Vampire Survivors Gets Water-Themed Update, Blood Moon DLC Announced
The free update's water theme and quality-of-life features like multiple save slots address long-standing player requests, while the Blood Moon DLC's origin as a scrapped part of the first expansion shows poncle's iterative approach to content development.
Reporting from 4 sources: 4Gamer.net, Automaton, Denfaminicogamer, Game Spark.
Developer poncle announced a water-themed free update and a new paid expansion for Vampire Survivors during the Future Games Show: Summer Showcase 2026 on June 7. The version 1.15 free update, titled The Lycaeum, adds a new stage of the same name, characters Para Kooleo and Big Troubler, fish-themed weapons, new bosses, and three types of Darkana. It also introduces multiple save slots and quality-of-life features like a character selection filter and a revive function for discarded stage items. The update is scheduled for release this summer. Separately, the paid expansion Legacy of the Bloodmoon will launch in summer 2026 for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, iOS, and Android. It includes 12 new characters, over 16 weapons and evolutions, a new XL stage called Red Moon Mansion, and 8 new music tracks. The story follows the Blood Moon clan tracing the pilgrimage of Saint Baal Sazar. Poncle revealed that the expansion began as a small addition to the earlier Legacy of the Moonspell but grew into a standalone release. It will be priced around $1, with a corresponding price reduction for Legacy of the Moonspell.
The free update, version 1.15, is already live on Steam. Console and mobile players will get it in June 2026, with a delay caused by differences in optimization and save slot management. A Nintendo Switch 2 version with improved performance and mouse support is also planned.
Poncle also announced the establishment of Poncle Japan, a subsidiary that will oversee development and partnerships in Japan. The subsidiary is led by game creator Saki Takayasu, known for El Shaddai. The studio described the move as a way to increase its presence in one of the world's key gaming markets.
A new initiative called Survivaton was revealed. The name is short for "survive a ton." It is a label that will group together new Vampire Survivors-like titles, including both games developed by poncle and joint projects with selected partners. To clarify this foundation, the original game will be retitled Vampire Survivors - First Survivaton.
The Legacy of the Bloodmoon DLC is positioned as the "evil twin" of the first expansion, Legacy of the Moonspell. Alongside its release, content will be added to Legacy of the Moonspell to ensure both expansions offer comparable playtime. The DLC is priced at $0.99.
Poncle recently released its second original title, Vampire Crawlers, in April 2026. It attracted over 1 million players in its first week.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 4 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- 4Gamer.net 「Vampire Survivors」の新展開が明らかに。「Survivaton」始動と，エルシャダイなどを手がけた竹安佐和記氏が代表を務めるPoncle Japan設立を発表
- Automaton 『Vampire Survivors』新DLC「Legacy of the Blood Moon」発表、今夏リリースへ。新武器＆新キャラどっさり登場、暴走カルト教団の足跡を追う
- Denfaminicogamer 『Vampire Survivors』新DLC「Legacy of the Blood Moon」が発表。8人以上のキャラクターや8種類以上の武器と進化要素を収録予定、新規の楽曲が8曲収録され、新たな超大型ステージも追加
- Game Spark 『Vampire Survivors』新規DLC「Legacy of the Blood Moon」2026年夏発売！第1弾DLCの1コンテンツだったはずが大成長【Future Games Show】