Hello Ambitious Entrepreneurs!
As we gear up for the release of EA 0.3, we wanted to pull back the curtain a bit and give you a closer look into the inner workings of our studio and our grand plans for Big Ambitions.
If it's fresh in-game content or sneak peeks you're after, you might want to skip this one ????
Reflecting on Early Access
Launching Big Ambitions, we dared to dream of 50,000 copies sold in the first month. Instead, a staggering 200,000 of you jumped aboard. Fast forward to today, and that number's grown to a whopping 300,000!
Frankly, it's been a whirlwind. As a small indie studio, we've been on our toes, adapting to the demand, squashing bugs, and striving to provide the best customer support possible.
But growth comes with growing pains. Our EA 0.2 update, while packed with content, wasn't up to the standard you deserve. We heard your feedback loud and clear. From that point on, a few resolutions were made:
- Quality over Speed: No more racing against the clock, even if a few claim we've left the game behind. We're now planning a minimum of 3 months of development between updates.
- Flexible Updates: Instead of committing to a fixed feature list, we'll limit to locked release dates, ensuring more polished updates, without delays.
- Player Autonomy: You’ll always have the choice to opt into updates at your own pace. Read more here: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1331550/discussions/0/3841053719675090442/
The future of Big Ambitions
Because of the substantial success of our Early Access release, we're now heavily expanding the scope of the game. Huge features/updates like production factories, new cities, airports, modding support, sailable boats, etc. are no longer hopes and dreams, but long-term plans.
A few people mentioned that with EA 0.3, the game is probably 30% done (assuming 1.0 comes after 0.9). This is not the case. We will go way further than just 0.10. You can expect us to be working on Big Ambitions for years to come.
Regarding our roadmap, we're now shifting things around. We'll no longer be presenting a long list of promised features. Instead, for each update, we'll announce features as we get closer to its release. We're already doing it for the EA 0.3 release: https://twitter.com/hovgaardgames
We got big ambitions ourselves. Our goal is to make the game become the best and biggest business tycoon game ever made and we're thrilled to have you alongside us. What you have seen so far is only just the beginning ????
What's Brewing at Hovgaard Games?
First of all, we want to expand our team, and we already welcomed two new talented colleagues. That being said, onboarding new employees dramatically reduce productivity for a limited duration. We don't want to risk getting behind schedules, so we're taking things slow and steady, making sure we find the right people.
Adding to this, 4 of our 6 employees are Spaniards, so we have recently opened an office in sunny Barcelona, Spain. Moving forward, all our future employment will be based in Spain.
Our studio's direction? Crystal clear. We're all about crafting standout management and tycoon games for our beloved desktop community. Consoles? Not in the cards. Mobile? We'll hard pass. Our hearts are set on you. ❤️
A Parting Note
From the entire Hovgaard Games family, a massive thank you! For the referrals, the glowing Steam reviews, and your unwavering support. It's you who fuels our dreams to continue creating unique and revolutionary management and tycoon games.
All the best,
Jonas
Founder, Hovgaard Games
