As I suspected, today’s Xbox Developer_Direct had a surprise announcement and it came from Double Fine Productions. Last year, the team brought Keeper, and this year, it’s introducing a creative online multiplayer pottery-party brawler. Yes, you read that right. Called Kiln, the game has players taking on the role of a little spirit that creates and inhabits pots of all shapes and sizes. So first, they’ll create their own pot, and then they’ll take it into team-based multiplayer battle arenas, against other clay creations. It’s an interesting concept, because players will handcraft their pot from scratch, and those choices will directly influence how the character plays in the game.
Obviously, making pots in real life isn’t exactly an easy task. The team at Double Fine worked hard to balance that feeling of doing it yourself with accessibility, so players can jump into the game feeling as if they’ve made the right pot for the job. The result is that players use a button and a control stick to make a pot, and they can create any shape they want. We can only imagine the creations that are going to be online once this game launches.
It’ll be interesting to see just how much your pot’s design changes how the character plays. Some of the examples in the trailer show pots of all sizes, from small to large. There are weight classes, which determine how the pot controls, and there are eight shapes you can make on the wheel. Those include bottles, cups, and bowls. Every shape that’s created comes with its own special move, its own basic attack, and its own air attack. In total, there are 24 special attacks in the game, all inspired by the functionality of their shapes. Imagine a little plate that looks like a hockey puck, which has a trick shot that ricochets off multiple enemies. That’s the type of game Kiln is.
Along with creating the pots, players can also customize their creations with a variety of glazes, handles, patterns, and even stickers. Once all that is set, the pot goes into the fire to solidify its final shape before heading off to The Wedge, which is the game’s social hub. There, players can train with their creation against dummies, or find other pots that players have put on display.
At the core of it all, though, are multiplayer battles with a focus on carrying water, dousing the kiln, and protecting your base. Strategies can change depending on the map, but the core gameplay remains the same. It truly looks like a fresh idea that can only come from a team like Double Fine Productions, and as tired as I am of team-based multiplayer games, this one might get a shot. It looks unique and fun. Kiln launches in spring 2026 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
