video games
“Shadows Of Dawn” Kickstarter Launching In 2 Weeks!
I’m currently working as a writer and narrative designer on an upcoming video game called Shadows of Dawn, developed by Next Player Games. In Shadows of Dawn, you wake up in an abandoned lab with no memory and a very opinionated robot companion named B.R.A.D.B.U.R.Y. as your only guide. How did you get there? Who are you? What happened to this lab? What will happen to you if you venture beyond the lab?
Hopefully, that will whet your appetite, because aside from that, there’s not a ton I can say about the game’s core premise or plot at this early date. But I can say that genre-wise, it’s a survival FPS, open-world, action-adventure game with a strong narrative drive and heavy RPG and sci-fi elements. The Kickstarter campaign for the game launches on Tuesday November 11th, 2025. Which is in two weeks.
In my capacity as writer and narrative designer for Shadows of Dawn, I write the story outlines, quest outlines, scripts, character dialogue, in-game fiction, and other writing deliverables for the game. While I’m doing all of that, I also write, update, and maintain the game’s story bible (a sprawling document chronicling the world of the game), often incorporating notes, edits, and ideas from the other members of the Narrative Team.
Here’s a story trailer for Shadows of Dawn. I wrote the script for it:
And here’s a teaser trailer for the game. I didn’t write the script for the teaser, but a while back, I put a very special list in the story bible. It was a list of themes that we should explore in Shadows of Dawn, narratively speaking. And the narration in this teaser trailer is based on that list:
Hey, remember how I mentioned that in Shadows of Dawn you have a robot companion named B.R.A.D.B.U.R.Y.? Here’s what she looks like:
Last but definitely not least, before you go, don’t forget…
“Minecraft: Trouble Brewing” is Out NOW!
As I mentioned in my last blog post, I recently wrote a Minecraft children’s book called Trouble Brewing. Well, I’m happy to report that Trouble Brewing was published today by Penguin Random House. It was illustrated by the amazing Alan Batson.
Here’s the official publisher description of Trouble Brewing:
Minecraft is one of the best-selling video games of all time! And now learning to read has never been more fun for players of the game. Readers will get a great introduction to Minecraft’s mysteries and wonders when two players, Emmy and Birch—and their tame wolf Byte— find themselves trapped underground and must brew rare ingredients into powerful potions to survive the dark!
In other mining and crafting news, another Minecraft book I wrote, titled Mobs in the Mansion, was reprinted in a multi-story anthology called Minecraft: The Ultimate Collection, which also came out today.
Minecraft: The Ultimate Collection reprints five Minecraft adventures, all in one big book. The first four of those adventures were written by Nick Eliopulos, and the fifth one – Mobs in the Mansion – was penned by yours truly. All five tales were illustrated by Alan Batson.
Here’s the publisher description of Minecraft: The Ultimate Collection:
Players new and old can join Emmy, Birch, and their tame wolf Byte, as they explore mysterious biomes and encounter scary mobs in this collection of five exciting Step Into Reading Step 3 leveled readers. Features the stories:
• Survival Mode! (Minecraft)
• Mobs in the Overworld! (Minecraft)
• Escape from the Nether (Minecraft)
• The Sky’s the Limit (Minecraft)
• Mobs in the Mansion! (Minecraft)
And to see all of the books I’ve written for Penguin Random House (including these Minecraft books), click HERE.
Podcasts and Puppetry
Jason DeHart was kind enough to let me make a return visit to his podcast, “Words, Images, & Worlds,” and the interview is up NOW.
This time around, Jason and I talked about some of my more recent projects, like The X-Men Little Golden Book and my upcoming nonfiction book The Encyclopedia of Epic Myths and Legends.
And if you watch the video version of the interview via YouTube, you’ll see what this little blue puppet with the big sunken eyes has to do with everything.
Here’s Jason’s description of the interview: Prolific author Arie Kaplan talks X-Men ’97, Minecraft, Gilbert Gottfried, myths and legends, and much more!
That about sums it up.
You can see the whole interview below.
Check it out!