Denis Dyack plans to release a demo for new action-RPG Deadhaus Sonata in December

Denis Dyack - creator of Too Human, Legacy of Kain and Eternal Darkness - is planning to release a demo for his new action-RPG Deadhaus Sonata in December.

"We're thinking about dropping a demo in December," he told me at Canadian conference Reboot Develop Red this week.

"It will have a lot of old graphics, it will not be multiplayer. It's just so people can get a feel of the game."

The demo will be the prototype you can see running in recent gameplay footage. In it, you'll be able to play as the vampire character, try a few fancy-looking abilities and swing a few weapons. The prototype represents about half-a-year's work, apparently.

It's a surprising move so early in development. Dyack only opened Apocalypse Studios a year ago and has had to staff it from scratch. Currently there are just under 20 people there. It's a move indicative of the open and transparent development approach he wants to take with Deadhaus Sonata. He wants the community involved.

It's also, frankly, reassuring to hear there's an actual, tangible game there to play. After all, Dyack hasn't produced much of late; the last project he was involved with, Shadows of the Eternals, failed to materialise.

Dedhaus Sonata may also have a development and/or publishing partner. Dyack said he had an announcement to make soon.

The game itself is a dark, gothic, multiplayer (six player) action-RPG themed around the undead, with classes like vampires and revenants and all things anti-hero. It's powered by Amazon's Lumberyard engine and already looks rather handsome.

It's going to be a free-to-play game when it eventually comes out - a playable alpha isn't expected until the latter half of next year - inspired by successful genre peers Warframe and Path of Exile.

But Dyack's going to have a job overcoming a checkered track record first. I talked to him at length about this, and the ups and downs of his career, in our full interview. I'll write it as soon as I can.