Joshua Boggs, developer of mobile noir puzzle game Framed, has unveiled his latest project at the Xbox Partner Preview event today: an occult, noir, stealth game entitled Sleight of Hand.
Sleight of Hand follows a former private detective known as Lady Luck as she works to take down her former coven using dark magic. It takes place in Steeple City, where Lady Luck will use a customizable deck of cursed cards to cast spells, evade capture by her enemies, and perform stealth kills.
While Boggs made Framed with Loveshack Entertainment, Sleight of Hand is the project of his new studio, RiffRaff Games. Based in Wellington, New Zealand, Sleight of Hand has been previously teased under the codename “Smoke,” but with few other details shared.
Notably, Boggs’ previous work on Framed was praised by Hideo Kojima as the Death Stranding developer’s favorite game of 2014, and Boggs similarly shared his reverance for Kojima’s work as part of the inspiration for Sleight of Hand.
“Making this game has been a long-time dream of mine,” he says. “It combines my love of Kojima’s brilliant pioneering work in Tactical Espionage Action with Metal Gear Solid and my obsessive desire to push the envelope in making new gameplay experiences.
“In typical ‘me fashion’ (as the team here would say), I’ve sought to turn the genre on its head with a healthy dose of innovative card play. It’s been a hard road, honestly the hardest project I’ve worked on, but I am so honoured to walk side by side with this team as we push the stealth action genre in a brand new direction.”
Framed is expected to launch on Xbox Series X, S, and PC via Xbox Game Pass in 2025. For more, check out everything announced at today’s Xbox Partner Preview event.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
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