Wolf Haus Games, an indie studio based in Montreal, has revealed JOIN US, a sandbox survival game focused on building a doomsday cult. Team members have worked on AAA titles such as Far Cry, Assassin’s Creed, Batman: Arkham, and Rainbow Six. The studio says it focuses on creating the kinds of games they dreamed of playing as kids. As they put it on their website, “We make the games we wanted to play when we were 13, because now we’re grownups and no one can tell us what to do.”

JOIN US is built around recruitment and control. Every person in the game world can become a follower. Players spread propaganda, win converts and set up a base. Recruits have different skills such as farming, talking or healing. That means leaders need to place people where they work best. Followers can also leave if they are unhappy, so managing morale is part of the game loop.

The base building side asks players to design buildings, set defenses, manage supplies and assign tasks. The belief system players create is not a cosmetic choice. Choosing odd or extreme doctrines will change how followers act and how the world reacts. The game gives a long list of possible beliefs, from UFO worship to cannibalism, and players must live with the consequences of what they preach.

JOIN US supports co-op for up to four players. Wolf Haus says the PC launch is a priority so the studio can focus on stability, performance and the cooperative experience. The game also includes a narrative campaign the studio describes as detailed and meant to sit alongside the sandbox systems.

Conflict comes from locals, law enforcement and other threats. Players can arm their cult with a range of weapons, from shotguns to miniguns to more unusual choices like a snake launcher, a weapon that fires live snakes. The game uses a permadeath system. When a character dies they are gone for good unless some ghost mechanic brings them back later.

JOIN US is set to release in 2026, and we can expect to hear more news from the developers in the coming months.