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Press release:
Roubaix and Auray, France, April 22, 2025.
The Roubaix-based (France) indie games publisher Ankama Games and Brittany-based (France) indie games developer Blue Banshee, are today very excited and happy to announce that their charming adventure-RPG “Maliki: Poison of the Past“, is now available for PC (via Steam) and the Nintendo Switch (via the Nintendo Eshop).

A STANDALONE ADVENTURE INSPIRED BY 20 YEARS OF COMICS

Since its debut as a webcomic in 2004, Maliki has captured the hearts of readers with its mix of humor, heartfelt moments, and expressive art — earning over 300,000 copies sold across eight volumes worldwide. Now, fans and newcomers alike can jump into this brand-new interactive journey, developed by Blue Banshee, a studio co-founded by Maliki’s creator, Souillon.

“Our goal was to create a gateway into the Maliki universe that anyone could enjoy — no prior knowledge needed,” says Souillon. “It’s a fresh beginning, filled with emotional depth, quirky charm, and comic-style expressiveness brought to life in 3D.”

With its distinct chibi-inspired visuals, Maliki: Poison of the Past retains the series’ unique tone while offering a playful and accessible RPG experience.

KEY FEATURES

A quirky and engaging narrative – In a world where a defeated humanity clashes with invasive and vengeful natural forces, a small group of colorful adventurers attempts to restore balance to the world and save their home. But who is Poison? What is Maliki hiding? Can we pet the cats?

Battles of a new kind – Utilize a unique mechanic in turn-based combat: temporal manipulation! Alter the course of time to create powerful combos between allies, shift your opponents into the past, and chain your attacks by sliding them into the future!

A refuge outside of time and chaos – Between temporal explorations, the Domain is the ideal place to recharge your batteries. Develop your haven of peace: plant, harvest, cook, tinker, and nurture the Thousand Roots Tree that holds back time!

A unique graphic style – Bringing together the talents of renowned comic book artists and seasoned game creators, Maliki: Poison of the Past offers dynamic and vibrant graphics embracing the fusion of French visual culture and Japanese chibi.

20 years of fabulous stories – A nostalgic journey for many readers, Maliki makes its first foray into the world of video games and offers a new entry point to easily discover its universe.

A STORY ROOTED IN NATURE, FAMILY, AND MAGIC

The game follows Maliki and her endearing found-family as they battle a sprawling, invasive plant entity known as Poison — a threat spreading through time itself. With real-world backdrops (hello, Paris!), heartfelt stakes, and a magical twist, this journey explores humanity’s place in nature with nuance and empathy.

“Ecology is close to my heart,” says Souillon. “This isn’t a tale of villains and heroes — it’s about survival, coexistence, and legacy.”

SOUNDTRACK FEATURING STARSKY AND MOTOI SAKURABA

The musical landscape of Poison of the Past is brought to life with a sweeping original score by French rock band Starrysky, known for their anime-inspired sound and emotional depth. Their music perfectly complements the game’s tone, from its high-stakes moments to its most touching scenes.

In addition, the legendary Japanese composer Motoi Sakuraba (Tales, Dark Souls, Golden Sun) contributes an exclusive track, adding even more soul to the game’s soundscape.

“Composing for this world was an honor,” says Sakuraba. “If my music can support the story and stir the players’ hearts, then I’m deeply satisfied.”

AVAILABLE NOW

Maliki: Poison of the Past is available today for $29.99 USD on Nintendo Switch™, Steam, and the Ankama Launcher. The game is rated E10+ by the ESRB.

🎮 Join the adventure: Ankama.com
📱 Follow us: Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, X (@MalikiOfficial)

About Ankama:

Ankama is an independent French company dedicated to the creation, publishing, and distribution of entertainment works worldwide. Since the success of its online game DOFUS in 2004 (with over 100 million accounts created worldwide), Ankama has invested in several areas of activity to become a true transmedia group. From video games to board games, from manga to anime, it controls the entire production chain of its creations from A to Z. Creator of a vast universe called the “Krosmoz,” known for its multiplayer online role-playing games DOFUS and WAKFU and their eponymous animated series, it also produces animated feature films such as DOFUS – Book I: Julith or Princess Dragon. Driven by creativity, Ankama also designs and develops board games and figurines such as Krosmaster Arena, Monster Slaughter, and Arkeis; mobile games like Tactile Wars, King Tongue, Super Nano Blaster, or DOFUS Touch; as well as comics and manga such as Radiant, Shangri-La, Carbon & Silicon, In the Mind of Sherlock Holmes, DOFUS, or Mutafukaz. Following the principles of transmedia, Ankama’s teams create universes that they develop into multiple stories, across different media, offering their loyal communities of players, readers, and viewers an immersive and complete narrative experience on all popular platforms. With Ankama, each story is unique, but all are connected. In 2020, Ankama broke the European record for crowdfunding for an animated series on Kickstarter, raising over €1.5 million to produce the fourth season of WAKFU. In 2023, the company once again demonstrated its creative power with the release of two animated series, The Last Adventure of Count Lancedur on ADN, and its new major game in the Krosmoz universe: WAVEN in Early access on PC. The fourth season of the WAKFU series was released in February 2024 with audience ratings for an animated series on France Televisions.

About Blue Banshee:

Blue Banshee is an independent French studio, born from the meeting of a comic book author, a game designer, and a pioneer of French animation. Its ambition is to create independent games in fantastic and whimsical universes, with just the right amount of poetry and gameplay to appeal to both the brain and the controller. The Banshee, a Celtic female deity, sometimes a charismatic monster of role-playing games, sometimes a protective entity of the family, is a symbol that perfectly corresponds to its values, and that never goes unnoticed! Its first game, Maliki – Poison of the Past, will be released on April 22, 2025. It comes from the universe of the famous webtoon Maliki, launched in 2004 by Souillon, sold in over 300,000 copies on various media and never before adapted into a video game.