Nekome: Nazi Hunter reframes WWII as a Romani revenge tale

ProbablyMonsters’ Nekome: Nazi Hunter reframes a World War II action-adventure as a personal revenge story told from the perspective of civilians rather than soldiers. A pre-alpha demo shown at the Game Developers Conference outlined the basics: an early-war campaign that sends players to locations around the world and pairs brutal, free-flowing combat with influences from the Batman: Arkham series and Sifu.

The game centers on Vano, who is of Romani descent, and the studio has worked with a Romani Sinti consultant to shape his story. The Romani faced persecution from the early 1930s, with scholars estimating the wartime death toll between 250,000 and 500,000, and elements of Romani culture—like a distinctive whistle heard in the debut trailer—serve as motifs throughout the game.

The title Nekome is the Yiddish word for revenge. The project began with a Jewish protagonist in an early draft written by Mark Subotnick, but the team chose to shift focus to a Romani lead to bring a perspective that they felt hadn’t been told.

nekome, nazi hunter, probablymonsters, wwii, romani, vano, romani sinti, revenge, gdc, mark subotnick