Hooded Horse Signs Bosslords and Architect of Ruin
Right at the start of the year, Hooded Horse, a publisher specialising in strategy games, signed two new titles. These are Bosslords from RocketMoose Studios in Sweden and Architect of Ruin from Dead Money LLC in Las Vegas.
Bosslords, from RocketMoose Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, is the latest addition to the Hooded Horse portfolio. The game is a fantasy roguelite that combines RPG mechanics with chaotic real-time strategy (RTS) combat. Players take on the role of one of several misunderstood monsters clinging to the fringes of a tyrannical empire. They must gather an army and embark on a noble quest to overthrow the Empress, each boss having a unique story to tell. Each boss starts with a roster of units, and more can be recruited during a run. Bosslords will be released on PC via Steam Early Access.
"I got addicted to this one in the way I previously fell in love with 9 Kings, He is Coming, and Super Fantasy Kingdom," says Hooded Horse CEO Tim Bender. "You boot it up, you tell yourself 'this counts as work', and then you are lost, with dozens of hours gone by…"
"Hooded Horse far exceeded my expectations of what I thought a publisher would be," said studio founder Fredrik Ortmon. "The support and assistance I've got for Bosslords have made it much easier for me to just focus on making the game. I'm happy and proud to be part of the Hooded Horse family, joining other devs who create games in my favourite genre."
The second new game is the hand-drawn sword-and-sorcery colony simulation Architect of Ruin, in which players take charge of an evil cult and attempt to rebuild an ancient temple dedicated to vengeful gods. Architect of Ruin will be released on PC via Steam Early Access. It is developed by Dead Money, a company founded by brothers Brandon and Blake Reinhart, along with artist Ulrick Wery. The team has decades of experience working on games such as Team Fortress 2, Dota 2, and the digital adaptation of The Lord of the Rings – Living Card Game at Valve and Epic.
"I love being the bad guy," says Hooded Horse CEO Tim Bender. "I mean, I'm a CEO, it comes naturally. And with Architect of Ruin I get to do stuff they won't let me do at Hooded Horse, like raise undead hordes and sacrifice people in dark rituals."
"We weren't going to pass on an opportunity to work with Tim and the team at Hooded Horse," says studio co-owner Brandon Reinhart. "Their catalog is full of games players love, the games we stay up late playing. They take the time to get things right."
Hooded Horse has a catalogue of over 50 titles, and plenty is planned for 2026, including the Early Access release of Menace (Overhype Studios) on 5 February, the Early Access release of Mars Tactics in May, and of course, the Early Access release of Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era.
Written by
