A small indie team just revealed something that’s going to make stealth game enthusiasts sit up and take notice. Babylon 3013, developed by Firewall Enigma, launched its Steam page on November 2, 2025, and it’s an open-world stealth RPG set in a sky city inspired by Bethesda’s Fallout series and IO Interactive’s Hitman franchise. The game features five expansive districts ranging from gritty slums to advanced skyscrapers, military areas, and beyond. A playable demo showcasing the Loft Decay district is coming soon, and early impressions suggest this could be something genuinely special for fans of deliberate, thoughtful stealth gameplay.
A Floating City In The Sky: Aetheran
Babylon 3013 takes place in Aetheran, a vast floating city suspended above the earth. The setting immediately evokes memories of Bioshock’s Columbia, but with a distinctly cyberpunk aesthetic. This isn’t a serene utopia. Aetheran is divided into distinct districts, each reflecting different social strata and purposes. The gritty slums contrast sharply with gleaming skyscrapers. Military installations tower over civilian zones. Each district has its own character, threats, and opportunities. Exploring Aetheran feels like discovering a complex ecosystem rather than navigating a game map.
The sky-city setting provides narrative advantages that traditional open worlds don’t have. There are physical boundaries everyone understands. The story naturally explains why you can’t just fly away or escape normally. Political and social tension can exist between districts without requiring geographic realism. It’s a setting that prioritizes game design alongside world-building.
Hitman’s Stealth Philosophy Meets Fallout’s Freedom
Babylon 3013’s core design philosophy borrows from two gaming legends. From Hitman, it inherits the idea that stealth should be deliberate, thoughtful, and consequence-focused. Every action matters. Disguises, environmental interaction, and understanding guard patterns determine success. You’re not running through shadows. You’re planning, observing, and executing carefully considered strategies. From Fallout, it takes the open-world freedom where you can approach objectives in multiple ways, develop your character as you see fit, and choose your own narrative path.
This combination creates something genuinely novel. Games like Fallout have open-world freedom but combat feels like secondary concern. Games like Hitman have phenomenal stealth but very linear design. Babylon 3013 appears to be saying: what if you had Fallout’s freedom AND Hitman’s stealth mechanics? The result is an open-world stealth RPG where you’re not forced into combat, violence isn’t the default solution, and your approach to problems genuinely matters.
Five Districts To Explore and Master
The announced districts include vastly different environments and social dynamics. Loft Decay, which features in the upcoming demo, apparently represents one of Aetheran’s grittier neighborhoods. The team promises over five expansive and distinctive districts, each with unique aesthetics, enemies, opportunities, and stories. This isn’t procedural generation or reused assets. Each district appears intentionally designed to feel like a distinct location with its own character.
This level of environmental variety creates gameplay challenges too. Stealth approaches that work in slums might be impossible in heavily militarized zones. Social dynamics differ between districts. Disguises that grant access in one area might be useless in another. The variety forces players to adapt and think contextually rather than developing one standard approach that works everywhere.
Third-Person Stealth Shooter Design
Babylon 3013 is explicitly a third-person stealth shooter, meaning you have combat tools at your disposal. The key distinction is that stealth is the priority, not combat. It’s reminiscent of games like Splinter Cell or the newer Hitman trilogy—you have weapons, but using them usually means you’ve failed at your primary objective. The game appears designed around avoiding confrontation, using intelligence and planning to progress without firing weapons.
This design philosophy creates interesting psychological gameplay. Every guard noticed is a potential problem. Every alarm is a failure condition you want to avoid. The tension isn’t “can I kill everyone?” It’s “can I do this without being seen?” That psychological pressure drives engagement differently than combat-focused shooters ever could.
Fallout DNA: Role-Playing Your Character
The Fallout influence extends to character development. You’re not a pre-defined hero. You’re a character you define through choices and playstyle. You can be a smooth talker who convinces guards to look the other way. You can be a technical expert who disables security systems. You can be a combat specialist who fights only when absolutely necessary. Your approach to the game world is genuinely yours, not predetermined by the developers.
This open-ended design creates replayability. Different playstyles make the same district feel completely different. The social engineer and the infiltration specialist solve problems in completely different ways. Completing a mission doesn’t teach you the “optimal” approach—it teaches you one possible approach, encouraging experimentation on subsequent playthroughs.
Demo Coming Soon, Full Release TBA
The Steam page is live as of November 2, 2025, and players can wishlist the game now. A playable demo is coming, allowing exploration of the Loft Decay district in full. This is exactly the right approach for an indie game with ambitious scope—let players experience the core mechanics before full release, gather feedback, and ensure the final product delivers on the promise.
The fact that Firewall Enigma is confident enough to announce a public demo suggests they believe in what they’ve created. Too many developers hide their games until launch. Showing gameplay this early indicates either desperation or confidence. Given the thoughtful design philosophy visible in early descriptions, this feels like confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Babylon 3013?
Babylon 3013 is an open-world third-person stealth RPG set in Aetheran, a floating sky city. It combines Hitman’s stealth-focused gameplay with Fallout’s open-world freedom and role-playing elements. Players explore five districts, complete objectives through stealth, and develop their character according to their playstyle.
Who is developing Babylon 3013?
Babylon 3013 is being developed by Firewall Enigma, an indie team working on their first major release.
When is Babylon 3013 releasing?
An official release date hasn’t been announced. The Steam page just launched November 2, 2025, and a playable demo is coming soon. Expected release is likely in 2026 based on typical indie development timelines.
What platforms will Babylon 3013 be on?
Currently, Babylon 3013 is confirmed for Steam on Windows PC. Console releases haven’t been announced but are possible after launch.
What game genres inspire Babylon 3013?
Babylon 3013 draws inspiration from Hitman (stealth mechanics and deliberate planning) and the Fallout series (open-world freedom, role-playing elements, district-based exploration).
How many districts are in Babylon 3013?
Over five expansive districts are planned, ranging from gritty slums to advanced skyscrapers, military areas, and beyond. Each district has unique aesthetics, challenges, and opportunities.
Is stealth mandatory?
Babylon 3013 is designed with stealth as the priority, but appears to offer alternative approaches. You have weapons available, but using them typically means failing the stealth objective. The game accommodates different playstyles within a stealth-first framework.
Can I character customize in Babylon 3013?
Yes. Drawing from Fallout DNA, you develop your character through choices and playstyle. You can be a social expert, technical specialist, combat fighter, or any combination thereof based on how you play.
Will there be a demo?
Yes. A playable demo is announced, allowing exploration of the Loft Decay district. Players can wishlist the game on Steam now to receive notifications when the demo releases.
How large is the game?
With five expansive districts and open-world design, Babylon 3013 appears to offer substantial content. Exact playtime hasn’t been specified, but expect 20+ hours for a single playthrough, with replay value through different approaches.
Conclusion
Babylon 3013 represents exactly the kind of creative synthesis indie games should be pursuing. Taking proven franchises’ best elements—Hitman’s stealth depth and Fallout’s freedom—and asking “what if we combined these?” is exactly how innovation happens. The sky-city setting of Aetheran provides a compelling world with natural boundaries and compelling environmental storytelling. The promise of five distinct districts suggests developers invested in creating a living world rather than reused assets. The stealth-first design philosophy makes Babylon 3013 genuinely distinct in an action-game landscape increasingly dominated by combat-first design. Add it to your Steam wishlist today. When that demo releases, you’ll want to explore Loft Decay and discover whether Firewall Enigma has truly married Hitman’s brilliance with Fallout’s freedom. This could be something genuinely special for players tired of combat-focused open worlds and those who’ve wanted a stealth game with real freedom. The stage is set. Now Babylon 3013 needs to deliver on its promise.