New Blood Interactive just dropped a surprise announcement that nobody saw coming. The publisher known for boomer shooters like Ultrakill, Dusk, and Gloomwood is publishing a classical tower defense game. KillGem – New Blood comes from solo developer Radical Byte, launching sometime in 2026, and the announcement trailer dropped December 26 to immediate excitement from the tower defense community. Why? Because that name isn’t subtle about what inspired it.
GemCraft veterans immediately recognized the KillGem reference. In the legendary GemCraft tower defense series, your most powerful gem – the one surrounded by amplifiers doing all the damage – is called your killgem. It’s the linchpin of your entire strategy, the tower defense equivalent of a nuclear weapon pointed at waves of enemies. A game literally named KillGem is making its inspirations crystal clear, and fans of deep, complex tower defense games are already wishlisting based on name alone.
What Is KillGem – New Blood
According to the Steam page and announcement materials, KillGem – New Blood promises “epic tower defense game, featuring classical gameplay created in a modern engine.” The game tasks you with building powerful defense systems while journeying across the continent, fending off relentless enemy waves.
That phrasing – “classical gameplay created in a modern engine” – is developer speak for “we’re bringing back the tower defense mechanics you loved from the 2000s-2010s golden era, but with modern visuals and quality-of-life improvements.” This isn’t a simplified mobile tower defense with three tower types and microtransactions. This is deep, complex, build-focused tower defense for people who miss when the genre was actually strategic.
The game is still in early development stages based on the announcement timing and placeholder Steam page. Radical Byte posted on Reddit on Christmas Day describing the project as inspired by “a legendary tower defense series” and noting there are “plenty of exciting features on the horizon.” Translation: don’t expect this to launch in early 2026 – we’re probably looking at late 2026 or even 2027 for release.
The GemCraft Connection
For anyone unfamiliar with GemCraft, let me explain why tower defense enthusiasts are so hyped about this announcement. GemCraft is a flash-turned-Steam tower defense series created by Game in a Bottle that represents the absolute peak of complex, build-focused tower defense design.
Unlike most tower defense games where you place predefined towers with set abilities, GemCraft has you combining gems of different colors to create custom towers with specific properties. Want a tower that slows enemies while dealing area damage? Combine certain gem colors. Prefer a rapid-fire single-target tower that generates mana? Different gem combination. The strategic depth is absurd.
Your killgem is the culmination of this system – the single most powerful gem you’ve spent the entire level building, upgrading, and amplifying. Surrounding it with amplifier gems multiplies its damage exponentially. Proper killgem placement, amplifier arrangement, and mana management separate casual players from experts who can tackle the game’s notoriously brutal challenge modes.
If KillGem – New Blood captures even half of GemCraft’s strategic complexity while modernizing the presentation, the tower defense community will eat it up. That’s a massive “if,” but the inspiration is promising.
Why Tower Defense Needs This
Tower defense as a genre has been in a weird place for years. The mobile market flooded with simplified, monetized versions that stripped away complexity in favor of gacha mechanics and energy systems. Meanwhile, PC tower defense became increasingly niche, with only a handful of quality releases per year actually capturing what made the genre great.
We’ve got some excellent modern entries – games like Legion TD 2, They Are Billions, Mindustry, and the recent sleeper hit Gnomes all show there’s still life in the genre. But there hasn’t been a true spiritual successor to GemCraft’s specific brand of deep, build-focused tower defense since… well, since the last GemCraft game (Frostborn Wrath) released in 2020.
KillGem – New Blood has the potential to fill that gap. Radical Byte clearly understands what made classical tower defense compelling – build complexity, strategic depth, proper difficulty curves that reward mastery rather than grinding for upgrades. Whether they can execute on that vision remains to be seen, but at least someone’s trying.
The New Blood Factor
New Blood Interactive’s involvement is interesting because they’re known for a very specific aesthetic and gameplay philosophy. Their published games – Ultrakill, Dusk, Gloomwood, Faith, Fallen Aces – share an appreciation for retro design principles executed with modern sensibilities. They publish games that value player skill over hand-holding, that trust players to figure things out rather than plastering tutorials everywhere.
That philosophy translates perfectly to tower defense. The genre thrives when players can experiment, fail, learn, and optimize strategies without the game protecting them from consequences. GemCraft’s difficulty wasn’t forgiving – it was brutal, demanding mastery of interconnected systems. If New Blood applies their publishing philosophy to KillGem, we could get a tower defense that respects player intelligence.
The fact that New Blood saw a tower defense pitch and said “yes, we want to publish this” suggests they believe there’s an audience hungry for this type of game. And they’re probably right. The tower defense community is small but passionate, willing to buy and support games that deliver depth.
What We Know (And Don’t Know)
Information is limited since the announcement just dropped December 26. The Steam page is live but sparse – it lists Radical Byte as both developer and publisher (with New Blood presumably handling publishing duties under a distribution agreement), confirms Windows support, and gives a vague 2026 release window.
The announcement trailer on YouTube shows… well, it’s an announcement trailer, so probably not actual gameplay footage yet. At this stage, Radical Byte is gauging interest and building a wishlist audience before revealing too much about systems and mechanics.
What we can infer based on the developer’s Reddit posts and the GemCraft inspiration: expect gem-based tower customization, build variety that creates distinct playstyles, difficulty options that challenge experienced players, and probably some sort of campaign or journey across different maps with escalating complexity.
What remains unclear: Will this have the mana farming mechanics GemCraft uses? Will gem colors combine like in the inspiration? Is there a meta-progression system between levels, or is each map a fresh challenge? How does the “journey across the continent” work – linear level progression or something more open-ended?
Solo Developer Ambition
Radical Byte appears to be a solo developer or very small team based on the Reddit posts and developer credits. Creating a complex tower defense game alone is ambitious – these games require significant balancing work to ensure all strategies remain viable without creating dominant builds that trivialize content.
GemCraft’s creator worked solo on those games for years, constantly tweaking, balancing, and expanding based on community feedback. The best tower defense games come from developers who understand the genre deeply and iterate obsessively. Hopefully Radical Byte shares that dedication.
The partnership with New Blood could provide resources, testing support, and community management that solo developers typically lack. That infrastructure might be crucial for delivering a polished final product rather than an early access project that never reaches 1.0.
The Tower Defense Renaissance That Wasn’t
Remember when everyone thought tower defense was about to explode? Plants vs Zombies became a phenomenon. Kingdom Rush showed mobile tower defense could be premium and excellent. Defense Grid, Orcs Must Die, and Dungeon Defenders proved the genre translated perfectly to consoles and PC.
Then the mobile market crashed the party with free-to-play garbage that prioritized monetization over gameplay. The genre’s reputation suffered as players associated tower defense with energy timers and paywalls. PC development slowed as the audience fragmented between people wanting casual experiences and hardcore fans craving complexity.
We never got that tower defense renaissance. Instead, the genre became niche, sustained by a dedicated community willing to dig through Steam to find the occasional gem (pun intended) among dozens of asset flips and uninspired clones.
KillGem – New Blood probably won’t change that broader trajectory. It’s not going to bring tower defense back to mainstream popularity. But it doesn’t need to. It just needs to deliver a great game for the people who still love this genre and will support developers who actually understand what made it special.
What Success Looks Like
For KillGem to succeed, it needs to satisfy a specific audience – tower defense veterans who miss GemCraft’s depth and are willing to embrace a new IP attempting to recapture that magic. That’s probably 10,000-50,000 potential customers if the execution lands well.
That might not sound like much, but for a solo developer published by New Blood, those numbers represent sustainable success. GemCraft: Frostborn Wrath has over 2,000 reviews on Steam, suggesting 50,000+ sales at minimum. A spiritual successor capturing similar acclaim could perform comparably.
The wishlist numbers after launch will be telling. If the tower defense community embraces this project during development, spreading word through forums and Discord servers, KillGem could build substantial pre-release momentum. If reception is tepid, that suggests concerns about whether Radical Byte can deliver on the ambitious comparison the name implies.
The Wishlist Question
Should you wishlist KillGem – New Blood based on an announcement trailer and vague promises? That depends on your tolerance for risk and how desperately you want a modern GemCraft-style tower defense.
The positives: New Blood’s involvement suggests quality standards and actual completion. The developer clearly understands tower defense based on their Reddit engagement with the community. The GemCraft inspiration shows they’re targeting the right audience with the right complexity level. And honestly, the genre needs more ambitious projects willing to challenge players.
The concerns: It’s extremely early in development with no gameplay footage yet. Solo developers face resource constraints that affect scope and polish. The name creates massive expectations that might be impossible to meet. And tower defense is unforgiving – if the balance is off or builds don’t feel meaningful, the entire game falls apart.
Wishlisting costs nothing and helps the developer by improving Steam’s algorithmic visibility. If you loved GemCraft or miss complex tower defense, throwing a wishlist at this project supports the attempt even if the final product doesn’t deliver. Worst case, you see reviews at launch and decide it’s not worth buying. Best case, you get notified when an excellent tower defense finally releases.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is KillGem – New Blood?
KillGem – New Blood is a classical tower defense game developed by solo developer Radical Byte and published by New Blood Interactive. It’s inspired by the GemCraft tower defense series and promises deep, build-focused strategic gameplay with modern graphics.
When does KillGem – New Blood release?
KillGem – New Blood has a vague 2026 release window on Steam. Given the December 2025 announcement and early development stage, expect late 2026 or possibly 2027 for the actual launch.
Who is developing KillGem – New Blood?
Radical Byte is the developer, appearing to be a solo developer or very small team. New Blood Interactive, known for publishing Ultrakill, Dusk, and Gloomwood, is publishing the game.
Is KillGem – New Blood related to GemCraft?
No official connection exists, but the game is clearly inspired by GemCraft. The name “KillGem” directly references GemCraft terminology where your strongest, most amplified tower is called your killgem. It’s a spiritual successor rather than an official sequel.
What platforms will KillGem support?
Currently only Windows PC via Steam is confirmed. No announcements about Mac, Linux, or console versions have been made.
Will KillGem have mobile versions?
Nothing has been announced about mobile ports. Given New Blood’s focus on premium PC gaming and the classical tower defense complexity being promised, mobile seems unlikely.
How much will KillGem – New Blood cost?
No pricing has been announced. Based on similar tower defense games and New Blood’s typical pricing strategy, expect something in the $15-25 range at launch.
Is there gameplay footage available?
Only an announcement trailer exists currently. No actual gameplay has been shown yet, which is typical for very early announcements. Expect gameplay reveals as development progresses through 2026.
Can I play the game now?
No, KillGem – New Blood is still in early development. The game is not available in early access or demo form. You can only wishlist it on Steam to get notified about updates and eventual release.
Hope for the Genre
Tower defense fans don’t ask for much. We just want games that respect the genre’s strategic roots, that provide depth without overwhelming casual players, that reward mastery and creative problem-solving over grinding. We want developers who understand why GemCraft, Kingdom Rush, Defense Grid, and Bloons TD6 remain beloved years after release.
KillGem – New Blood might be that game. Or it might be another well-intentioned project that doesn’t quite capture the magic. We won’t know until we see actual gameplay, get hands-on with systems, and understand whether Radical Byte truly comprehends what made their inspiration legendary.
But the attempt matters. New Blood saw value in publishing a classical tower defense in 2025 when most publishers chase live service games and battle royales. Radical Byte dedicated development time to a genre that’s commercially risky and demands excellence to satisfy its audience. That deserves recognition even if the final product doesn’t revolutionize anything.
The tower defense community will be watching. Wishlist the game if you want to support the effort. Follow development if you’re curious whether they can pull it off. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll get that GemCraft spiritual successor we’ve been quietly hoping someone would make for five years.
December 26, 2025 might be remembered as the day tower defense got interesting again. Or it might be a footnote in a genre that keeps trying and falling short. Check back in 2026 to find out which one it becomes.