# Out of Words
**Out of Words** is an upcoming cooperative platformer adventure video game developed by the game studio Kong Orange, the stop-motion animation studio WiredFly, and the poet Morten Søndergaard, and published by Epic Games Publishing.[1](https://www.gematsu.com/games/out-of-words) Two players take the roles of Kurt and Karla, two children who have landed in the handcrafted realm of Vokabulantis without their mouths and must recover their lost voices in a story about the first time they held hands.[2](https://www.outofwordsgame.com/) The game was announced on June 6, 2025 at Summer Game Fest for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC, with a [Nintendo Switch 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/nintendo-switch-2) version added on December 11, 2025.[1](https://www.gematsu.com/games/out-of-words)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Genre | 2D co-op action platformer and adventure, playable via online cross-platform or couch co-op[1](https://www.gematsu.com/games/out-of-words) • [2](https://www.outofwordsgame.com/) |
| Developers | Kong Orange, WiredFly, and Morten Søndergaard; publisher Epic Games Publishing[1](https://www.gematsu.com/games/out-of-words) |
| Platforms | PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Epic Games Store), Nintendo Switch 2[1](https://www.gematsu.com/games/out-of-words) • [3](https://www.gamespot.com/games/out-of-words/) |
| Announcement | June 6, 2025, at Summer Game Fest[1](https://www.gematsu.com/games/out-of-words) |
| Release status | Delayed from a December 31, 2026 target to early 2027; some databases still list December 31, 2026[4](https://www.vice.com/en/article/new-claymation-co-op-game-gets-hit-with-big-delay/) • [3](https://www.gamespot.com/games/out-of-words/) |
| Setting | Vokabulantis, including the clay skyscrapers of Nounberg and ancient catacombs[2](https://www.outofwordsgame.com/) |
| Visual method | Hand-crafted models and stop-motion animation rendered in Unreal Engine 5[5](https://www.shacknews.com/article/149500/out-of-words-summer-game-fest-2026-preview) • [6](https://www.creativebloq.com/3d/video-game-design/see-the-painstaking-craft-behind-unreal-engine-5-stop-motion-game-out-of-words) |
## Premise and gameplay
The story follows Kurt and Karla, who become entangled in a battle for the future of the world and their friendship while falling in love.[1](https://www.gematsu.com/games/out-of-words) Because the two have lost their mouths, they cannot speak, and the game's world is otherwise wholesome: a Shacknews preview from Summer Game Fest 2026 described a setting where the only darkness comes from the lead characters themselves, whose shadows eventually give chase in later, tenser portions of the story.[5](https://www.shacknews.com/article/149500/out-of-words-summer-game-fest-2026-preview)
The game is strictly co-op, requiring cooperation, communication, and timing between the two players.[2](https://www.outofwordsgame.com/) Puzzles are physics-based and include gravity-manipulating mechanics, set in locations such as ancient catacombs and the clay skyscrapers of Nounberg.[2](https://www.outofwordsgame.com/) • [7](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/co-op/this-seriously-pretty-couch-co-op-platformer-looks-like-a-stop-motion-it-takes-two-where-everything-has-been-crafted-by-hand-and-i-need-it-in-my-veins-yesterday/) Lead designer Jeff Sparks said the mechanics were deliberately rooted in the narrative, and [PC Gamer](https://www.edgepedia.org/pc-gamer)'s preview noted that how the protagonists play changes throughout the journey to reflect the emotions and story connecting the two children.[8](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/co-op/co-op-stop-motion-adventure-out-of-words-could-be-the-next-it-takes-two/) • [9](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/puzzle/out-of-words-features-one-of-the-cutest-videogame-characters-ive-ever-seen-but-theres-a-tinge-of-kafkaesque-darkness-to-it-too/)
## Handcrafted production
Every character, environment, and prop is built as a physical, hand-crafted model and animated with stop-motion techniques, then brought into [Unreal Engine 5](https://www.edgepedia.org/unreal-engine-5).[5](https://www.shacknews.com/article/149500/out-of-words-summer-game-fest-2026-preview) • [6](https://www.creativebloq.com/3d/video-game-design/see-the-painstaking-craft-behind-unreal-engine-5-stop-motion-game-out-of-words) Art director Mikkel Maltesen has presented behind-the-scenes videos on the construction of Prince, the protagonists' older brother and guide, who is the only character with the ability to speak.[6](https://www.creativebloq.com/3d/video-game-design/see-the-painstaking-craft-behind-unreal-engine-5-stop-motion-game-out-of-words)
## Origins
The project originated with Johan Oettinger, founder of the animation studio WiredFly, and the Danish poet Morten Søndergaard. Oettinger, a filmmaker rather than a game specialist, asked Kong Orange for help as early as 2015. As a child he had become attached to stop motion in games through [The Neverhood](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-neverhood), Neverhood Inc's stop-motion point-and-click adventure. Oettinger and Søndergaard originally planned a stop-motion short film with a small companion game, then decided to fully assimilate the film into the game instead.[8](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/co-op/co-op-stop-motion-adventure-out-of-words-could-be-the-next-it-takes-two/)
## Release
The game was announced for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC on June 6, 2025, and a Switch 2 version was added on December 11, 2025, to launch alongside the previously announced versions.[1](https://www.gematsu.com/games/out-of-words) A December 31, 2026 date circulated on store and database listings,[3](https://www.gamespot.com/games/out-of-words) • [10](https://wheniscoming.com/en/game/out-of-words) but the developers later announced a delay, with an official statement citing "early 2027" as the new release window, roughly January through April.[4](https://www.vice.com/en/article/new-claymation-co-op-game-gets-hit-with-big-delay/) The release tracker Kadence lists the launch as expected in Q1 2027 while marking the date unconfirmed, since no official announcement backing it has been verified.[11](https://kadence.media/series/out-of-words-g347645) The delay was attributed to the handcraft method itself: each unique detail is made with passion and dedication, which puts the schedule slightly behind.[12](https://gameliner.nl/nieuws/out-of-words-uitgesteld-naar-vroeg-2027/54674)
## References
1. [Out of Words, Gematsu](https://www.gematsu.com/games/out-of-words)
2. [Out of Words official website](https://www.outofwordsgame.com/)
3. [Out of Words, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/games/out-of-words/)
4. [New Stop Motion Co-Op Game Gets Hit with Big Delay, Vice](https://www.vice.com/en/article/new-claymation-co-op-game-gets-hit-with-big-delay/)
5. [Out of Words is set in a world where the only darkness comes from the lead characters, Shacknews](https://www.shacknews.com/article/149500/out-of-words-summer-game-fest-2026-preview)
6. [See the painstaking craft behind Unreal Engine 5 stop-motion game Out of Words, Creative Bloq](https://www.creativebloq.com/3d/video-game-design/see-the-painstaking-craft-behind-unreal-engine-5-stop-motion-game-out-of-words)
7. [This seriously pretty couch co-op platformer looks like a stop motion It Takes Two, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/co-op/this-seriously-pretty-couch-co-op-platformer-looks-like-a-stop-motion-it-takes-two-where-everything-has-been-crafted-by-hand-and-i-need-it-in-my-veins-yesterday/)
8. [Co-op stop motion adventure Out of Words could be the next It Takes Two, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/co-op/co-op-stop-motion-adventure-out-of-words-could-be-the-next-it-takes-two/)
9. [Out of Words features one of the cutest videogame characters I've ever seen, PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/puzzle/out-of-words-features-one-of-the-cutest-videogame-characters-ive-ever-seen-but-theres-a-tinge-of-kafkaesque-darkness-to-it-too/)
10. [Out of Words - Release Date & Countdown, Wheniscoming](https://wheniscoming.com/en/game/out-of-words)
11. [Out of Words Release Date, Platforms & Where to Buy, Kadence](https://kadence.media/series/out-of-words-g347645)
12. [Out of Words uitgesteld naar vroeg 2027, Gameliner](https://gameliner.nl/nieuws/out-of-words-uitgesteld-naar-vroeg-2027/54674)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Individual game titles › Cancelled and unreleased game titles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license