Dotemu Is An Outstanding Studio That Owns The Beat ‘Em Up Genre

If you can’t tell by now, I’m a massive fan of French-based Developer and Publisher Dotemu. Founded in 2007 by Xavier Liard and Romain Tisserand, the studio has flourished for over 18 years, breathing new life into various popular global video game franchises across consoles and PC.

In 2020, they reached a new level of success when they teamed up with Lizardcube and Guard Crush Games to release Streets of Rage 4. This critically acclaimed sequel wowed critics and beat ’em up fans, establishing Dotemu as a force to be reckoned with in this genre.

Since then, Dotemu has been involved in various projects, acting as a developer or a publishing partner. These projects include games like Windjammers 2 and Metal Slug Tactics. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, a wildly successful beat ’em up game developed by Tribute Games, was their next major published release in 2022.

Now that we are halfway through 2025, Dotemu plans to drop three heavy-hitter titles later this year, with one launching this month. Here’s a quick reminder on what we can look forward to over the next six months.

First up is Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, an upcoming single-player 2D hack-and-slash side-scrolling action game developed by The Game Kitchen and published by Dotemu. Players take on the role of aspiring ninja  Kenji Mozu and must protect the Hayabusa Village against a demon invasion. This game drops on July 31st. A Steam demo is available for download.

I completed this demo a few weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed my time with it. The beautiful art style and enemies with varying degrees of difficulty keep the authenticity intact for what you should expect from a Ninja Gaiden game. I’ll be curious to see how this does, especially with Ninja Gaiden 4 releasing in October for consoles and PC.

Next up is Absolum, a side-scrolling beat ’em up roguelite action RPG developed by Guard Crush Games and Supamonks. This unique title revolves around a group of rebellious heroes using forbidden magic to defy the odds of a power-hungry king. This game is slated to drop this year, and a demo is also available on Steam.

I would describe this game as Streets of Rage meets Golden Axe. When you think of a traditional RPG, you have rarely seen beat ’em up mechanics, if at all. This feels like an entirely new experience that works better than people can imagine, and I look forward to seeing how it’s received once everyone plays it.

Last but certainly not least is Marvel Cosmic Invasion,  a 2D retro-styled beat ’em up developed by Tribute Games. This title revolves around 15 playable Marvel superheroes teaming up to defeat Annihilus. Currently slated for release during the Fall season, a Steam demo isn’t available yet, but hopefully that changes.

When I previewed this game last month, I described it as the perfect follow-up to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, and I still stand by those words today. Swapping between characters is satisfying, and the action is designed to keep you on your toes. Tribute Games has learned from previous games and is making something special that Marvel and beat ’em up fans will love.

If all this doesn’t sound impressive enough, Tribute Games will utilize everything they learned from their partnership with Dotemu to release Scott Pilgrim EX for consoles and PC early next year. This long-awaited new entry in the series will involve Scott Pilgrim Creator Bryan Lee O’Malley, retro-inspired 2D pixel art, and addictive 4-player coop action. This was another exciting announcement made during Summer Games Fest back in June, and we can’t wait to spend some hands-on time with it.

With a proven track record of continuing to release certified bangers over the years, it’s easy to say that Dotemu is an outstanding studio that thrives at releasing phenomenal beat ’em up games. They fully understand the genre and what their fans want, a natural mindset that every company in this business should have. The future is bright for this studio, and I look forward to seeing where they go from here.

What are your thoughts on Dotemu and their upcoming slate of titles? Let us know in the comments section.