Vampire Survivors: Switch 2, New 99¢ DLC, and the Start of a ‘Survivaton’ Universe

Included in the expansion:

• 12 new characters (with five named in previews: Ashtart, Baal’Thasar, Calogero Bloodmoon, Malice Bloodmoon, and Sargon)
• 16+ new weapons and evolutions
• One new XL stage called Red Moon Manor
• 8 new music tracks

Creator Luca Galante called the DLC "accidental" — it started as a planned content update for the original Legacy of the Moonspell DLC and ballooned into its own standalone expansion .

A New 'Survivaton' Label and Rebrand

The base game is now called Vampire Survivors – First Survivaton, marking the launch of a new umbrella label called "Survivaton" (short for "survive a ton") . poncle describes Survivaton as a label for "internally developed spin-off games based on the Vampire Survivors core framework," with each project introducing "major gameplay innovations, content expansions, or genre fusion" .

The first title under that label was Vampire Crawlers, a deckbuilder spin-off that launched on April 21, 2026 . Galante noted that the success of Crawlers reinforced the decision to create the label, and more Survivatons are already in development . The label does not replace community genre names like "bullet heaven" or "survivors-like" — it's specifically for poncle's own internal projects .

Free Patch 1.15: "The Wet Update" Is Live on Steam

A free content update landed on Steam alongside the announcements, with console and mobile versions following by the end of June . Patch 1.15 — officially called "The Lycaeum Update" but widely known as "The Wet Update" — adds:

• A new underwater stage named The Lycaeum
• New characters: Para Kooleo (with six skins) and Big Troubler
• A self-described "unnecessary amount of fish weapons"
• New Darkanas, the powerful run modifiers introduced in a previous update, including one that lets players buy weapons mid-run
• Over 80 bug fixes and stability improvements
• Quality-of-life additions: multiple save slots, a character menu with filters, and the ability to un-ban items previously disabled

Legacy of the Moonspell Gets More Content and a Price Cut

The original Legacy of the Moonspell DLC — the game's first expansion — will receive additional content and a permanent price reduction . poncle framed this as a balancing update: since Moonspell was the smallest DLC, the team wanted to boost its value. That effort eventually outgrew the original plan and led to the separate Bloodmoon DLC, but Moonspell still gets new content and a lower price regardless .

poncle Japan Opens, Led by an Ōkami and El Shaddai Veteran

poncle confirmed it has established poncle Japan, a new subsidiary in Tokyo headed by Sawaki Takeyasu . Takeyasu is the creator of El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron and a former Capcom developer who worked as a character and monster designer on Ōkami .

Galante said he had wanted to open a Japan studio for years, driven by his appreciation for Japanese games and positive experiences visiting the country . The connection to Takeyasu started in 2023 when poncle's chief strategy officer Matteo Sapio introduced the two — Galante was already a fan of Takeyasu's artwork, and Takeyasu was already playing Vampire Survivors .

The Japan studio will support poncle's broader goals while building a local foundation, and the company plans to keep all of its development teams relatively small. Regional studios will pursue separate projects, with collaboration possible but not mandatory .