Still Wakes The Deep dev The Chinese Room signs with Lyrical Publishing for new title

UK indie The Chinese Room, which divested from Tencent-owned Sumo Group last year, has announced a partnership with newly-mined publishing label Lyrical Games, which was itself launched last year by veterans of former Take-Two label Private Division.

Lyrical is providing “full financing, strategic production support, and collaborative go-to-market planning” for the unnanounced title, the company said in a press release, while “preserving the studio’s creative autonomy and IP ownership.” Lyrical previously committed to letting developers own the IP of the games it publishes.

The Chinese Room separated from Sumo Group via a management buyout in June 2025, following Sumo’s decision to stop developing its own IP. CEO Ed Daly told GamesIndustry.biz at the time that the company was working on two new IPs. The studio is best known for its BAFTA-winning titles Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture and Still Wakes the Deep although its most recent release was the Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines 2, which substantially underperformed for publisher Paradox Interactive following an extended development timeline that separated the game from its original developer Hardsuit Labs.

“Our partnership with Lyrical Games gives us the confidence and support to push creatively in the ways that are needed to stand out in today’s market,” said Ed Daly, CEO of The Chinese Room. “Now, we can focus on elevating the player experience while Lyrical ensures that the game reaches those players.”

“From our earliest conversations with The Chinese Room, it was immediately clear we had to back this strong vision for the world that they wanted to build,” said Blake Rochkind, Head of Lyrical Games. “Now more than ever, our role as a publisher is to remove friction from their journey. We’re committed to providing them with clarity and resources so that they can focus on making this title truly exceptional.”