BLACKWOOD: Act 1 is now available on Steam, opening the first chapter of a dark single-player crime story from developer AttritoM7 Productions and publisher IZilla Games. Set in New York during 2012, the game follows Anton, a man maintaining two radically different identities: he operates what appears to be an ordinary DVD store during the day, while spending his nights as a ruthless assassin.
The release has been structured as the beginning of a larger, three-act experience rather than a standalone first episode. Players who purchase BLACKWOOD during its Act 1 period will receive Acts 2 and 3 as free updates to the same copy of the game. Act 2 is currently planned for March 2027, while Act 3 is planned for September 2027. Those dates remain planned targets, and the game's developers also intend to continue updating the title between the major story releases.
A double life at the center of BLACKWOOD
BLACKWOOD frames its story around Anton's dangerous effort to keep his public and private lives apart. The DVD store provides the cover for a life that, on the surface, sounds routine. At night, however, Anton steps into a far more violent world built around contract killing, criminal pressure, and the consequences of living behind a carefully maintained façade.
The 2012 setting is an important part of the game's identity. A DVD store is not merely a background business in this version of New York; it places Anton in a moment before digital entertainment fully displaced physical media from everyday culture. That backdrop gives the premise a specific period flavor while providing an unusual contrast to the hard-edged assassin action that drives the nighttime portions of the game.
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The developers describe BLACKWOOD as a cinematic, story-focused single-player game. Its structure combines authored missions with side activities and extra material, aiming to deliver a crime thriller where the player's actions are tied to Anton's escalating double life rather than a purely open-ended sandbox.
Grounded gunfights, brutal takedowns, and limited resources
Combat in BLACKWOOD is designed around a grounded and tactical approach. Anton has access to responsive gunplay and close-quarters takedowns, but the game emphasizes preparation and careful decision-making over reckless shooting. Ammunition is limited, meaning each encounter is intended to demand attention to positioning, available resources, and the risks of pushing forward too aggressively.
That focus puts pressure on the player to think beyond simple firepower. A fight can turn quickly when ammunition is scarce, and the promise of brutal takedowns suggests that close-range options will be an important part of surviving the game's more dangerous confrontations. Rather than presenting combat as a continuous power fantasy, BLACKWOOD is positioned around the tension created by tactical encounters and constrained supplies.
The balance between cinematic storytelling and combat will be central to how the full three-act format lands. Anton's daytime work and nighttime profession naturally lend themselves to a story of secrecy, suspicion, and mounting consequences. Meanwhile, the action systems are intended to make the criminal side of his life feel immediate and hazardous, with gunfights carrying weight because players cannot assume there will always be enough ammunition to solve a problem.
What Act 1 includes at launch
Act 1 is said to provide more than six hours of gameplay. Its core storyline is made up of four main missions, supplemented by side missions and additional content. That means the first release is not limited to a short prologue for the later chapters, though it is still the opening part of BLACKWOOD's planned complete narrative.
The full mission outline currently calls for 13 main missions across the three acts:
- Act 1: Four main missions.
- Act 2: Four main missions.
- Act 3: Five main missions.
Act 3's extra mission has a particular narrative purpose. The final act will include an additional main mission to accommodate an alternate ending. Details on what determines that alternate conclusion have not been shared, but its inclusion signals that the final chapter is planned to offer more than a single fixed resolution to Anton's story.
For players approaching the game now, Act 1 is therefore both a substantial opening and an investment in the complete arc as it develops. The current version introduces the world, Anton's divided existence, and the game's combat priorities, while the later acts are expected to broaden the plot and carry it through to its alternate-ending finale.
One purchase, three acts
The central commercial model for BLACKWOOD is straightforward: buying the game during Act 1 grants access to the two future story acts at no added cost. The Steam launch price for Act 1 is $24.99 USD, EUR24.99 EUR, or £23.49 GBP.
The listed price is expected to increase as more of the game becomes available. Once Act 2 arrives, the planned price is $29.99 USD, EUR24.99 EUR, or £23.49 GBP. With Act 3, the planned price rises to $34.99 USD, EUR34.99 EUR, or £33.49 GBP.
For anyone interested in receiving the complete intended three-act story while paying the entry price, the Act 1 launch window is consequently the key period. The developers have explicitly stated that early purchasers will not need to buy the second and third acts separately when they are released. Instead, those chapters will be delivered as updates to the existing game.
It is worth noting that the planned pricing differs by currency and by act, particularly during the Act 2 stage, where the listed euro and pound prices remain at their Act 1 levels while the US dollar amount increases. Players should keep the stated regional pricing in mind when deciding whether to purchase during the first act.
Supporter Edition bonuses
BLACKWOOD also has an optional Supporter Edition priced at $5.00 USD, EUR5.00 EUR, or £4.49 GBP. This add-on includes cosmetic and in-game items for Anton rather than separate story chapters.
- An exclusive cosmetic for Anton
- An exclusive handgun
- 5,000 Dirty Cash
- 500 Clean Cash
The distinction between Dirty Cash and Clean Cash fits the game's double-life premise, although further details on the wider economy and the specific uses of those currencies have not been outlined. The exclusive handgun may be particularly appealing to players who want an additional weapon at the start, while the cosmetic gives supporters a unique visual option for Anton.
More updates planned between the major chapters
The road to Acts 2 and 3 will not consist solely of waiting for the next story drop. AttritoM7 Productions plans to keep developing BLACKWOOD between act releases, with updates that may add new side missions, collectibles, achievements, takedowns, weapons, enemy variations, and other content. Patches and technical improvements are also part of the ongoing plan.
The use of "may" is important: these additions have been identified as potential updates rather than locked guarantees with confirmed schedules. Still, the list gives a useful picture of the areas the team intends to support. Side missions could expand the time players spend in 2012 New York outside the main narrative path, while extra collectibles and achievements may offer more reasons to revisit completed content.
New takedowns, weapons, and enemy variations could also meaningfully affect the tactical action. Because BLACKWOOD places importance on limited ammunition and preparation, even a small expansion to Anton's toolset or to enemy behavior could change how players approach a mission. Technical patches will be equally important as the first act reaches a wider Steam audience and the game continues toward its later chapters.
The beginning of a larger crime story
BLACKWOOD: Act 1 arrives with a clear proposition: a cinematic crime thriller that starts with a DVD store owner's hidden career as an assassin, then grows over two planned free updates for those who buy in early. The first act offers four story missions and more than six hours of gameplay, with side content alongside the central campaign. It also establishes a combat style that asks players to treat ammunition as valuable and encounters as tactical problems rather than automatic shooting galleries.
With Act 2 targeted for March 2027 and Act 3 planned for September 2027, the game's complete narrative remains a work in progress. But the intended scope is already defined: 13 main missions in total, continuing feature updates between chapters, and a concluding act built to support an alternate ending. For Steam players looking for a darker single-player action story with a period New York setting and a long-term three-act release plan, Anton's first night on the job has now begun.
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