Double Fine's pottery party brawler Kiln launches April 23 across Xbox Series X/S, Xbox on PC, Xbox Cloud, PlayStation 5, and Steam, with day one availability on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. The game represents an unusual bet for a major publisher; it's whimsical, chaotic, and depends entirely on a premise that sounds ridiculous on paper: competitive clay throwing.
Here's the actual concept. You begin each match by spinning clay on a virtual pottery wheel, shaping it into a vessel of your choosing. A small, nimble pot plays very differently from a large, durable one. The shape you create—bowl, bottle, chalice, plate—determines your character's special ability and combat moves. Once decorated with cosmetics, your handcrafted creation becomes your character in a multiplayer arena.
The main mode is Quench, a 4v4 competition where teams collect water, break through enemy lines, and douse the flames of the enemy's kiln. It's vaguely reminiscent of a MOBA in structure, except your team spawns from literal clay pots you've personally shaped moments before the match begins. Combat is physics-driven, with characters chipping, cracking, and shattering based on the force and angle of impacts rather than pre-set health bars.
The game emerges from an unusually lengthy development cycle. Kiln was selected for prototyping during Double Fine's Amnesia Fortnight in 2017, but spent years in quiet development before its official reveal at Xbox Developer Direct on January 22, 2026. During that time, the concept shifted from a dark, supernatural mood toward the colourful, playful aesthetic now on display.
Project Lead Derek Brand noted that pottery acts as an access point for players who might not want to jump into a multiplayer game. The pottery wheel mechanics use simplified controls, allowing newcomers to create without needing real ceramics experience. Experienced players, however, can invest significant time perfecting their pot designs.
An open beta will run on Steam from April 9-11, with sign-ups now open for closed playtests beforehand. Pre-orders go live during the open beta at USD $19.99 for the standard edition and USD $29.99 for the Fired Up edition, which includes premium cosmetics and bonus in-game currency.
The game ships without integrated voice chat, as Double Fine wants to keep things friendly. Players can coordinate instead through console party systems or Discord. The team is using the beta period to test servers and gather feedback on what players want most, noting they have possibilities for more customization, maps, and modes.
Whether a pottery-based multiplayer brawler finds an audience remains uncertain. The concept is undeniably original, and the execution appears sound based on hands-on impressions. But it occupies strange territory, neither fully a casual creative tool nor a hardcore competitive game. Double Fine's wager is that enough players are curious enough to make and break clay pots together to sustain a multiplayer community. We'll know by May whether that gamble paid off.