# GreedFall

**GreedFall** is an action role-playing game developed by the French studio Spiders and published by Focus Entertainment (then Focus Home Interactive), released on September 10, 2019 for [PlayStation 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-4), [Xbox One](https://www.edgepedia.org/xbox-one), and PC, with later versions for [PlayStation 5](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-5) and Xbox Series X/S<sup>[1](https://www.focus-entmt.com/en/games/greedfall?lang=en)</sup>. Set in a fantasy world inspired by the 17th century and the Age of Exploration, it follows the diplomat De Sardet, who travels to the island of Teer Fradee in search of a cure for the Malichor, a deadly plague ravaging the old continent<sup>[2](https://blog.playstation.com/2019/09/06/10-key-details-about-greedfall-hitting-ps4-september-10/)</sup>. The game sold over 2 million copies and received a mixed-to-positive critical reception, with a Metacritic PC Metascore of 72<sup>[3](https://corporate.nacongaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/PRCORPO_GREEDFALL2_announcement_EN2024.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://www.metacritic.com/game/greedfall/critic-reviews/)</sup>.

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Developer / publisher | Spiders (founded 2008); Focus Entertainment (Focus Home Interactive)<sup>[1](https://www.focus-entmt.com/en/games/greedfall?lang=en)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://corporate.nacongaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/PRCORPO_GREEDFALL2_announcement_EN2024.pdf)</sup> |
| Release | September 10, 2019 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC; later PS5 and Xbox Series X/S<sup>[1](https://www.focus-entmt.com/en/games/greedfall?lang=en)</sup> |
| Setting | The island of Teer Fradee, a 17th-century-inspired new world colonized by competing factions<sup>[2](https://blog.playstation.com/2019/09/06/10-key-details-about-greedfall-hitting-ps4-september-10/)</sup> |
| Protagonist | De Sardet, a noble diplomat of the Merchant Congregation seeking a cure for the Malichor plague; male or female, fully customizable<sup>[2](https://blog.playstation.com/2019/09/06/10-key-details-about-greedfall-hitting-ps4-september-10/)</sup> |
| Companions | Five recruitable companions, two in the party at once, with their own loyalties and possible romances<sup>[2](https://blog.playstation.com/2019/09/06/10-key-details-about-greedfall-hitting-ps4-september-10/)</sup> |
| Reception | Metacritic PC Metascore 72, with 19 positive and 20 mixed reviews and none negative<sup>[4](https://www.metacritic.com/game/greedfall/critic-reviews/)</sup> |
| Sales | Over 2 million copies sold, as reported by NACON in May 2022<sup>[3](https://corporate.nacongaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/PRCORPO_GREEDFALL2_announcement_EN2024.pdf)</sup> |
| Sequel | GreedFall: The Dying World, announced May 2022; Steam early access from September 24, 2024<sup>[3](https://corporate.nacongaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/PRCORPO_GREEDFALL2_announcement_EN2024.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1997660/GreedFall_II_The_Dying_World/)</sup> |

## Setting and story

The game's world is inspired by 17th-century history and the sense of wonder that accompanied the era's exploration and scientific discovery, though the developers state it does not mirror actual colonial history; what happens on the island is left to the player<sup>[2](https://blog.playstation.com/2019/09/06/10-key-details-about-greedfall-hitting-ps4-september-10/)</sup>. Spiders, whose CEO and lead writer Jehanne Rousseau led the project, aimed to give every creature, native tribe, and colonizing faction on Teer Fradee its own history and purpose<sup>[6](https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2019/07/31/behind-the-scenes-rpg-greedfall/)</sup>.

The player character, De Sardet, arrives as a diplomat for the Merchant Congregation, one of several competing powers on the island alongside factions such as the religious Thélème and the [Bridge Alliance](https://www.edgepedia.org/bridge-alliance)<sup>[2](https://blog.playstation.com/2019/09/06/10-key-details-about-greedfall-hitting-ps4-september-10/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/greedfall-review-lost-in-another-world/1900-6417303/)</sup>. Conflicts between these factions threaten the native clans, and the player tips the diplomatic scales through choices in faith, economy, and culture<sup>[2](https://blog.playstation.com/2019/09/06/10-key-details-about-greedfall-hitting-ps4-september-10/)</sup>. Reviewers noted the game's colonial themes: GameSpot criticized the Thélème and Bridge Alliance as moustache-twirling caricatures of evildoers and De Sardet as embodying a "white man's burden" allegory, while the Wireframe review praised the natives as a powerful faction with their own language, accent, culture, and history rather than passive victims<sup>[7](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/greedfall-review-lost-in-another-world/1900-6417303/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[8](https://www.mclibre.org/descargar/docs/revistas/wireframe/wireframe-25-en-201910.pdf)</sup>.

## Gameplay

GreedFall is built around three main aspects of gameplay: exploration, combat, and conversation<sup>[9](https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/greedfall-hands-on-review)</sup>. Quests can be completed in multiple ways, through combat, diplomacy, deception, or stealth<sup>[1](https://www.focus-entmt.com/en/games/greedfall?lang=en)</sup>, and choices affect the world, other characters' perceptions, and which of the multiple endings the player experiences<sup>[2](https://blog.playstation.com/2019/09/06/10-key-details-about-greedfall-hitting-ps4-september-10/)</sup>.

**Character progression.** The game offers a skill tree of over 80 skills covering giant weapons, traps, poisoned blades, and magic, plus talents for lockpicking, diplomacy, athletics, crafting, and finding items in the wild<sup>[2](https://blog.playstation.com/2019/09/06/10-key-details-about-greedfall-hitting-ps4-september-10/)</sup>. Tom's Guide describes three separate skill trees, one for noncombat abilities, and gear customization that lets players shape De Sardet as their own creation<sup>[9](https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/greedfall-hands-on-review)</sup>. Crafting lets players customize equipment from blade to hilt to pommel, altering both appearance and stats, and craft potions, traps, and poisons<sup>[2](https://blog.playstation.com/2019/09/06/10-key-details-about-greedfall-hitting-ps4-september-10/)</sup>.

**Combat.** Combat is real-time, in the style of [The Witcher](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-witcher) series, with dodging and parrying, and includes an active-pause function for tactical decisions<sup>[10](https://rpgamer.com/review/greedfall-review/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[8](https://www.mclibre.org/descargar/docs/revistas/wireframe/wireframe-25-en-201910.pdf)</sup>. Reviewers judged it workable but shallow: bit-tech called it "a bit flat" and lacking snap, while GameSpot noted the flexibility to break out of standard classes through the skill trees<sup>[11](https://www.bit-tech.net/reviews/greedfall-review/1/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/greedfall-review-lost-in-another-world/1900-6417303/)</sup>. Four difficulty settings range from a story-driven mode focused on characters and diplomacy to a combat-focused mode for RPG experts<sup>[2](https://blog.playstation.com/2019/09/06/10-key-details-about-greedfall-hitting-ps4-september-10/)</sup>.

**Structure.** The game uses a hub-like design reminiscent of [Dragon Age: Origins](https://www.edgepedia.org/dragon-age-origins), with semi-open areas to map out and explore<sup>[10](https://rpgamer.com/review/greedfall-review/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/greedfall-hands-on-review)</sup>.

## Reception

The PC Metascore of 72 reflects a split critical response: 19 reviews were positive and 20 mixed, with none negative<sup>[4](https://www.metacritic.com/game/greedfall/critic-reviews/)</sup>. Reviewers consistently compared GreedFall to BioWare's Dragon Age series and CD Projekt Red's The Witcher 3. GameSpot called its greatest strength how well it sticks to tried-and-tested genre design, drawing constant mental comparisons to The Witcher 3<sup>[7](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/greedfall-review-lost-in-another-world/1900-6417303/)</sup>. Tom's Guide found it not as deep as either [Dragon Age](https://www.edgepedia.org/dragon-age) or The Witcher but an easy recommendation for fans of companions and semi-open-world exploration, and praised the setting as proof that fantasy RPGs need not retread Tolkien<sup>[9](https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/greedfall-hands-on-review)</sup>. [PC Gamer](https://www.edgepedia.org/pc-gamer)'s verdict was that GreedFall "is not the heir to the Dragon Age throne, but it is, in a word, adequate"<sup>[12](https://www.pcgamer.com/greedfall-review/)</sup>. Metacritic-listed reviews highlighted the game's difficult choices on the island and its diverse roleplaying and combat systems<sup>[4](https://www.metacritic.com/game/greedfall/critic-reviews/)</sup>.

Common criticisms concerned budget-driven jank: repeating voice lines, poor animations, subtitle spelling errors, rough AI, and limited character creation<sup>[8](https://www.mclibre.org/descargar/docs/revistas/wireframe/wireframe-25-en-201910.pdf)</sup>. TechRaptor summarized the game as overly ambitious and failing more than it succeeds, but carried by the studio's passion<sup>[13](https://techraptor.net/gaming/reviews/greedfall-review)</sup>.

## Later releases and sequel

A Gold Edition bundles the base game with The de Vespe Conspiracy story expansion, and the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions run at 4K with 60 FPS in performance mode<sup>[1](https://www.focus-entmt.com/en/games/greedfall?lang=en)</sup>.

In May 2022, NACON and Spiders announced GreedFall 2, citing the first game's over 2 million copies sold<sup>[3](https://corporate.nacongaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/PRCORPO_GREEDFALL2_announcement_EN2024.pdf)</sup>. The sequel, ultimately titled [GreedFall: The Dying World](https://www.edgepedia.org/greedfall-the-dying-world), is a prequel set three years before the first game in which the player is a native of Teer Fradee taken to the continent of Gacane<sup>[3](https://corporate.nacongaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/PRCORPO_GREEDFALL2_announcement_EN2024.pdf)</sup>. It entered Steam early access on September 24, 2024<sup>[5](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1997660/GreedFall_II_The_Dying_World/)</sup> and replaced the first game's action combat with a real-time-with-pause tactical system close to Dragon Age: Origins, a change that PC Gamer's review of the 1.0 release found mushy and overlong, alongside bugs and soft locks after two years in early access<sup>[14](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/greedfall-the-dying-world-review)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[15](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/after-two-years-in-early-access-greedfall-the-dying-world-still-feels-unfinished/)</sup>.

## References

1. [GreedFall, Focus Entertainment](https://www.focus-entmt.com/en/games/greedfall?lang=en)
2. [10 Key Details About GreedFall, PlayStation.Blog](https://blog.playstation.com/2019/09/06/10-key-details-about-greedfall-hitting-ps4-september-10/)
3. [NACON press release: First images of GreedFall 2, May 18, 2022](https://corporate.nacongaming.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/PRCORPO_GREEDFALL2_announcement_EN2024.pdf)
4. [GreedFall critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/greedfall/critic-reviews/)
5. [GreedFall: The Dying World on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1997660/GreedFall_II_The_Dying_World/)
6. [Behind-the-Scenes of the RPG GreedFall, Xbox Wire](https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2019/07/31/behind-the-scenes-rpg-greedfall/)
7. [Greedfall Review – Lost In Another World, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/greedfall-review-lost-in-another-world/1900-6417303/)
8. [GreedFall review, Wireframe issue 25 (October 2019)](https://www.mclibre.org/descargar/docs/revistas/wireframe/wireframe-25-en-201910.pdf)
9. [GreedFall Review: A Different Kind of Fantasy RPG, Tom's Guide](https://www.tomsguide.com/reviews/greedfall-hands-on-review)
10. [GreedFall Review, RPGamer](https://rpgamer.com/review/greedfall-review/)
11. [Greedfall Review, bit-tech.net](https://www.bit-tech.net/reviews/greedfall-review/1/)
12. [GreedFall review, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/greedfall-review/)
13. [GreedFall Review, TechRaptor](https://techraptor.net/gaming/reviews/greedfall-review)
14. [GreedFall: The Dying World review, TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/greedfall-the-dying-world-review)
15. [After 2 years in early access, Greedfall: The Dying World still feels unfinished, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/after-two-years-in-early-access-greedfall-the-dying-world-still-feels-unfinished/)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Game genres › Action, adventure, and role-playing games › Western role-playing games*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*

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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license