Crystal Dynamics is reviving the Legacy of Kain franchise in a new form: a crowdfunded graphic novel titled Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – The Dead Shall Rise.
The project, which will launch on the Backerkit crowdfunding platform, reunites established writers and artists to explore Raziel’s origins and further develop the series’ lore outside of video games.
The graphic novel is being assembled by a team with notable genre credits.
Contributors include Joshua Viola (True Believers, It Came From the Multiplex), Angie Hodapp (Unioverse, Shadow Atlas), Juan Samu (Star Wars, Godzilla), Jeremiah Lambert (Masters of the Universe, Transformers), Dave Rapoza (Destiny, Magic: The Gathering) and Aaron Lovett (Monster Train, Inkbound).
Brent Friedman, known for work on Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Call of Duty, will steer the narrative, and Crystal Dynamics will provide guidance on continuity and series canon.
According to the project announcement, the story takes place before the events of the original Soul Reaver games and focuses on Raziel’s time as a Sarafan warrior and the circumstances that led to his alliance with Kain.
This narrative direction positions the graphic novel as a canonical prequel that explicitly ties back to the established Legacy of Kain mythos.
Speaking about his involvement, Joshua Viola described a long personal connection to the series, noting he created a Soul Reaver poster in college and now carries Raziel imagery as a tattoo—an indicator of his commitment to treating the material with care.
He emphasized that working directly with Crystal Dynamics and reuniting with past collaborators has made the project especially meaningful.
The Legacy of Kain franchise originally debuted with Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain on the PlayStation in 1996, and the most recent game, Legacy of Kain: Defiance, released in 2003.
While this new initiative is a non-interactive medium, the brand’s return will be of interest to longtime fans and collectors who follow franchise developments across formats and platforms, including modern conversations around ports and remasters on systems such as the Nintendo Switch and digital storefronts like the Nintendo eShop.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – The Dead Shall Rise will go live on Backerkit soon, and interested readers can register their interest on the campaign page when it becomes available.
The project, which will launch on the Backerkit crowdfunding platform, reunites established writers and artists to explore Raziel’s origins and further develop the series’ lore outside of video games.
The graphic novel is being assembled by a team with notable genre credits.
Contributors include Joshua Viola (True Believers, It Came From the Multiplex), Angie Hodapp (Unioverse, Shadow Atlas), Juan Samu (Star Wars, Godzilla), Jeremiah Lambert (Masters of the Universe, Transformers), Dave Rapoza (Destiny, Magic: The Gathering) and Aaron Lovett (Monster Train, Inkbound).
Brent Friedman, known for work on Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Call of Duty, will steer the narrative, and Crystal Dynamics will provide guidance on continuity and series canon.
According to the project announcement, the story takes place before the events of the original Soul Reaver games and focuses on Raziel’s time as a Sarafan warrior and the circumstances that led to his alliance with Kain.
This narrative direction positions the graphic novel as a canonical prequel that explicitly ties back to the established Legacy of Kain mythos.
Speaking about his involvement, Joshua Viola described a long personal connection to the series, noting he created a Soul Reaver poster in college and now carries Raziel imagery as a tattoo—an indicator of his commitment to treating the material with care.
He emphasized that working directly with Crystal Dynamics and reuniting with past collaborators has made the project especially meaningful.
The Legacy of Kain franchise originally debuted with Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain on the PlayStation in 1996, and the most recent game, Legacy of Kain: Defiance, released in 2003.
While this new initiative is a non-interactive medium, the brand’s return will be of interest to longtime fans and collectors who follow franchise developments across formats and platforms, including modern conversations around ports and remasters on systems such as the Nintendo Switch and digital storefronts like the Nintendo eShop.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – The Dead Shall Rise will go live on Backerkit soon, and interested readers can register their interest on the campaign page when it becomes available.
