Valor Mortis launches at $40 with no pre-orders — a Polish studio bets on quality over hype
One More Level — the Polish studio behind the Ghostrunner series — has revealed pricing and edition details for its upcoming first-person Soulslike Valor Mortis. The game launches October 13 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S at $39.99, well below the current $70–80 AAA standard. It also hits Xbox Game Pass on day one.
The studio, publishing alongside Lyrical Games, is clear about the logic: autumn 2026 is brutal for new releases, with Gears of War, heavy GTA 6 competition, and a string of other big titles crowding the same window. Rather than fight for the same dollars, they're positioning Valor Mortis as an "and" purchase — something you pick up alongside a blockbuster, not instead of one, per PC Gamer.
The price and what you get
The base game at $39.99 offers a 20-hour campaign. A Deluxe Edition at $59.99 adds a story DLC planned for 2027, a weapon skin pack covering pistol, musket, claymore, rapier, and sabre, plus three unannounced armorer skin sets. Free cosmetic updates are also planned post-launch.
There are no pre-orders. The developers say they want "the final version of our game to speak for itself," so buyers will know exactly what they're getting at launch — a direct echo of the trust crisis that followed Cyberpunk 2077's troubled release. As Dork notes, the team framed the decision as one made "out of confidence," not discount necessity.
Valor Mortis Deluxe Edition contents, including the 2027 story DLC and weapon skin sets.
Napoleon, monsters, and Vincent Cassel
The setting is an alternate 19th-century Europe where Napoleon Bonaparte's endless wars have triggered a magical plague, turning soldiers into monsters. You play William, a British soldier killed in battle and resurrected by Napoleon himself, waking in a mass grave with dark supernatural power and a conspiracy to uncover.
Napoleon is voiced by César Award-winner Vincent Cassel — known for La Haine, Black Swan, and Ocean's Twelve — a casting choice that brings a level of Hollywood credibility unusual for a mid-budget game. Pricing, platform, and edition details are confirmed on the official Steam Oficial page.
Whether $40 and no pre-orders is enough to cut through October's noise is the real question. The strategy is transparent, the game is available day one on Game Pass, and the studio has a track record. That's a stronger pitch than most mid-cycle releases manage.
