VELATO: How Infantex SOTA Studio Is Bringing a Poker-Bluff Roguelike Deckbuilder to Steam

A behind-the-scenes look at the strategy, market timing, and product vision driving Infantex's debut Steam game — and the partnership and game development service opportunities it opens for clients worldwide.

In the wake of Balatro crossing 5 million units sold and Slay the Spire 2 reportedly moving 5.3 million copies during its Early Access debut month, the market has made one thing clear: players are no longer asking whether card-based roguelikes can sell — they are asking what the next strategic twist will be.

At Infantex SOTA Studio, we've spent the past two years answering that question. Our debut title, VELATO, is built on a simple but unproven thesis: that the next breakthrough in the genre won't come from new card mechanics or fresh art styles, but from a fundamentally different layer of strategic depth — psychological horror.

This article walks through what VELATO is, why we built it, the market opportunity we're targeting, and the partnership and game development service conversations we're now opening at Infantex.

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The Market Opportunity for Roguelike Card Games

The roguelike deckbuilder category has matured rapidly. Three reference points define the current landscape — and explain why we believe VELATO is positioned among the best roguelike card gamesentering the market:

Balatro (2024) — A solo-developed poker-themed roguelike that crossed 5 million sales within its first year, validating that single-player card games can compete with AAA blockbusters on revenue.

Slay the Spire (2017) — The genre's foundational title, still selling steadily seven years post-launch with over 5.3 million lifetime sales.

Monster Train (2020) — Crossed 1 million sales while reinforcing that strategic depth, not surface novelty, drives long-term retention.

What these titles share — and what makes the category attractive — is exceptional unit economics. Roguelike deckbuilders have low art and engineering overhead relative to their sustained revenue curves. Players return for hundreds of hours, generating word-of-mouth that compounds for years.

The whitespace we identified: no major roguelike deckbuilder has built its core loop around bluffing. Card games have always lived at the intersection of math and psychology, but the genre's leading titles have leaned almost entirely on the math side. VELATO leans into psychology — claiming the position of the first true Bluff Roguelike Deckbuilder on Steam.

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What Is VELATO?

VELATO is a single-player Poker-Bluff Roguelike Deckbuilder where players build a Joker-driven economy engine, manipulate AI opponents through bluffing, and survive escalating table pressure across each run.

Coming to Steam in Early Access on June 26, 2026, VELATO operates on three layers, each adding strategic depth:

Layer 1 — Poker Hand & Joker Engine

Players draw poker hands, resolve their strongest line, and build around Jokers that modify score, multiplier, economy, consistency, and risk.

Layer 2 — The Bluff Mechanic

VELATO’s AI does not simply roll a random call. It reads public signals, tracks exposed bluff patterns, reacts to risky betting, and escalates through controlled boss rules. This single mechanic transforms every hand from a math problem into a psychological negotiation. It's the kind of tension that previously only existed in multiplayer poker, brought into a single-player bluff roguelike for the first time.

Layer 3 — Economy Pressure & Boss Counterplay

Progression in VELATO is not only about bigger numbers. It is about staying solvent under rising table stakes, choosing when to risk, when to conserve, and when to pivot into counters against boss rules.

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5 Unique Selling Points of VELATO

For partners evaluating VELATO's competitive position among the best roguelike card games on Steam, these are the five differentiators that define our positioning:

• Raise & Bluff Mechanic — Push chips and test nerves against AI opponents that read player patterns. No other deckbuilder has built this at scale.
• Finite & Infinite Jokers — A two-tier resource system where some Jokers fade with use while others persist indefinitely. Adds strategic resource management beyond standard deckbuilder design.
• Investment System — Players can sell Jokers between hands for profit, creating a market layer that rewards economic foresight alongside tactical play.
• Multiplayer (2–4 Players) — A multiplayer mode where the bluff mechanic finally meets human opponents. Planned for post-launch expansion.
• Collectible Trading Cards — Rare Jokers drop in special runs and carry display and trade value, opening community-driven economy potential.

Each of these elements builds on proven genre conventions while introducing meaningful novelty. None of them require players to learn a fundamentally new genre — they extend what existing roguelike deckbuilder fans already love.

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Product Roadmap & Milestones for VELATO on Steam

Disciplined execution matters as much as creative vision. Here's where VELATO Steam release stands today and where it's headed:

Current state:

• Playtest is live on Steam, generating early community feedback

• Confirmed participation in Steam Deckbuilders Fest (May 4–11, 2026)

• Confirmed participation in Steam Next Fest (June 15–22, 2026)

Near-term milestones:

• June 5, 2026 — Public demo goes live on Steam ahead of press preview window
• June 15–22, 2026 — Collab livestreams and community engagement during Steam Next Fest
• June 26, 2026 — Early Access launch on Steam
• Q3–Q4 2026 — Monthly content updates and Full Release Expectation

This roadmap is publicly committed and visible to our community — we believe transparency is the foundation of trust between developers, players, and partners.

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About Infantex SOTA Studio

Infantex is a Vietnam-based game development outsourcing company specializing in casual, high-casual, mid-core, and Web3 games. With 7+ years of experience, we help global studios and publishers build and scale high-quality games faster and more cost-effectively. Our services include full-cycle game development, co-development teams, and blockchain game development, leveraging Unity expertise and proven delivery for international clients across Korea, Singapore, and beyond.

Our work spans two complementary tracks:

1. Original IP development— VELATO represents one of our commercial titles, especially Steam games. We selected this project deliberately: a proven genre with clear demand signals, paired with a genuinely novel mechanic that we believe can carve out distinct positioning.

2. Game development services — Beyond our own titles, Infantex operates as a game outsourcing studio providing end-to-end game development services to international clients. Our service offerings include:

• Outsourced game development for indie and mid-sized studios
• Web3 game development for studios entering the blockchain gaming space
• Game art outsourcing and UI/UX design for projects at any scale
• Game design consultation for early-stage projects seeking direction
• Specialized teams ready when partners hire game developers for both short and long-term engagements

Our team brings together backgrounds in software engineering, game design, and visual art. We operate lean and ship deliberately, focusing on iteration cycles informed by direct player feedback rather than top-down mandates.

VELATO is the beginning of a multi-title vision at Infantex — but our service practice gives us the operational foundation to scale that vision sustainably. Every decision we make on this project is also a decision about what kind of game studio Infantex becomes.

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Partnership & Collaboration Opportunities

We're currently opening conversations with several types of partners — both for VELATO specifically and for Infantex's broader game development capabilities:

For VELATO partnerships:

• Publishers — We're evaluating distribution partnerships for international markets, particularly Western Europe, North America, and Japan. Strategic publishers with deckbuilder or roguelike track records are of highest interest.
• Investors — Open to early conversations with strategic investors interested in scaling indie game studios.
• Content Creators — Press keys are available for Steam Curators, streamers, YouTubers, and reviewers covering the roguelike, deckbuilder, or indie game space.
• Localization Partners — Connecting with localization specialists for Japanese, Korean, simplified Chinese, German, French, and Spanish.

For Infantex game development services:

• Studios looking to outsource game development — Whether you need a full external dev team or specialized capacity, we can scale to your project.
• Clients seeking to hire Unity developers, hire Web3 developers, or hire game developers — We provide vetted talent and end-to-end project management for both short and long-term engagements.
• Web3 game development partners — We work with studios entering the blockchain gaming space who need experienced technical execution.
• Art and design outsourcing clients — Our game art outsourcing and UI/UX design services support projects at any production stage.
• Cross-promotion partners — We're open to collaborations with complementary indie titles launching in 2026–2027.

If your organization fits any of these categories — or if you see a partnership angle we haven't outlined — we'd welcome a conversation.

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Contact & Next Steps

Direct contact: sale@infantex.io

Resources:

• VELATO Steam Page: store.steampowered.com/app/4542750/VELATO
• Infantex Publisher Page: store.steampowered.com/publisher/Infantex
• VELATO landing page: https://velato.click/
• Infantex website: https://infantex.io/

For partnership and service inquiries: We respond to all serious inquiries within 48 hours — whether you're interested in VELATO specifically or broader game development services from Infantex. The most useful first conversations typically include a brief introduction to your organization, what kind of collaboration you're considering, and any relevant background that helps us evaluate fit.

We're building Infantex SOTA Studio as a long-term operation. VELATO is one of many titles — but we believe it has the strongest possible foundation: a genre with proven demand, a mechanic with genuine novelty, and a team committed to disciplined execution across both original IP and client work.

If that resonates, let's talk.

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Infantex SOTA Studio is an independent game development company based in Vietnam, providing original IP development, outsourced game development, game art outsourcing, UI/UX design, and Web3 game development services to clients worldwide. VELATO launches on Steam Early Access on June 26, 2026, with full release scheduled for Q3-Q4, 2026.