Former Awesomenauts developers finish the game they were working on when the studio went bankrupt in 2023, and it'll be free for the first 24 hours after release (2025)

Awesomenauts developer Ronimo Games filed for bankruptcy in 2023, bringing a premature end to an unnamed project it had in development. But a year later, four former members of the studio including the CEO got back together to form a new studio called Rangatang and resumed work on the project, which is now set to launch on May 15—and if you grab it within the first 24 hours of release, it's yours to keep forever.

Nubs!: Arena is a multiplayer arena brawler with support for local matches of up to four players, or online PvP for as many as 20. Each player starts with simple weapons but can scavenge for better hardware on the battlefield, or just take them from fallen enemies. "Quick reflexes and roguelite buffs" are key to victory, but you'll also have to avoid spikes, lava, and other deadly hazards.

The good news is that if you do suffer an unfortunate end, you'll turn into a floating star: Survive long enough in that form and you'll be brought back to fight again. Victory goes to the Nub warrior who collects the most stars over the course of five "lightning-quick rounds." The prize? Pride in a job well done, apparently.

This version of Nubs, which is being co-developed by Trifox studio Glowfish Interactive, isn't exactly what was in development at Ronimo when bankruptcy struck. Rangatang co-founder Olivier Thijssen told GamesIndustry in 2024 that Nubs was "a super complex half-finished game with a lot of wires sticking out everywhere" when Ronimo went bankrupt, and that working with a much smaller team at Rangatang meant cutting parts of the game that "we would never be able to complete with a team of less than 25 or 30 people."

"This partnership [between Rangatang and Glowfish Interactive] breathed new life into the project, giving the team the opportunity to not only refine upon their original vision but also to salvage and repurpose a vast number of assets from their previous work," a March Steam update says.

"Instead of starting from scratch, they reworked existing designs, environments, and mechanics, ensuring that the heart of their original game lived on in Nubs!. With renewed determination, they pressed forward, transforming setbacks into opportunities and crafting an experience that hopefully everyone will enjoy!"

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Nubs!: Arena is available for wishlisting now on Steam and will launch on May 15, and for the first 24 hours of release will be free to keep.