Matelotes Revealed at Gamescom 2026: A Whimsical Viking Adventure Across the Open Sea
Explore Mysterious Islands, Settle Disputes and Lead Your Cartoon Longship
FGS Live from Gamescom 2026 brought another wave of announcements directly from the show floor in Cologne, including Matelotes, a colourful adventure set across a mysterious island world.
Players take command of a distinctive cartoon-style longship, travelling between islands, meeting their inhabitants and dealing with the various problems and conflicts they encounter along the way.
Set Sail Into a Colourful Viking World
Matelotes offers a very different interpretation of Viking-inspired adventures.
Rather than focusing exclusively on brutal combat and historical realism, the game embraces a stylised, colourful and humorous world.
Your longship becomes the centre of your journey as you travel across the sea and discover new islands.
Each location can introduce new characters, stories and challenges.
Explore the Islands
Exploration is at the heart of Matelotes.
Players will sail between islands, discover their communities and learn about the problems affecting them.
Not every situation has to be solved with violence.
The game puts an emphasis on interaction and resolving conflicts, giving players alternatives to simply fighting their way through every encounter.
A World Full of Problems to Solve
One of the most interesting elements showcased during FGS Live was the focus on settling disputes.
The player isn’t simply an adventurer passing through each island.
Their actions can involve helping local inhabitants, understanding their problems and finding solutions to conflicts.
This gives each location the potential to feel like its own small story.
Your Longship Is Your Base
The longship is much more than transportation.
It acts as the player’s connection between the different islands and gives the adventure its distinctive structure.
The gameplay loop can be summed up as:
Sail → Explore → Meet Characters → Solve Problems → Set Sail Again
This creates a relaxed rhythm that separates Matelotes from more traditional action-heavy Viking games.
A Lighter Side of Gamescom
Gamescom 2026 has featured plenty of dark horror games, shooters and intense action titles.
Matelotes provides something completely different.
Its colourful visuals, humorous tone and emphasis on exploration give it a much more relaxed personality.
It could appeal particularly strongly to players looking for an adventure they can enjoy without the constant pressure of combat.
A Unique Visual Identity
The game’s cartoon-inspired presentation immediately catches the eye.
The characters, ships and environments have a playful appearance that gives Matelotes a strong identity.
Rather than attempting photorealism, the developers are leaning into stylisation and personality.
That approach could help the game stand out in an increasingly crowded indie market.
Coming to Steam Early Access
Matelotes is planned to enter Steam Early Access in 2027.
An exact release date has not yet been announced.
The Early Access launch should give the developers an opportunity to continue expanding the world, gameplay systems and island adventures based on player feedback.
Why Matelotes Is Worth Watching
Matelotes combines several elements rarely seen together:
🛶 Viking-inspired exploration
🌊 Sailing between islands
🏝️ Open-world-style discovery
🤝 Conflict resolution
🎭 Cartoon presentation
🧭 Adventure and exploration
Its biggest strength may simply be its personality.
It doesn’t appear to be trying to become the biggest Viking game on the market.
Instead, it is creating its own colourful and unusual interpretation of the genre.
FGS Live from Gamescom Continues
Matelotes was part of FGS Live from Gamescom 2026, the continuation of the Future Games Show broadcast directly from the Gamescom show floor.
The presentation expanded the event’s lineup with additional trailers, interviews and announcements.
At New Format, we’ll continue covering these games individually, keeping the same dedicated format for each reveal.
Matelotes
Genre: Adventure / Exploration
Setting: Viking-inspired fantasy world
Platform: PC
Release: Steam Early Access — 2027
A longship.
A sea full of mysterious islands.
And countless stories waiting beyond the horizon.
The voyage begins in 2027. 🛶🌊🎮
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