Airship Syndicate has revealed its next project, DUST: Origins, a handcrafted sci-fi action game from the team behind Battle Chasers: Nightwar, Ruined King: A League of Legends Story, Wayfinder, and several of the minds connected to the Darksiders franchise.
The studio, led by comic and game artist Joe Madureira, revealed DUST: Origins today with a new teaser trailer and a Coming Soon page on Kickstarter. The full campaign has not launched yet, but Airship Syndicate is already using the page to build up interest ahead of time. The official launch will be July 28, 2026, so be sure to check back in a month.
What Is DUST: Origins?
DUST: Origins is set aboard an orbital prison station that is falling apart. After being abruptly freed from cryo-prison, players will have to fight their way through a murderer’s row of violent criminals and horrifying monsters before the station tears itself apart. The studio is tagging the project with a pretty fitting line: “No saints. Only survivors. Actions have consequences.”
And honestly, this one immediately has my attention. After Airship Syndicate shipped Wayfinder, which was a very ambitious title that just didn’t have enough legs to keep it going, the studio went quiet for a while. I’ve had plenty of conversations about what happened to Airship Syndicate, and what happened to Joe Madureira, so it’s nice to see that both are not only back, but tackling one of my favorite genres: sci-fi.
I’m also getting some serious Dead Space vibes from what little has been shown so far, and that’s never a bad thing around here. Dead Space happens to be one of my favorite series of all time. Well, except for the third game, but we don’t need to get into that right now.
Why Kickstarter?
According to Airship Syndicate, DUST: Origins is already funded enough to be completed. The Kickstarter campaign is being used for additional marketing, community support, and physical goods for players. That makes sense, especially when you remember that Airship Syndicate has already had success on Kickstarter before, with Battle Chasers: Nightwar raising over $800,000 back in 2015 before eventually shipping in 2017.
The studio is also rolling out reveals through follower stretch goals on the Kickstarter Coming Soon page. The more people who follow the project before the campaign officially launches, the more Airship Syndicate plans to share publicly, including gameplay, art, and design commentary.
There is no release date or platform list just yet, however, but DUST: Origins is absolutely one to keep an eye on. A sci-fi action game from Airship Syndicate, with Joe Madureira back in the mix and a collapsing orbital prison full of criminals and monsters? Yep, sign me the hell up.
