The Story Behind Hordes

The Strategy Epic That Never Escaped the Shadows
In the late 1990s, System 3 began development on an ambitious real-time strategy game for PC called Hordes. Built by a veteran team with a passion for high fantasy and deep tactical gameplay, the game was intended as a dark twist on the genre. Players would command demonic forces known as the Clags, challenging the forces of light across a sprawling campaign of twisted counties, corrupted strongholds and doomed kingdoms.

Though it was never released, the scale, art and ambition behind Hordes made it one of System 3's most intriguing lost titles.

Dark Gods, Twisted Armies
The world of Hordes was not one of heroic knights and shining kingdoms. Instead, it centered on three grotesque dark gods, each commanding their own army of horrors. These Clag deities - Arclite, Cankor and Black Rot - each represented a different form of decay and domination. Their armies were uniquely themed, with Black Rot's faction utilising rot-based weapons and corrupted beasts.

The game was set across 36 non-linear counties leading to a climactic confrontation with Queen Edwinia, the last ruler of the world of light. With three playable factions and a unique branching structure, Hordes aimed to offer enormous replay value and a gritty alternative to more traditional fantasy RTS titles.

Dan Malone's Art Brings the Darkness to Life
The visuals behind Hordes were created by acclaimed artist Dan Malone, who worked full-time at System 3 during the project's development. Best known for his work on games like Speedball 2 and Cadaver, Malone brought his signature visual intensity to the world of Hordes, delivering character designs and environmental art that combined beauty with horror.

Every god, beast and battlefield in the game's universe was rendered with dramatic detail. Malone's work remains one of the game's most recognisable elements and continues to be celebrated on platforms like ArtStation.

Concept by Phil Thornton
The original concept for Hordes came from Phil Thornton, a full-time artist and designer at System 3. He envisioned a real-time strategy game that blended the gameplay mechanics of Command and Conquer with the epic scale and lore of a dark fantasy universe reminiscent of Lord of the Rings.

Thornton's story and worldbuilding laid the foundation for a morally inverted campaign, one where players embraced the monstrous rather than the noble. The vision was bold, unsettling and wholly unique for its time.

Black Rot: The Team's Favourite Character
Among the three dark gods of Hordes, none left a stronger impression than Black Rot. Towering, muscular and menacing, he embodied raw corruption and decay. His powerful frame is layered with cracked, reptilian skin, deep green and mottled with putrid tones.

Dan Malone's artwork brought the character vividly to life. Clad in sinewy scales and armed with clawed hands large enough to crush enemies in his grip, Black Rot oozes menace and charisma. His crouched pose suggests readiness to spring into battle at any moment, eyes glowing with cruelty and cunning.

Internally at System 3, he became a standout favourite. His look, energy and role in the lore made him the embodiment of Hordes' dark tone - a nightmarish general of rot and ruin. Even today, Black Rot remains one of the most iconic characters from an unreleased game, now brought to life through official System 3 merchandise and original art.

Studio 3: The Creative Powerhouse
At the time, System 3 operated one of the UK's largest independent game development studios, based in Harrow and known as Studio 3. Housing over 40 in-house staff, it was a powerhouse of talent working across multiple major projects. In addition to original titles, the team was commissioned to produce white-label games for publishers including Ocean and Atari.

Meanwhile, in-house at Studio 3, Paul Docherty (DOK), Robin Levey, Phil Thornton and Dan Malone brought cinematic depth and dramatic visual detail to titles like The Last Ninja 3, redefining what was possible on platforms like the Commodore 64.

System 3's approach was always to bring together top-tier talent, both in-house and external, and give them the creative freedom to innovate across genres and platforms.

A Studio of Legends
System 3 continued to collaborate with iconic offsite programmers, musicians and artists. John Twiddy, the engineer behind The Last Ninja, Ikari Warriors, Constructor, Mob Rule and the invention of the Expert Cartridge, worked closely with the studio. Chris Butler, known for his work on Ghosts 'n Goblins and Commando, also contributed. The Rowland brothers, famous for Creatures and Monster Mayhem, created exclusive content for System 3, while Bob Stevenson produced iconic pixel art in the company's early days.

On the audio side, System 3 worked with top composers including Matt Gray and members of the Maniacs of Noise collective, many of whom helped define the sound of the Commodore 64 generation.

A Cancelled Game, A Lasting Impact
Hordes was developed in partnership with GT Interactive, but when the publisher pulled out of the games industry, the project was shelved before completion. Although the game never reached commercial release, a playable early build did exist, along with a rich archive of concept art and visual materials.

Unseen64 and other preservation sites have helped keep the story alive, with Dan Malone's concept art still viewable online. In the minds of those who worked on it, and among retro game fans who later discovered its existence, Hordes remains one of the most haunting what-ifs in British game history.

Now, for the first time, System 3 has made character art from Hordes available as official merchandise.