It seems that Lies of P studio Neowiz is snipping Pinocchio’s strings in favour of a new public domain IP as new trademark filings point towards a Wizard of Oz-themed adventure.
Following the latest version of Lies of P: Complete Edition, Neowiz is currently in development on its next major release. Despite hitting full-scale production earlier this year, the studio’s next soulslike has yet to be officially revealed.
In a surprise earlier today, fans noticed a new copyright filing within the EU by Neowiz for an upcoming video game. Following the same title structure as the prior game, the upcoming title is dubbed Wonders of O, which sounds like a title based on The Wizard of Oz.
L. Frank Baum’s original book set in the Land of Oz is titled The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which could be why the game is titled Wonders of O. (Honestly, I can’t think of any other reason why.) Additionally, as the original book was released in the year 1900, the story is clearly in the public domain.
With that said, this doesn’t mean that everything will be similar to the iconography that many recall from the iconic 1939 MGM film adaptation, The Wizard of Oz. For example, the iconic ruby slippers were originally silver, the yellow-brick road will have to look slightly different, the emerald city can’t look like the MGM film, and the Wicked Witch of the West may have to be tweaked.
As a fan of The Wizard of Oz, the fantasy world of Baum’s books would make for a brilliant setting for a dark, twisted Soulslike game. (I mean, have you seen Return to Oz?) While the series jumped in popularity again due to the Wicked films, there’s a lot of depth to Baum’s novels that can be plundered for the upcoming game, and a lot of gorgeous iconography to twist.
Of course, this is just one game that Neowiz is working on with the studio currently engaged in multiple projects. While we assume that the game is another Soulslike set within The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, this could be a new style of game altogether, although it seems unlikely.
Additionally, the studio could be working on a direct Lies of P sequel, although it does seem that the studio exhausted most of the iconography from the Pinocchio tale in that first title. Also, it does just seem more fun to explore additional stories outside of the puppet.
As for The Wizard of Oz, there have been a few video game adaptations over the years, although not many, and this would be the most ambitious title by far. The last game directly based on the IP was 2009’s DS RPG The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road, although 2015’s Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. also makes use of the story’s characters for its own uses.
