Vampire Survivor developer confirms recent ‘Directer’s Cut’ footage is legit

The studio behind the critically acclaimed Vampire Survivors has confirmed that the footage shown from its unannounced ‘Directer’s Cut’ earlier this month is legit, and that its contents will be coming to the main game.

In early August, author and accessibility consultant Laura Kate Dale tweeted that she had attended an event for the game’s upcoming co-op mode, and was “pulled aside” to look at a different version of the game.

According to Dale, who included gameplay footage in her tweet, the new version features “wild new characters, stages, weapons, accessories and evolutions”.

Now, at the end of its latest Steam update, developer Poncle has made reference to the new version.

“Did you see any of the Directer’s Cut footage online?” the update asks. “That’s something we’ve been doing in most events (since TGS 2022) – hiding some of the future content for the game in plain sight, but this time it blew up online!

“While the actual menu screen might never appear in game, all the new content shown in that version is scheduled to be fully developed and released in future free updates.”

The update also includes a brief trailer showing some of the content from the Directer’s Cut, saying it’s “a sneak peek of a handful among the dozens of characters and weapons that are getting developed for 2023 and beyond.”

The Directer’s Cut title isn’t a typo – it refers to a character called the Directer, a hidden final boss who appears in the Vampire Survivors endgame.

Vampire Survivors was released on Nintendo Switch on August 17, and features local co-op for up to four players. All other versions of the game received the co-op option on the same date.

Vampire Survivors is a roguelike shoot ’em up which sees players choosing one of numerous characters, who then automatically attack as the player fights through waves of monsters, with the aim being to survive for as long as possible.

The game has enjoyed widespread critical success, and won the Best Game and Best Design prizes at the BAFTA Games Awards in March.