Keeper is a story told without words. It’s a third-person atmospheric adventure set in a post-human world, after our time in the sun has long since passed.  

We open on an island, where, in the shadow of a distant mountain peak, there stands a relic from a long-lost time. Although its purpose in this world has long been forgotten, we instantly recognise it as a Lighthouse.  

After eons of lying dormant, the Lighthouse unexpectedly moves. It shudders and shakes, and tumbles to the ground, its ancient masonry cracking apart. But then something even stranger occurs… its broken pieces of rubble reassemble, and it stands up once more – but now on newly formed legs. It has awakened.   

As the Lighthouse stumbles clumsily and learns to walk, it finds itself taken with a mysterious sense of purpose and, finding its footing, sets off toward the center of the island, toward the mountain. 

It has stood alone for countless years, but now the Lighthouse finds companionship in a curious and spirited seabird, who encounters the Lighthouse while seeking refuge from a creeping malevolent presence spreading throughout the isle. The Lighthouse discovers that its bright beam of light is able to affect the flora and fauna, and even seems to ward off the withering tendrils spreading throughout the world around it.  

Meanwhile the bird proves to be a useful and dextrous ally, able to interact with strange and ancient mechanisms. Together, these two unlikely friends set off together on an epic adventure, an odyssey of mystifying metamorphosis, and a journey that will take them into realms beyond understanding. 

Keeper Origins 

The Creative Lead behind Keeper is Lee Petty, who joined Double Fine many moons ago as the Art Director for Brütal Legend. Along with lending his talents to Broken Age, and Psychonauts 2, Lee has been Creative Lead on numerous projects including the matryoshka doll themed puzzle adventure Stacking, shag carpeted, sci-fi side-scroller, Headlander, and neon-colored, post-post-apocalyptic roguelike, RAD. 

Though eagle-eyed fans know there are elements and themes that connect each of Lee’s games together, and perhaps will spot some in Keeper too, this new game was developed with a slightly different approach. 

From solving puzzles by assuming different personalities, to randomly developing new mutant super powers as you charge through the wasteland, Stacking, Headlander, and RAD are all games which had an easily describable gameplay hook defined from the very start of production. In other words, they had a simple elevator pitch at their hearts. 

When it came time to work on a new project, Lee was keen to start from a place that could not be so simply categorized by its genre, defined by its mechanics, or summarized by its setting. Instead, he wanted to explore the blurring of genres and to create room for something more atmospheric – a space for the player to really live inside, and take in the vibes. He wanted to give this new game the space to breathe, and develop naturally as the team engaged with it. 

As Lee and a small team started to put pen to paper and collect their ideas, an unexpected world event would provide a key influence.  

In 2020, the global pandemic and subsequent lockdown kept us away from one another in a way we weren’t used to. We spent a lot of time in our homes, away from society, socially distanced. Seeking a change of scenery Lee would wander the hills and trails near his home on quiet hikes with his family, and he started to ponder on this situation we were all in, on humanity’s ultimate fate; if our time came to an end, what would be next for life on earth? 

He dwelled on isolation, he ruminated on companionship, and as these themes coalesced, the sketchbooks started to fill, and the game you saw today began to take shape…  

Working on a game in this way has ultimately led us to a very curious and unique place. Keeper is about the unexpected. It’s a reality bending experience full of surprise, absurdity and delight, in which you’ll never know quite what will happen next. It’s atmospheric, and at times psychedelic and surreal. We have high hopes that fans of our games will enjoy our strange, otherworldly tale. 

The Keeper Shall Awaken on October 17 

We’re excited for you to experience this journey – and the wait isn’t long at all. On October 17, 2025, Keeper comes to Xbox Series X|S, Xbox PC, Xbox Cloud, Steam, and you can play it on day one with Game Pass. And with Xbox Play Anywhere, a single purchase lets you play on Xbox consoles and Xbox PC with full cross-saves – at no additional cost. 

Keeper

Xbox Game Studios

☆☆☆☆☆

★★★★★

Get it now

From Lee Petty and Double Fine Productions, Keeper is a beautiful and surreal otherworldly adventure, and a story told without words. On an island in a long-lost sea, a forgotten lighthouse stands dormant in the shadow of a distant mountain peak. As withering tendrils spread and coalesce, it awakens. Taken with a mysterious sense of purpose and joined by a spirited seabird, it embarks upon a heartening tale of unlikely companionship, an odyssey of mystifying metamorphosis, and an unexpected journey towards the center of the island, into realms beyond understanding.