Announcing Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap - A Brief History of the Franchise

Hey War Mages!

We’ve got some exciting news for you. We’re thrilled to announce the next big chapter in the Orcs Must Die! saga: Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is coming in early 2025!

A Quick Trip Down Memory Lane
It’s been an incredible journey since we started this wild ride back in 2011. When we first launched Orcs Must Die!, we wanted to mix strategy and action in a third-person tower defense game that felt fresh and fun. The game found a loyal following, and we were heartened by the response from fans.

We’re proud to say that over 12 million of you have joined the fight against the orc hordes. Your enthusiasm and feedback have inspired us every step of the way, influencing other games and keeping us on our toes.

• Orcs Must Die! (2011)
  • This was where it all began. We introduced you to Max, the War Mage, and a world where strategy and action collided in the most explosive way. The goal? Defend your rift from those pesky orcs using a wild array of traps and weapons.

Early concept and idea generation for OMD (2010)

• Orcs Must Die! 2 (2012)
  • Things got even better with co-op play. Gabriella joined Max to form a duo of orc-fighting War Mages. Teaming up with friends to tackle orc hordes brought a whole new level of fun. More traps, more weapons, more levels – it was everything you loved, but bigger and better.

Orcs Must Die! 2

• Orcs Must Die! Unchained (2017)
  • We took a bold step into the PvP world with this one. It was a free-to-play adventure that introduced new heroes and complex gameplay. It was different. We learned a lot about the challenges of sustaining a free-to-play game. While it didn't last as long as we hoped, fans still tell us that they loved the unique heroes we created. We also experimented with a new mode called Sabotage, with two teams battling on separate versions of the same map, that went on to influence future ideas.

Orcs Must Die! Unchained

• Orcs Must Die! 3 (2020)
  • After OMDU was shut down, we knew we needed to get “back to the basics” of what originally made OMD successful. We explored some new additions to gameplay such as War Scenarios, where we significantly increased the number of invading orcs, and Scramble Mode, where we first experimented with roguelite concepts. This version has been a nice success and inspired us to push on. We’ve listened closely to fans and your most requested features. Our challenge - how do we maintain what fans most love about OMD while still innovating and expanding the boundaries? We hope we’ve done just that with….

Orcs Must Die! 3

• Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap (2025)
  • OMDD maintains the personality, charm, and vibe of the series, but the way that we’ve changed the metagame will make it hit different and deserving of a fresh new name. You can look forward to:
  • Four-Player Co-op: We know some of you were forced to split up your friend group to play… no longer! And if you don’t have three friends to play with, we’re making it easier to find games to join. Of course, the solo experience will also be great to play.
  • New Heroes with Unique Abilities: OMDU fans have been passionately reminding us how good unique heroes from that game felt – and we’ve listened. We’re interested to see how people strategize their party makeup around our new War Mages, which come with distinctive abilities, unique character traits, and their own exclusive trap to keep things fresh and tactical. You’ll see Max and Gabby in the hub to guide you along, but they’re not playable. Yet.
  • Expanded, Deeper and Different Progression: You’ll have access to a deep skill tree to progress and grow your heroes, as well as having separate progression paths for weapons and traps. Our new progression systems go well beyond any prior entry in the series.
  • Rogue-lite Runs and Expanded Level Variety: Each run brings new challenges and upgrades. You’ll choose buffs and debuffs that can dramatically change the way you play, and it all stacks as your run progresses. Environmental conditions will additionally alter your interactions with each level. There is no longer one ideal way to solve a given puzzle.
  • Improved Combat: Our third-person shooter combat is tighter and more responsive. We’ve never loved our melee combat so this area has received the most attention. The melee heroes have already become internal favorites during playtests.
  • Enhanced Visuals and Physics: We’ve upped the ante with better graphics and crazier physics. We’re aiming to make physics-based traps not just more exciting, but also more practical as part of the mix for a good trap loadout.

Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap

Wrapping Up

We’re doubling down on everything you love and adding some epic new twists. Orcs Must Die! Deathtrap is shaping up to be our most exciting game yet. We can’t wait for you to play it!

Please wishlist the game and stay tuned for more updates and get ready to join the fun in early 2025.