Ex-Bungie CEO’s Nekome Nazi Hunter turns WWII into a grindhouse revenge game

This caught my attention because Harold Ryan and other ex‑Bungie talent are known for slick sci‑fi shooters, not grindhouse‑inspired, stylized WW2 revenge fantasies – and that unexpected pivot matters for players who follow studio founders more than franchises.

Nekome Nazi Hunter: A Stylized WW2 Revenge Tale from ex‑Bungie Leadership

• Key Takeaway 1: Probably Monsters, co‑founded by former Bungie CEO Harold Ryan, revealed Nekome Nazi Hunter – a single‑player, third‑person WW2 action game centered on Romani protagonist Vano Nastasu.
• Key Takeaway 2: The teaser leans hard into grindhouse aesthetics, stealth gameplay, brutal finishers, and promises that encounters carry lasting consequences.
• Key Takeaway 3: Art direction favors stylized, almost cartoonish visuals over hyperrealism, which changes how violent subject matter reads on screen.
• Key Takeaway 4: Development is ongoing, with more details expected at GDC in March 2026.

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Publisher|Probably Monsters
Release Date|In development – more details at GDC March 2026
Category|Single‑player, third‑person WW2 action
Platform|TBA
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All we’ve seen publicly is a grisly teaser that introduces Vano Nastasu stalking and dispatching a Nazi soldier with a gleaming blade; the clip closes with a bloodburst and the text, “Many monsters deserve to die. Some monsters deserve to die violently.” Nekome, the title’s namesake word, is Hebrew for revenge, and the game announces itself as a vengeance story in plain sight.

What makes this announcement notable beyond the shock value of its violence is who’s behind it. Harold Ryan and other veterans associated with Bungie bring a development pedigree that often prioritizes tight combat design and systems that support player expression. Translating that to a third‑person melee/stealth framework could produce satisfying mechanical depth rather than nihilistic spectacle alone.

Gameplay descriptions hint at methodical stealth — scouting routes, planning attacks, and executing visceral finishers — alongside a claim that “every encounter will carry lasting consequences.” That phrasing points toward persistent outcomes: enemies alerted permanently, story beats affected by who lives or dies, or emergent systems where one choice reshapes later missions. It’s tempting to imagine Nemesis‑style ripples, but the teaser and publisher copy stop short of promising full branching narrative control.

Visually, Nekome Nazi Hunter rejects the current triple‑A push for photorealism. The team leans into a stylized, almost cartoonish look — think more We Happy Few than The Last of Us — which changes how players will emotionally process brutality. Stylization can allow more expressive, theatrical violence without courting grotesque realism, but it also raises questions about tone and taste when handling real historical atrocities.

There are good reasons to be cautiously optimistic. If Probably Monsters channels their experience into punchy, responsive combat and meaningful consequences, Nekome could be a standout single‑player action experience that blends stealth and melee in a unique setting. On the flip side, using WWII and the specific targeting of marginalized groups as backdrop for grindhouse spectacle risks shallow treatment unless the narrative handles the Romani protagonist’s trauma with care and context.

Representation matters here. Making Vano a Romani man whose family was murdered by Nazis changes the stakes from simple revenge fantasy to a story that intersects with real historical persecution. That amplifies the responsibility on the developers to avoid glamorizing violence in ways that strip victims of dignity. How the game frames Vano’s motivations, the consequences of his choices, and the historical framing will be crucial.

What this means for players

• Fans of stylistic action games should watch Nekome for slick melee systems and stealth planning paired with cinematic finishers.
• Players who follow developer leadership will see this as an intriguing creative pivot from ex‑Bungie figures into more genre‑stylized, single‑player storytelling.
• Anyone sensitive to historical representation should monitor how the title treats the Romani experience and the ethics of depicting wartime violence.

Probably Monsters says more will be revealed at GDC in March 2026. Until then, the teaser is a statement of intent — a bold, stylized take that could either be an inventive, systems‑driven revenge tale or a misstep if tone and representation aren’t handled carefully. I’m excited to see the combat reveal and to learn whether the promised “consequences” are mechanical, narrative, or both.

TL;DR: Nekome Nazi Hunter is an unexpected and provocative move from ex‑Bungie leadership — a stylized, single‑player WW2 revenge action game starring a Romani protagonist. The teaser promises stealth, visceral finishers, and consequential encounters. Watch for tone and representation as much as combat details when more shows up at GDC 2026.