Digital Bros Acquires Wuchang Fallen Feathers IP Rights for 4 Million Euros

Just a few weeks ago, fans of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, one of 2025’s most talked-about Soulslikes, were blindsided by news that developer Leenzee’s future was uncertain: following the departure of the core development team, the project’s fate seemed sealed.

Reports indicated that Xia Siyuan, the project’s producer and director, was dismissed shortly before the Lunar New Year, and his exit reportedly triggered some important internal changes, with remaining staff refusing to transition into a support role for other projects. This “collapse” left both the studio and the future of the Wuchang IP in total limbo – until now.

Digital Bros Steps In: A €4 Million Rescue Mission

In a major strategic shift, Digital Bros Group (the parent company of 505 Games) announced this Tuesday that it has entered into an agreement with Chengdu Lingze (best known as Leenzee) to officially acquire the Intellectual Property rights for Wuchang: Fallen Feathers.

According to their official statement, the deal was valued at approximately €4 million (RMB 32 million) and grants Digital Bros full ownership of the IP, effectively cutting out any future royalty obligations to the original developer.

“The Transaction secures full ownership of the IP for the Group, enabling full retention of the value generated throughout its lifecycle,” the statement read. By securing the brand, the Italian giant aims to protect the long-term potential of a title that has already proven its commercial strength, besides enhancing their ability to make timely decisions regarding its future development and related investments.

Can an Italian Publisher Fix the Censorship Controversy?

While the acquisition is a financial win, the real story lies in the game's controversial Patch 1.5 for many players. Despite Wuchang: Fallen Feathers selling over 1 million copies and peaking at 130,000 concurrent players on Steam at its launch, it fell victim to some intense pressure within China.

Some Chinese players accused the game of being "anti-Han" or "pro-Manchu" because it allowed players to kill historical Han heroes while leaving Manchu figures largely untouched. This led to a massive "review bombing" campaign in the country, forcing Leenzee to release Patch 1.5, which altered boss fights so that certain enemies no longer died – a move that Western players slammed as incoherent censorship.

Although Digital Bros hasn't addressed the patch directly, the acquisition could change everything. Now that the IP is under European control, the publisher has the final word on creative decisions. And with the statement emphasizing their ability to make "timely decisions regarding future development," there is some chance that the original, uncensored vision of Wuchang could eventually make a comeback. However, we’ll have to wait and see if that truly happens.