Skopje ’83, the highly anticipated first-person roguelike shooter from Macedonian studio Dark-1, is set to launch on November 7 for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. The game’s reveal at IGN Fall Fan Fest 2025 has put Macedonia on the global gaming map, showcasing not only a unique and polished art style but also the growing potential of the country’s indie development scene.
Skopje ’83 Gets A Gameplay Release Trailer on IGN Fall Fan Fest 25
Skopje ’83 stands out with its distinctive cell-shaded visuals, blending a retro aesthetic with modern gameplay mechanics.
The game’s trailer, unveiled during IGN’s Fall Fan Fest 2025, highlights a hostile, procedurally generated city where players must scavenge, loot, and battle their way through each run. The art style is not only visually appealing but also serves to immerse players in the game’s gritty, atmospheric world. In case you missed the trailer, here it is:
The success of indie games like Megabonk, created by a single developer, has proven that massive budgets aren’t required to craft engaging and fun games. This fuels optimism for Skopje ’83 getting players excited, such as myself. 🙂
The roguelite genre, known for its replayability and challenging mechanics, continues to thrive, and Skopje ’83 is poised to contribute to this trend.
Timeline of Events
While the first official trailer for Skopje ’83 was published by IGN in June 2024, the recent gameplay reveal at IGN Fall Fan Fest 2025, over a year later, has generated renewed excitement. Interestingly, a select group of Macedonian content creators, including YouTuber Marteo, gained exclusive access to the game as early as 2024. Marteo’s gameplay video, revealed a game that was already polished and mechanically sound, boding well for its final release. If you want to see that, check out Marteo’s video!
A Growing Industry in the Balkans
Skopje ’83 is not alone in representing the Balkan’s burgeoning game development scene. Other legendary titles that you may not know come from the Balkan include:
- Serious Sam – A legendary first-person shooter series known for its over-the-top action and humor, developed by Croteam from Croatia;
- SCUM – Another Croatian classic, an open-world survival game that became a best-seller on Steam shortly after release, set on a Croatian island;
- Underrail – A critically acclaimed post-apocalyptic Serbian RPG with deep mechanics and a cult following;
- Bleak Faith: Forsaken – A survival horror game developed by a small Serbian team, gaining attention for its unique atmosphere.
As for other Macedonian games, they do exist also. While they don’t have the same noteriety as the games I mentioned above, notable mentions include: Chasmal Fear, The Strange Story of Brian Fisher and Wounded.
The success of Dark-1 and developers like Croteam, Gamepires, Stygian Software, is a testament to the talent and dedication within Balkan’s gaming community and further cements the notion that big hits don’t just emerge from Western or Asian markets.
As a Macedonian though, I hope for Skopje ’83’s success and the success of its developers and feel like the Dark-1 team should be proud of what they’ve created.
