What is After the AI Takeover?
Kellian: After the AI Takeover is an open-world, post-apocalyptic 3D survival shooter set in a real Doncaster that artificial intelligence has taken over. You scavenge, survive and fight robots with Kellian, a purple alien, as your companion.
Today it's a single-player survival game, with block building on the ruined plots as a test version: clear a plot and it flips into a safe alternate reality where you build. The long-term plan is a shared multiplayer world where players rebuild the town together.
Is the game playable yet?
Playable Now in Development Build
Yes, in a development build in Unreal Engine 5, where it is played and tested as it is made. It isn't available to the public yet. Preparing a downloadable PC demonstration is part of the current work.
Will it be released on Steam?
Planned Feature
A Windows PC release on Steam is planned. There's no release date yet, and release details will be announced on this site when they're confirmed.
Will it support multiplayer?
Planned Feature Long-Term Vision
Multiplayer is planned but not built yet. The next step is initial networking and two-player co-op testing, then a small shared neighbourhood. A persistent world where the whole town is rebuilt together is the long-term vision.
Can I rebuild my own house?
Playable Now in Development Build Planned Feature
Yes, in blocks. Every real building inside the map stands as a ruin on its real outline, yours included if it’s inside the walls. In the development build you can clear any ruined plot and build on it with blocks, in a cartoon or a realistic style. Once you’ve claimed it, it flips into a safe alternate reality the robots can’t reach.
It’s a test version today: crafting, more block shapes and more crops are planned. Rebuilding houses as realistic copies isn’t the plan any more; Doncaster’s landmarks are the part that will be built realistically. How rebuilding works.
Is it like the block-building games?
Playable Now in Development Build
On the plots you clear, it plays like the block-building games you know: break, place, dig and farm, with circuits (Leccy) to come. But it’s our own, with its own blocks, pictures and sounds, and Kellian helping you build.
The difference is where it happens: your block plot sits inside a realistic, ruined Doncaster, and the danger is out on the real streets, where you scavenge for everything you need.
Is it safe to build?
Playable Now in Development Build
Yes. A plot you’ve claimed is a separate reality. While you’re inside it, robots can’t see, hear or hurt you, they walk straight through your builds without touching them, and nobody can shoot across realities: not them at you, and not you at them. Step back onto the street and they can see you again.
Supplies only come from the real streets, so you still have to go out for them. An optional setting where a plot’s edge sometimes fails is being considered; it would be off by default.
Is the map based on real Doncaster?
Playable Now in Development Build
Yes. The streets, river, railway and building outlines come from OpenStreetMap and Ordnance Survey open data, placed where they really are. Every real street inside the map's walls is in, covering parts of DN1, DN2 and DN3 from Kirk Sandall and Edenthorpe to Wheatley, Intake and the town centre.
It's a ruined version, ten years after the takeover: most houses are rubble or shells for now, and landmarks such as Doncaster Minster are still to come. More on the world.
Will the game be free to Doncaster residents?
Exploring Options
That's an ambition, not a promise. The idea is that genuine Doncaster residents shouldn't have to pay just to explore their hometown. How eligibility would be checked, and how it would work on Steam, haven't been decided, so it isn't a guaranteed offer.
When will it be released?
There's no release date yet. The game is coming soon and in development; the roadmap shows what's built and what's next, and the development log is updated as work happens.
Will I have to pay real money to play?
Exploring Options
The price and business model haven't been decided. One principle is fixed: essential gameplay won't depend on paying real money.
Are the screenshots real?
Yes. Every screenshot on this site is a genuine capture from the game in Unreal Engine 5. Some use cinematic cameras and staged encounters; others are labelled “Play test” and were captured during play. There's no concept art presented as gameplay. The title artwork on the home page and Behind the Scenes is AI-made artwork, and it's labelled that way.
Is my street in the game?
If it's inside the map's walls, its real layout is in, often with a name plate carrying its real name. The houses on it are ruins, and you can clear one and build on it with blocks. The map will grow beyond its current walls over time.
Who is making it?
A solo, independent developer based in Doncaster, using Unreal Engine 5, automation and AI-assisted tools. Behind the scenes.
Can my business appear in the game?
Doncaster businesses can enquire about a placement at their real location. Businesses & partnerships.
Another question? Email lee@kellian.co.uk.