Highlights
- Digital Bros acquired full IP rights to "Wuchang: Fallen Feathers" from Leenzee for RMB 32 million (about €4 million, or $4.6 million).
- The game has sold over 1 million units and generated more than €30 million in revenue, net of taxes and commissions, as of March 31, 2026.
- The deal follows reports that Leenzee's core development team disbanded earlier this year, raising questions about the franchise's future.
Digital Bros, the Italian parent of publisher 505 Games, has acquired the intellectual-property rights to "Wuchang: Fallen Feathers" from Chinese developer Chengdu Lingze Technology, known as Leenzee, for RMB 32 million, or about €4 million ($4.6 million).
The Milan-listed company announced the deal Tuesday, saying it would fund the purchase through existing credit lines. The transaction gives Digital Bros full ownership of the franchise and eliminates future royalty payments to Leenzee.
The acquisition follows reports that Leenzee's core development team has effectively dissolved. Chinese outlet Gamersky reported in April that director Xia Siyuan was dismissed shortly before the Lunar New Year, and remaining staff declined to move to an outsourcing studio, prompting the team's breakup. Digital Bros didn't address the studio's status in its announcement, describing the collaboration with Leenzee as "positive and constructive" with no outstanding financial disputes.
The soulslike action role-playing game, set in China's Shu region during the late Ming Dynasty, launched July 24, 2025, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC, and is available on Xbox Game Pass. It topped Steam's Global Top Sellers chart before release and drew more than 130,000 concurrent users on Steam at launch.
As of March 31, 2026, the game had sold over 1 million units and generated more than €30 million ($35.1 million) in revenue, net of taxes and commissions, the company said.
What the Wuchang IP deal means for 505 Games and the soulslike genre
For Digital Bros, owning the IP outright lets it greenlight a sequel, port, or adaptation without negotiating with the original developer. The company said the deal aligns with its strategy of expanding fully owned IP to support margin growth, and it doesn't expect a material impact on its current fiscal-year outlook.
The acquisition lands in a soulslike market that has grown sharply on the back of Chinese and Asian developers, following the breakout success of "Black Myth: Wukong" in 2024. Other studios are attempting to enter the space, including India's Aeos Games, which is building a mythology-driven soulslike titled "Unleash the Avatar", and Poland's CI Games, which is developing "Lords of the Fallen 2" for a 2026 release.
