These developer diaries are dedicated to the people behind the creation of the stealth RPG True Thief.
True Thief is an atmospheric stealth RPG with elements of dark fantasy. Players must hide in the shadows, avoid combat, make difficult decisions, and uncover secrets. At the heart of the plot is a story that hides much more than meets the eye, developed by the Antelus Games team.
Today we will tell you about three members of the team: Egor, Maxim, and Anton. One is a lead programmer and game designer, the second is a programmer with character and irony, and the third is the main figure in the studio. Together, they are building a dangerous, dark, and lively world in which the player will become a real Robin Hood under the cover of night.
Egor
Game designer, level designer, lead UE5 programmer
I oversee the development of True Thief, set tasks for the team, and actively participate in the work myself, including programming. Before the team started to grow, I did everything related to development on my own.
Anton invited me to join the team in August 2024 after seeing my post in the Unreal Engine chat. At the time, I was talking about my project for Google Play — he liked my approach, and we started working together. True Thief was a new challenge for me, and I gladly accepted it.
I like the atmosphere at Antelus Games: it's easy to grow here, everyone supports each other and moves forward with faith in the common cause. I am confident that many people will like the plot of True Thief, and of course, I am confident in our team. We have already received positive feedback on the early version of the game — and this is just the beginning.
Maxim
Programmer
I am responsible for technical implementation: I write code, add features, and periodically berate myself for old decisions. I also like to jokingly complain about myself six months ago — like any developer.
What do I like about Antelus Games? It's a large team of passionate people. Here you can always find support, ask a question, or just discuss your favorite topic — game development. We don't just write code — we make a game that we ourselves would like to play. Personally, I miss good single-player RPGs with a strong atmosphere — and I know there are many players like me.
True Thief is a small but very lively project. We put our hearts into it, and I feel that it will be noticed. We don't follow a template — we do what we ourselves want to see. And that is the main key to success.
Anton
Game director, game designer, and scriptwriter for the project, as well as founder of Antelus Games
I started working on True Thief on my own back in May 2024 and gradually assembled a team for it. Initially, the idea was to make a game based on Alexei Pekhov's universe, The Chronicles of Siala, featuring Garrett, the Dancer in the Shadows. But after talking to Alexei, I realized that we were too poor to buy the rights to the book. So I decided to create my own dark fantasy, full of secrets and mysteries.
For me, this project is an outlet for everyone who loves real stealth. This genre has long been forgotten: now it's just a mechanic in other games. I want fans of the genre to be able to enjoy hiding in the shadows again.
I myself love stealth: as a child, I spent hours playing Splinter Cell, Metal Gear, and Thief. It was especially exciting to play them in an old barn — in complete darkness. By the way, horror games became even scarier there.
What do I like about Antelus Games? Everything! After all, I created this idea, brand, and studio. Antelus Games is a warm haven for indie developers, a treasure trove of interesting projects for gamers, and already a phenomenon for the industry. A year ago, no one knew about us, but now we are being written about and talked about in various sources and gaming blogs.
I promise: there will be even more and even more interesting things to come! In the meantime, I invite all gamers to join us on July 27 at 2:00 p.m. for our first online video game festival in Russia, Antelus Games EXPO, where you can check out not only our projects, but also games from other indie developers. It'll all happen on a virtual platform similar to PlayStation Home.
Add True Thief to your wish list! We will do our best to make the game interesting and exciting!