Studio MDHR’s Twin Cuphead Projects Redefine the Franchise’s Future
Studio MDHR’s new Cuphead projects refer to a pair of announced games—a mainline hand-animated sequel and an 8-bit spin-off—that expand the original run-and-gun platformer’s distinctive mix of intense boss battles, precise controls, and stylized visuals into both high-fidelity cartoon animation and deliberately retro pixel art experiences across modern platforms. At Summer Game Fest, the studio revealed a stop-motion teaser for a brand-new hand-animated Cuphead game, signaling the first full follow-up to the 2017 original and its Delicious Last Course expansion. No title, footage, or release window accompanied the reveal, and Studio MDHR stressed that development remains in the early stages. Alongside this long-term project, the studio announced Mighty Cuphead Adventure, an 8-bit action platformer built by a smaller internal team. Together, the two titles show a deliberate expansion strategy that treats Cuphead as a flexible platform for both traditional and experimental directions.
A New Hand-Animated Cuphead Game in Early Development
The headline-grabbing Studio MDHR announcement is the confirmation that a new hand-animated Cuphead game is underway. Revealed through a stop-motion trailer created with Toronto’s Stop Motion Department and Continue Agency, the project has no official title yet, and the studio has not confirmed whether it will be called Cuphead 2. According to MobileSyrup, Studio MDHR described this Cuphead new game as being in the “early stages” of development, with no release window in sight. For fans, the promise lies in the return of painstaking, hand-drawn animation and the challenging boss-centric design that defined the original hand-animated platformer. With the first Cuphead having launched in 2017 and its Delicious Last Course expansion arriving later, this new project represents the first substantial, mainline continuation of the series in years, hinting at fresh levels, bosses, and perhaps new co-op twists.
Mighty Cuphead Adventure Brings an 8-Bit Spin-Off to Modern Systems
Mighty Cuphead Adventure is Studio MDHR’s unexpected retro experiment: an 8-bit action platformer that drops Cuphead and Mugman into a classic run-and-gun framework. Built by a smaller team inside the studio, the game was programmed in Assembly Language and designed to the specifications of the Sega Master System, giving it a faithful old-school feel while still heading to consoles and PC. MobileSyrup notes that the project was built using Sega Master System–era technology, underscoring how far the team has gone to capture authentic hardware limits. In contrast to the hand-animated platformer roots of the main series, this spin-off trades 1930s cartoon flourishes for chiptune sensibilities and sharp pixel art. While no release date was given, Mighty Cuphead Adventure appears further along than the mainline sequel, likely positioning it as the first new Cuphead game players will get their hands on.
Expanding the Cuphead Formula Without Losing Its Identity
Taken together, the twin announcements form a clear statement about Studio MDHR’s ambitions for the Cuphead franchise. The mainline hand-animated Cuphead new game continues the studio’s signature approach—exacting difficulty, expressive animation, and heavy emphasis on boss encounters—while Mighty Cuphead Adventure tests how that identity translates into an 8-bit platformer structure. By splitting efforts between a large core project and a smaller, retro spin-off, the studio can grow the brand while managing risk and development time. The decision to program Mighty Cuphead Adventure for Sega Master System–style constraints shows a commitment to authentic retro design rather than nostalgia in name only. Meanwhile, keeping the main sequel shrouded in mystery gives the team breathing room to iterate on its hand-animated platformer formula. For players, this dual path suggests more Cuphead in more forms, without diluting the series’ demanding, handcrafted charm.
