Eldritch Horror is a strategy board game released by Fantasy Flight Games that was first released in 2013. Over the years, the game has seen multiple expansions, but the series has always remained confined to the tabletop—that is, until now.
Recently, software engineering firm Cornerstone Software Development (CSDI) announced its entry into the world of game development. As fans of the series themselves, they have chosen Eldritch Horror as their first project. Eldritch Horror: Digital Edition is, as the name implies, a digital version of the classic board game.
To learn more about this new release, we here at Netto's Game Room were given the opportunity to speak with CSDI ahead of the game's planned 2026 release date, and to get a bit more insight on how game development for a company specializing in software might different from that of a traditional studio.
Hello my name is Ben and I'm one of the co-founders of Netto's Game Room. Before we jump right into discussing your upcoming title, could you tell us a little more about yourself?
Hi, Ben! CSDI is a software engineering firm that's been around for about 40-years now. We've spent most of our existence focusing on satellite, GPS and telecommunications software, but eventually added in 3D demonstrations and, hopefully, now games too. We're a small studio based in Pennsylvania, but our team is located all around the United States.
Your company Cornerstone Software Development Inc has been around for quite some time—over 30 years—but as a software developer. What made you decide to branch off into the world of video games, and for Eldritch Horror: Digital Edition to be your first project?
Part of it was just the effect of newer, younger leadership moving into positions. Given our experience where we worked with platforms like Unity, made 3D demos and quite a lot of software, it seemed a natural jump. Eldritch Horror entered into the equation as kind of a eureka moment for the team. We have multiple members who are fans of the old Elder Sign: Omens digital game. One of them was playing it and thought 'this is so good, why weren't there any more?' which was then followed by 'wait, we can do this, why don't we ask if we can make more?'.
How would you say your team's approach to development differs from a studio that specializes in video games?
CSDI largely comes from an engineering and technical background. That means when we set out to make something, even something like a game, we start with basic principles of software engineering as our bedrock and move on from there. Most of us haven't worked with other studios before so we're working off of hearsay here, but that seems pretty different from how many game studios start a project today. In Eldritch Horror's case, one of our first tasks was breaking down the entire game into a series of individual screens, sometimes the exact same screen as the previous save for the position of one card changing, then filling in the transitions of how the software would mechanically move from screen to screen, where data would be stored for retrieval by each screen, things like that.
When it comes to software development, the UI and graphical design goes a long way to help improve user friendliness, but with a video game things are quite a bit different. The graphics go far beyond the menus, and are incorporated in nearly every aspect. Were there any challenges that arose from having to create art for an entire game?
In this case, the heaviest burden of the art was actually done years ago by the brilliant people working for and with Asmodee and Fantasy Flight Games. In every instance possible, we used art from Eldritch Horror or the related games to keep the same feel and tone as players have when playing the actual tabletop game. It was the UI where we had to start making original assets and that did end up being more of a challenge like what you describe. It was a lot like being an artistic ghost writer where you couldn't just make what you thought would be good, but had to also capture the essence and style of the giants who came before you. The lead UI designer actually spent a considerable chunk of time in the beginning just analyzing the use of color and fonts in Eldritch Horror so we could keep consistent.
Eldritch Horror, the board game, originally released in 2013 and has received multiple expansions over the years. For this new Digital Edition will the expansions be included, or is this strictly the original base game?
This release is just the base game. Who knows what the future may hold, but we wanted to focus on giving a solid, stand alone experience for users right out of the gate. Akin to when players experienced the physical game for the first time.
Is the game being expanded in any way to better fit being a video game, or is this a pure recreation of the original board game?
There are numerous changes to increase the speed with which players can jump in and enjoy Eldritch Horror without the large setup and bookkeeping usually involved with playing the board game. The digital edition will highlight and turn off usable/unusable cards in any given situation, prompt a player for when a card or ability could be used even if it's not something you might not normally think of and, of course, handle all of the deck building and shuffling for the encounters. Beyond that, we also commissioned a talented voice cast to bring the game to life for the players. Investigators will be responsive to your actions through character barks and a narrator will help tell your story through encounter and Mythos cards.
As a tabletop strategy game, how difficult would you say it is to learn how to play Eldritch Horror, and does the Digital Edition help ease new players in?
The digital edition will actually feature a tutorial to help in that very transition, so it will be quite accessible to new players! The physical version of the game always struck me as easy to start, but difficult to master. Norman Withers is a good example of this as many players, us included, probably didn't realize right away that his ability could be used to grant a re-roll on a die even if he was not holding a clue since it can reduce the clue cost to 0. This is not to say having that kind of complexity is bad though: it's quite good! Depth is one of the most sought after things in strategy gaming and Eldritch Horror provides that in spades.
Although the game supports up to eight players, will there be options to play with less or to face off against AI opponents?
Eldritch Horror, both tabletop and digital, is a cooperative game where players work together. The digital edition will allow a fewer number of players or even one player controlling eight investigators, just like its physical counterpart. One of our dev team actually used to quite enjoy trying to find ways to win games with only a single investigator (unsurprisingly, it turns out it is fairly difficult).
Following the release Eldritch Horror: Digital Edition does the team plan to continue developing games going forward?
We're certainly hoping so! We would love to continue having this wing of CSDI keep helping people tell new stories going forward.
And just for fun, is there any other board game you would love to bring to life if given the chance?
That's going to vary from team member to team member. Some of the responses we got included Mansions of Madness and Pandemic (which would be a remake) along with Arkham Horror: The Card Game.
Eldritch Horror: Digital Edition is set for release during Q1 of 2026, and can be added to your wishlist on Steam today.
About Eldritch Horror: Digital Edition
Chase down the occult. Battle terrible monsters. Stop the Ancient Ones.
Experience a journey like no other in this narrative board game. The award-winning board game has been brought to life for the first time in an adaptation that will challenge your skills, assault your sanity and reward determination. Lead a diverse team of investigators in a globe-spanning adventure to stop the rise of the Ancient Ones: eldritch powers beyond comprehension that will destroy the entire world if awoken.
This turn-based adventure features hundreds of encounters, dozens of items and multiple Ancient Ones to pit your party against. A dynamic encounter system will change with your choices and challenge your strategies ensuring unique playthroughs and a world shaped by your decisions. In victory or defeat, this will be your story to sear across the cosmos.
Face The Horror As Never Before
- A world steeped in rich lore and atmosphere. Craft a tale for the ages by combining cards to choose both your challenges and your tools for overcoming them.
- Lead a team of iconic characters. Assemble spies, cultists, soldiers, shamans, psychics and more on your quest against the Ancient Ones.
- Get straight to the action. A new medium handles the bookkeeping for you: allowing you to focus on the choices that matter.
- Be immersed in the world as never before. Voiced characters and a rich score draw you in to uncover occult secrets. A watchful guide will narrate your tale as you press forward.
- Select from multiple difficulties and Ancient Ones to ensure that the story told is your story.
Trailer:
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