Shadow Council

Shadow Council Pty Ltd is an Australian independent game studio known for the post-apocalyptic sandbox MMORPG Afterglow. Designed for players with busy schedules who still crave deep, strategic gameplay, Afterglow is set 77 years after a nuclear war in the devastated American Southwest, where players take on the role of refugees rebuilding their lives in a fractured world. The game stands out for its semi-idle system, which allows a team of up to three characters to keep gathering, crafting, and exploring even while the player is offline. It features turn-based combat, a player-driven economy, and non-violent gameplay options, making it accessible to a wide range of playstyles. PvP centers on territory control, while the world evolves through faction dynamics, hidden caches, and mysterious artifacts known as CELLs. Visually, Afterglow embraces a retro 1980s aesthetic with 2D graphics and synthwave-inspired environments, avoiding pay-to-win mechanics and time-gated content in favor of meaningful progression.