Hello everyone,
Tim Campbell here. We’d like to take a moment to reflect on where Stormgate is today and share our vision for the road ahead. Those of you who have been following our journey already know that the last few months have been incredibly challenging for us, though they’ve also been deeply enlightening.
We know that our Early Access launch didn’t meet your expectations–or ours. We felt pressure to get our game into players’ hands, but doing so before the game could make a positive first impression was the wrong move. Key areas of the game needed significantly more time to develop and we released far too early. That mistake is on us, and we regret it.
While this was a tough lesson, we’ve taken it to heart. Going forward, we need to give things more time to cook. Unfortunately, there’s no save and reload in real life, and ever since we kicked off Early Access, we’ve been working hard to figure out the best path forward. Today, our team remains committed to delivering a Stormgate experience worthy of your time and passion. We believe that, despite the rocky start, we can still achieve something great.
Refocusing and Reshaping
We are moving forward as a leaner, more focused team. Our top development priorities are now crystal clear: the Campaign and Versus (1v1) play (our “moment-to-moment RTS gameplay”), followed immediately by our Team Mayhem mode. We need to get the foundational modes polished as a precursor to adding more innovation. These core experiences are where we’re dedicating the bulk of our effort, and we believe these modes have the potential to truly shine after we’ve dedicated more time to them.
Other features, like the map editor and expanded Co-op content, are still part of our longer term planning, but they won’t take priority until we’ve gotten further along with the other key modes. We know many of you really want to get started making maps and building mods and new game modes, but we need to be smart about how to allocate our limited resources and we are focusing on the core game experiences first and foremost.
We’ve updated our Roadmap accordingly (you can see the new version below), but as always, remember that development plans may evolve as we continue to listen to your feedback.
Side note: Fully Customizable Hotkeys are a top priority for us, listed first on the Roadmap for a reason. We agree with those of you who have let us know that they’re long overdue and our team will breathe a collective sigh of relief once they’re finally in the game.
Facing Challenges and Finding Support
We’ve seen concerns expressed about the future of Stormgate. As an independent studio, we do have limited resources. We are able to share some good news: BITKRAFT, one of the investors who helped launch Frost Giant Studios, is leading an additional funding round to support our journey. Their continued investment means the world to us, and will help enable us to deliver a solid 1.0 release, which we’re tentatively aiming for in the second half of next year.
We want to be very clear here: any potential launch date is not set in stone as a lot can change over the course of development.
To Those Playing (and Waiting)
We also understand that many of you are holding off until our official launch before diving into Stormgate. Time is our most precious resource–you have to choose between a wealth of great games out there, spending time with friends and family, or just catching up on much-needed sleep. We are incredibly grateful to all of you who have played Stormgate during Early Access, but we eagerly look forward to welcoming those of you who have decided to wait until the game is at 1.0. We respect that decision, and we’ll be here when you’re ready.
For those of you who are playing, your feedback has been invaluable. Every suggestion, critique, and bug report helps us shape Stormgate into the game we all want it to be. Your passion fuels our work, and we’re listening. All feedback is a gift and we are grateful to have yours.
Evolving Stormgate’s Visual Identity
We’re pleased to share that we’ve also been making exciting strides on the visual front. Our new Art Director has jumped in with fresh ideas to elevate the look and feel of our core factions. We know some units have needed extra care, and we’re giving them the love they deserve. Units like the Brute, Hedgehog, Fiend, and Lancer are getting updates to better contribute to strengthening faction identity and making our game more memorable and fun.
The early concepts Allen has shared with the team since he hit the ground running have been inspiring, and we’re eager to hear your thoughts. To give you a sneak peek, Allen and Chris have prepared a short video showcasing some of these new designs. You may have seen some of these designs in a recent interview, but this should still be worth a watch. We hope you’re as excited about the direction we’re taking as we are.
[previewyoutube=kR3aHOHItSE;full][/previewyoutube]
Thank You for Believing
To everyone who’s part of the Stormgate community, thank you. We know we need to do better in setting expectations and communicating our plans, and we’re committed to improving. This game is a labor of love, and while we can’t promise to deliver everything on our development wishlist today, we still believe in the vision of Stormgate–a game with the potential to be truly great.
We’re grateful to have the privilege to keep working on Stormgate. With your continued support (and a little luck), we hope to build something that lasts for years to come.
Thank you for being on this journey with us.
With our sincerest thanks,
Tim Campbell
Game Director
