The Darkest Files News

Watch our Lead Artist Viv Play our The Darkest Files Gamescom Demo

Hi folks!

Did you know how important Steam Wishlists are for indie game studios like ours? They are not only a good way for you to keep track of your anticipated games, but they also really matter to us and here's why:

Wishlists are like a vote of confidence. When you add a game to your Steam Wishlist, you're not just expressing interest, you're also helping to increase its visibility! The more Wishlists a game collects, the more likely it is to be noticed by other players. 🔍

They are also very important on launch day. A high Wishlist count can put a game on Steam's homepage, reaching an even wider audience. And even after the release, it helps other people to discover the game. This means your Wishlist has a great impact on the success of our game!

So, if you're curious about "The Darkest Files," please take a moment to add it to your Steam Wishlist. This way, you're not only supporting us, but you will also receive updates and become a part of our journey! 🧡

Btw: You can also find us on Twitter, Instagram & Co.!
Twitter | Instagram | Tiktok | YouTube | Join our Discord!

We are at Gamescom in Cologne! 🎮 The Darkest Files returns with major improvements and exciting updates. Visit us in the Indie-Arena! 🕵️‍🔍

This year, we developed a brand-new and exclusive demo for Gamescom. For the first time, it will contain German localization with translated subtitles, documents, tutorials and user interface.

Thanks to playtests with the community, we've also introduced new features and polished the gameplay. You can now link documents to draw conclusions. By popular demand, it is now also possible to mark and tag documents and choose between different difficulty levels of the game. We've also improved the accessibility settings of The Darkest Files, for example, introducing mouse-only mode and implementing full controller support. So players can now play with their preferred input device and switch between them seamlessly.



Play The Darkest Files at Gamescom and experience the revised gameplay, as well as a trial run of the court process! 🧡

Wishlist here to help us reach more people with The Darkest Files 🧡

Btw: You can also find us on Twitter, Instagram & Co.!
Twitter | Instagram | Tiktok | YouTube | Join our Discord!

Hi folks,

We are making great progress with the German localization! Since we prioritized making The Darkest Files accessible to a broader audience and our team is international as well, we started developing the game in English.

In our last update we showed you that we incorporated translated subtitles to include our German fans who may prefer playing in their native language. However, for the complete experience translating all documents, tutorials and the little details in the environment is important as well. And that’s exactly what is happening right now! 🥳

Our dedicated team is working tirelessly, so that you will be able to play The Darkest Files in German next month already - at the Gamescom in Cologne! We can't wait to share the German version with you and thank you for your support on this journey!

Wishlist here to help us reach more people with The Darkest Files 🧡



Btw: You can also find us on Twitter, Instagram & Co.!
Twitter | Instagram | Tiktok | YouTube | Join our Discord!

Celebrating 5 Years of impactful gaming with Paintbucket Games! 🎊

Founded in 2018 by Jörg Friedrich and Sebastian St. Schulz, our studio Paintbucket Games had its 5th birthday on April 24th and won the DCP award "Studio of the Year'' this May. Last week we celebrated with a cozy get-together in Berlin. Colleagues, former colleagues, and friends gathered to commemorate this milestone. We had such a good time and are thankful for our studio's remarkable journey and the positive impact our historical and political games have made in the gaming industry. 🧡

We were reminiscing about our great time together and our beginnings with our debut game, "Through the Darkest of Times", which secured numerous awards in 2020. We are also proud to be such an inclusive team that places great value on its members and on healthy and sustainable growth! These values we represent are reflected in the games we make, like in our current project "The Darkest Files".


Here's to Paintbucket Games and our continued commitment to humanitarian values, strong narratives, and crafting unforgettable gaming experiences. Happy 5th birthday! 🎊🎈


Btw: You can also find us on Twitter, Instagram & Co.!
Twitter | Instagram | Tiktok | YouTube | Join our Discord!