Handmade and ready for battle: That's Double Fine's new game "Kiln"
With "Kiln", Double Fine is launching an unusual online brawler that combines pottery art with team battles.
Double Fine's latest title "Kiln" also appears colorful and creative.
(Image: Double Fine)
Tim Schafer's studio Double Fine is now known for its unconventional approaches to game design. Most recently, the developers let players wander through a colorful fantasy world as a lighthouse, and the latest offering from the “Psychonauts” creators is once again bursting with creative and slightly quirky charm.
“Kiln” was the surprise announcement during the first Xbox Developer Direct 2026 and comes from the in-house prototyping format “Amnesia Fortnight,” which has already produced concepts like “Costume Quest” or “Headlander.” Project lead Derek Brand describes “Kiln” as a “celebration of creation and destruction,” because before players compete against each other in a brightly colored arena, they must first craft and design suitable clay vessels for their fighters.
Creative Destruction
Ceramic vessels of various sizes and shapes are designed on a virtual wheel – from small plates to massive cylinders. The shape of the self-made pottery vessel determines the combat style: each pot brings its own attacks, special abilities, and movement patterns. Small vessels, for example, offer fast, bouncing attacks, while large ones focus on area-of-effect attacks or powerful melee actions. A total of 24 different special attacks are said to be available.
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Before the fight, there's the finishing touch: players can add glazes, handles, patterns, and stickers through an extensive customization system. In the main game mode, teams of four players each compete against each other to collect water and extinguish the opponent's kiln. Each of the maps available at launch is based on mythological themes and offers corresponding mechanics, such as package conveyor belts in the Hermes level or dancing floor plates on the Dionysus map.
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Verbal communication is not strictly necessary in the match. Instead, the game relies on a simple communication system with emotes and gestures. It will also be possible to change the pottery form for new strategies during the game. “Kiln” will be released in spring 2026 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Steam, and PlayStation 5. Xbox Cloud Gaming, Xbox Play Anywhere, and handheld platforms will be supported. A closed beta is also planned, for which interested parties can already register.
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(joe)
