re actively designing our systems to support this, we’re not yet in a position to fully guarantee our hopes for local or remote co-op at this stage. However, based on available time and budget, our goal is to bring this feature to all platforms — alongside an innovative system that rewards players with unique items and or currencies they can carry into their own worlds as a reward. We firmly believe that cooperative, social gameplay remains one of the most exciting and meaningful aspects of game development, and we will seek it at any opportunity.

Yes. Player decisions will influence:

  • Faction relations
  • Companion loyalty and/or disloyalty
  • Multiple endings
  • Open and hidden questlines

Players can build upon characters with:

  • Multiple cultures & classes
  • Skill trees and subclasses
  • Socio-moral alignment choices
  • Political and personal reputation systems
  • Crafting and equipment customization

Absolutely — crafting is a core feature we're deeply passionate about. We've designed a system that strikes a balance between accessibility and depth, allowing players to easily engage while offering layers of complexity for those who want to dive in. Our approach focuses on more than just simple item creation; it's about discovering rare components, refining unique materials from hard-to-reach locations, and assembling truly meaningful, customized gear. Personalization plays a huge role, giving every player the chance to craft items that feel entirely their own. We'll be sharing more details and videos on this system in the near future — it's a major part of the experience, and we're confident you're going to love it.

Our current estimated time-to-launch is mid-2028.

The initial release is targeted for PC, with possible expansions to consoles based on community demand.

Yes — we plan to enter early access to collect player feedback and iterate on systems before full release.

We are committed to building games that are as inclusive and accessible as possible and welcome feedback from the community.

Yes — but don’t worry, the first installment will deliver a complete and fully self-contained experience. Through our innovative action combat system and strategic 4X design, we aim to establish the 'Zeal-like' vision as a strong foundation, with the potential to evolve and grow far into the future.

Depending on demand, the story has been carefully designed to expand into a complete trilogy — one main game followed by two additional installments, each raising the stakes and revealing new layers of The Universe of Destrado, delivering answers to the mysteries and unknowns woven into the IP.

Again, depending on demand, we are designing our development pipeline with a clear focus on streamlining future content creation. Our goal is to strike the perfect balance — increasing quality while delivering new games and expansions more quickly and efficiently for our players.

The world-building for this story began in the late 1990s and has evolved through countless storytelling adventures ever since. With this deep foundation — an iceberg of past, present, and even future narrative threads — we’ve crafted a truly unique experience, designed to enrich and elevate the gameplay of a dynamic and engaging 4X-ARPG. This is a story decades in the making.

Over our development, we will show you pieces of just how deep this iceberg or rabbit hole can go. Welcome to our Rabbitberg, yes, we chose that name over the alternative. :)

Yes, they exist and, yes, you can slay dragons — but we take no responsibility for the consequences of your choices. In our world, not every monster can be defeated, no matter how powerful you become. You have been warned.”

Scattered throughout the world lie ancient beings of unimaginable power, guarding fragments of the future. Only the most daring, those with nothing left to lose, may uncover their secrets. But know this — failure carries a heavy price. Challenge them at your own peril.

"The save-scumming of old won’t save you here. The only path is forward — and most of you won’t survive the journey." - The Lead Game Designer

Join The
Zealbourne Legacy

Be part of the journey. Stand with us as we forge new legends and write the next great chapter in gaming.

Coming Soon!