Triple-I Initiative returns in October: Aftergods, Waltz and Jam, and demos ready on Steam

The Triple-I Initiative used to show up just once a year, but 2026 has broken that rule. Evil Empire, the studio behind the event, aired a second showcase: a livestream of almost an hour packed with hand-picked trailers and updates on previously announced games. According to GameSpot's coverage, on which this article is based, the broadcast was short but dense, and most of the titles shown already have a demo available on Steam for anyone who wants to try them right away.

Why does this matter to us at Underworld Lordz? Because showcases for high-budget independent games, the so-called triple-I titles, have become the most reliable radar for spotting the next community phenomena. These are the games that fill Twitch streams, spark challenges among friends and, sometimes, end up building a competitive scene of their own. Having two events a year instead of one means more opportunities, and also more noise to filter out.

What you need to know

• A second showcase in the same year. Until now the Triple-I Initiative was an annual event. Evil Empire has decided to double down in 2026.
• Compact format. A stream of roughly one hour, focused on trailers and news about already-known games, with no filler.
• Playable demos right now. GameSpot notes that most of the titles presented have a live demo on Steam.
• Aftergods as the headliner. A top-down survival ARPG set after Ragnarok, with a trailer produced by the team behind the animated series Blood of Zeus and Castlevania.
• Waltz and Jam has a date. Korean studio Flyway Games confirmed the release date for its hand-drawn action adventure.

What was shown and why it counts

Aftergods: the pantheon after the end of the world

The premise of Aftergods is simple and very appealing: Ragnarok has wiped out most of the deities who protected the land, and the survivors of that cataclysm must form a new pantheon to hold back the monsters that have taken advantage of the void. The game is described as a top-down action RPG survivalite, meaning the subgenre of massive waves and quick upgrades popularized by recent titles and which works so well on stream. The most eye-catching detail is who made the reveal trailer: the team responsible for the animated series Blood of Zeus and Castlevania. It is coming to PC, Xbox Series X|S and PS5.

Waltz and Jam: hand-drawn action from Korea

Flyway Games, a Korean studio, used the showcase to put a date on Waltz and Jam, an action adventure with hand-drawn art and a charming tone set in a kind of afterlife. The source does not go into much more detail about the gameplay, so we would rather not speculate. What we do know is that it has a firm date and that it falls into the category of games with a very strong visual identity, the kind that grabs you from a YouTube thumbnail.

Evil Empire's strategy

Beyond the games themselves, the underlying move is organizational. Going from one annual event to two means Evil Empire wants a steadier presence on the calendar and to compete for attention in windows that used to belong only to the big publishers. By betting on a short stream and immediate demos on Steam, the message is clear: fewer distant promises and more playing today.

Our take

We like the format. A showcase under an hour, with no hosts stretching out every segment and with demos ready the moment the broadcast ends, is exactly what we have been asking for over the years. For the team's content creators this is gold: they can stream the show, react, and move on to playing the demo in the same session, without waiting months. That immediacy is the best advertising an independent studio can buy, and Evil Empire seems to have understood that.

That said, there are reasons to be skeptical. The survivalite subgenre is saturated, and Aftergods needs more than a spectacular trailer to stand out. Having the Castlevania and Blood of Zeus team produce it guarantees a gorgeous video, not a deep game. We have seen too many projects with luxurious cinematics and gameplay loops that run dry in two hours. We will judge it once we can sit down with the demo, and we recommend the community do the same before turning it into the next hype train.

There is also an uncomfortable question about frequency. Two Triple-I events a year sound good on paper, but every additional showcase dilutes attention and pressures studios to show things before they are ready. If the second event turns into a collection of minor updates to fill a slot, it will lose the punch that made it relevant. For now the balance is positive, but we will be keeping a close eye on it.

What do you think?

Aftergods promises a visual spectacle and Waltz and Jam has a date, but the endless-waves genre is starting to wear thin for more than a few people. Are you going to try the demos this weekend, or do you think Triple-I is stretching the format too far? Tell us in the team chat or on our Discord.