New Steam Game BLACKWOOD Mixes John Wick-Style Action With a Double Life

BLACKWOOD launches on Steam on September 16, combining cinematic third-person combat with an unusual double life in 2012 Brooklyn.

Developed by AttritoM7 Productions, the action thriller follows Anton Blackwood, who runs a DVD store during the day while carrying out violent contracts at night. Its fast gunplay and environmental takedowns invite comparisons to John Wick and 007 First Light, while the freedom to manage a business and spend time away from missions adds a management and role-playing layer between its story missions.

Anton's daytime life revolves around his DVD store, which players can actively manage rather than simply visiting between story missions. Shelves can be restocked, inventory organized, prices changed, and customers served while Anton maintains the public side of his life.

Players do not have to spend all of their time behind the counter. AttritoM7 says the store can operate with less direct involvement, although players can earn more by actively managing inventory, organization, and pricing.

At night, Anton becomes involved with New York's criminal underworld and takes on increasingly dangerous contracts. That switch between ordinary work and violent assignments is central to the game's structure, giving quieter periods in the store a different pace from its combat-heavy missions.

The idea separates BLACKWOOD from a straightforward third-person shooter. Rather than moving continuously from one firefight to another, players can spend time building Anton's civilian life before returning to the part of his world that he keeps hidden.

AttritoM7 describes contextual takedowns as one of BLACKWOOD's defining combat systems. Anton can finish enemies differently depending on his position and what is available around him, making the environment part of close-range encounters.

Gunfights are also designed to keep him moving. Anton can dive, slide, and roll between positions while switching between firearms and hand-to-hand attacks instead of relying entirely on stationary cover.

That combination explains the John Wick comparisons surrounding the game more clearly than its story does. The similarity comes from fluid movement between shooting and close combat, along with cinematic executions that depend on how Anton approaches an enemy.

The game is not connected to John Wick, 007, or Grand Theft Auto. Those comparisons are useful shorthand for parts of its action and double-life structure, but BLACKWOOD is an original indie project built around Anton's two contrasting lives.

The September 16 launch begins Anton's story with Act 1, but AttritoM7 has specifically said BLACKWOOD is not an Early Access release.

The complete story is planned across three acts. Act 2 is currently targeted for March 2027, followed by Act 3 in September 2027. Players who buy the game receive those later acts as free updates rather than purchasing them separately.

AttritoM7 says Act 1 includes four main missions alongside multiple side missions and additional content, with the opening chapter offering more than six hours of gameplay.