Credit: poncle

Poncle, the studio behind Vampire Survivors, says it has 15 projects in the works as it expands with small new studios in Japan and Italy, though the company later clarified that figure refers to projects broadly rather than 15 separate full games.

Poncle is expanding beyond Vampire Survivors

Poncle’s growth plans emerged through coverage of comments from chief strategy officer Matteo Sapio, who said the company is opening small studios in Japan and Italy while continuing to build out its business beyond the original breakout hit.

The studio’s recent output already points in that direction. Alongside ongoing support for Vampire Survivors, poncle’s official site lists additional releases and publishing activity, including Vampire Crawlers, Berserk or Die, and Kill The Brickman.

The broader message is that poncle is no longer operating as a one-game studio, even if Vampire Survivors remains the centerpiece of its brand.


TL;DR

Poncle says it has 15 projects in development and is opening small studios in Japan and Italy. The studio later clarified that the figure covers projects such as games, DLC, free updates, and other work, not 15 separate full games.

What the 15 projects figure actually means

Early headlines around the interview framed the news as poncle working on more than 15 games. That wording was later narrowed after clarification from the studio.

Poncle has since indicated the count refers to 15 projects in a broader sense, not 15 full standalone games. That includes a mix of work such as new titles, DLC, free updates, and other support across the company’s portfolio.

That distinction is important because it changes the scale of the announcement. The studio is clearly busy, but it is not claiming to have 15 major games all in full production at the same time.


A federation of small studios

Rather than pushing toward a large traditional AAA structure, poncle appears to be building around small teams. Reporting on Sapio’s comments describes a “federation of studios” model with compact groups intended to stay flexible and relatively low-cost.

Vampire Survivors (Credit: poncle)

That approach fits the company’s public identity so far. Vampire Survivors became a major success without the scale normally associated with blockbuster development, and poncle now seems to be trying to expand without losing that lean structure.

Opening studios in Japan and Italy also suggests the company wants to build talent and partnerships across regions while keeping the teams themselves small.


What poncle appears to be building

Follow-up coverage suggests poncle’s current pipeline spans several categories. These include more Vampire Survivors-related spin-offs, original IP, and projects tied to outside franchises using a Survivors-style format.

Vampire Survivors (Credit: poncle)

One visible example is Vampire Crawlers, a recently released roguelite deckbuilder connected to the Vampire Survivors universe. Poncle’s official materials describe it as a separate production made with Nosebleed Interactive, giving a sense of how the studio is extending the brand into adjacent genres.

Poncle’s website also shows a wider slate around publishing and collaboration, reinforcing the idea that the company is using the success of Vampire Survivors as a platform for multiple smaller bets rather than one giant leap into blockbuster development.


Publishing is paused for now

Another notable point from the reporting is that poncle has reportedly paused its third-party publishing efforts for the time being.

Vampire Survivors (Credit: poncle)

The reasoning appears to be practical rather than dramatic. Sapio’s comments, as quoted in coverage, suggest the company felt it had not always been able to give outside projects the support they needed, even though publishing helped poncle back unusual or interesting ideas.

For now, the focus appears to be on strengthening poncle’s own internal setup, growing its community, and managing the expanding list of in-house and partnered projects more carefully.


Final thoughts

Poncle’s 15-project update is less about announcing a flood of full-scale new games and more about showing how the studio is evolving after Vampire Survivors became a breakout hit.

The company is expanding internationally, experimenting with new formats, and trying to stay small in structure even as its ambitions grow. That makes this a notable next step for a developer that now appears to be building a broader long-term business around the success of its flagship game.