Tom Johnson · Slug Disco
Small hotfix to address the recently report Unity game engine vulnerability. More information can be found here:
Small hotfix to address the recently report Unity game engine vulnerability. More information can be found here: https://unity.com/security/sept-2025-01
Fixed a critical bug in the aquarium mode.
Fixed a critical bug in the aquarium mode.
Tropical Fish Pack is here!🐠🦈🦑 Featuring 5 new creature heads, the Tropical Fish Pack introduces a range of life forms to Ecosystem. You can now shape your virtual world with these additional species in our evolution simulator: Box Fish Cuttlefish Dolphin Mandarin Dragonet Tig
Featuring 5 new creature heads, the Tropical Fish Pack introduces a range of life forms to Ecosystem. You can now shape your virtual world with these additional species in our evolution simulator:
Box Fish
Cuttlefish
Dolphin
Mandarin Dragonet
Tiger Shark
With a launch discount of 10%, this expansion aims to make your ecosystem more diverse with additional customizations for your creature designs. We hope you enjoy playing around with the new heads and conjure even more bizarre life forms!
To celebrate the DLC launch, we are also releasing Ecosystem's original soundtracks. If you like the tranquil and almost serene atmosphere of Ecosystem, the game's music would be the perfect medium to immerse yourself in the depths of our virtual ocean.
Same as the Tropical Fish Pack, the OST pack also has a 10% launch discount; or you can grab both the DLC and the OST in the complete bundle for a bit more savings.
Several fixes and optimizations have also been implemented to prepare the game for Ecosystem's new residents. See below for the full details:
Enable support for the Tropical Fish pack, which includes skins and heads for the boxfish, cuttlefish, dolphin, mandarin dragonet, and tiger shark.
Fix: loading a savegame results in extra skin texture allocations that are not actually needed.
Fix: errors setting a few skin procedural texture parameters sometimes result in rebuilding textures that do not need to be rebuilt.
Fix: choosing specific colors and brightness levels for creatures in the Evolutionary Parameters panel could result in unused skins that waste memory.
Fix: 'skin update in progress' message could appear in the wrong location on some resolutions.
You might have seen some very blurry images over the last couple weeks on Steam or on our socials, with some of you getting the correct answer surprisingly quick. That's right, Ecosystem is getting a DLC - Tropical Fish Pack ! Coming on August 1 , this new DLC will feature 5 new
You might have seen some very blurry images over the last couple weeks on Steam or on our socials, with some of you getting the correct answer surprisingly quick. That's right, Ecosystem is getting a DLC - Tropical Fish Pack!
Coming on August 1, this new DLC will feature 5 new creature heads, aiming to add more biodiversity to your ecosystems and more freedom to experiment and create new outlandish species. Here's a preview of the new models:
Hungry for blood
Always curious and playful
I think this will inspire many Lovecraftian creations
A bright and colorful appearance
It might look harmless, but it does have a poisonous trick up its sleeve
Looks like something else noticed our lively habitats, and is approaching to investigate a bit more. Will it be a cheerful presence, or a menace of the sea? I wonder what this might be?
Will it be a cheerful presence, or a menace of the sea?
Smelling blood from the brutal struggles for survival, a new danger is coming soon to the waters of Ecosystem. Hungry, and ready to hunt... Can you guess what it might be?
Hungry, and ready to hunt...
Hey everyone! Ecosystem is taking part in the Earth Appreciation Festival from April 1 to April 8! It’s an event for games that share the same love for our planet Earth, to showcase nature at its finest and highlight the consequences if we fail to protect it. Join us in this even
Hey everyone!
Ecosystem is taking part in the Earth Appreciation Festival from April 1 to April 8! It’s an event for games that share the same love for our planet Earth, to showcase nature at its finest and highlight the consequences if we fail to protect it.
Join us in this event and check out all the amazing discounts and demos of the nature-themed/eco-dystopian titles, both released and upcoming!
Greetings Evolutionaries! How’s everyone doing? We hope you all had an amazing Christmas! We’re at the end of 2024 now, and this has surely been a year to remember for Ecosystem, especially with our 1.0 full release. Let’s quickly recap what we have achieved during this wonderful
How’s everyone doing? We hope you all had an amazing Christmas! We’re at the end of 2024 now, and this has surely been a year to remember for Ecosystem, especially with our 1.0 full release. Let’s quickly recap what we have achieved during this wonderful year.
On November 8, after 4 years of early access, Ecosystem finally moved into 1.0 full release with the crustaceans unleashed upon the seafloor. With new body parts and movement mechanics, the shellfish now dwells at the bottom of the oceans and hungrily feed on aquatic plants around them.
https://youtu.be/udH-1gQ8il0?si=_Ws52jaCS2gJB7cu
And don’t forget about the Behavior Update earlier this year, which focused on increasing creature autonomy and expanding their range of behaviors. Creatures were able to further emulate natural life forms with more autonomous decision-making and fulfill their individual needs with new behaviors.
Over the years, Ecosystem has gone through many major updates as well as numerous optimizations and fixes. It’s been a long and remarkable journey, and we would like to take this chance to thank you, our incredible community, for supporting Ecosystem since day one. Your continuous feedback and support have been great inspirations for us to shape Ecosystem into the immersive evolution simulator it is today. It is our utmost pleasure to see your imagination run wild, pushing our game to its limits to craft the most uniquely outlandish ecosystems. Also, special thanks to Stobz, our amazing Lead Community Scientist and Discord mod, for all their dedication to helping our team and community.
With the 1.0 update, we had an influx of new fans curious to discover the possibilities of evolution. For those who just picked up our game and would like some pointers, here’s a YouTube playlist of our quick guide videos on our YouTube channel that cover the basics of Ecosystem. Hopefully, they can help you kickstart your very own marine life system!
While Ecosystem focuses on a virtual ocean, we believe the real ocean also needs our attention. That's why we have taken part in various events in 2024 to promote wildlife conservation. During the Games for Waves Steam event, a Steam event for World Ocean Day, part of our proceedings went to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, to support their work on protecting marine animals. Other events include the Earth Appreciation Festival and Animal Week, both aimed at bringing attention to protecting the environment.
As of the time of this post, Steam’s Winter Sale is still ongoing, and Ecosystem is now at 30% off! If you haven’t got the game yet and want to start your new year by designing a new species, or give someone else the chance to do so, this is the perfect time! The sale will continue until January 2 so be sure to grab Ecosystem before it ends!
Of course, we can’t have a community update without showcasing some interesting creations from our Discord channel:
A prospering habitat created by Alaska. You can see various species thriving under sunlight.
A curious creature from Plismarian. Little guy looks very happy!
That is all for our round-up today. Once again, thank you for making 2024 such an unforgettable year for Ecosystem. Our indie evolution sim could not have made it this far without you, and we are absolutely thrilled to bring Ecosystem to you in its full 1.0 glory. If you enjoy our game, please do consider leaving a positive Steam review. Every encouragement means the world to us.
2024 has been an amazing year for us, and we hope it is equally, if not more, amazing for you and your creatures. We wish everyone had a rewarding 2024, and a bountiful 2025 to come.
PATCH NOTES Ecosystem 1.01 Improvements to the 'force bilateral symmetry' option in the evolutionary parameters panel: Fix: several bugs in mutation code that could result in a loss of symmetry even if 'forced symmetry' is enabled. Fix: limbs on the back or belly can be offset fr
PATCH NOTES
Ecosystem 1.01
Improvements to the 'force bilateral symmetry' option in the evolutionary parameters panel:
Fix: several bugs in mutation code that could result in a loss of symmetry even if 'forced symmetry' is enabled.
Fix: limbs on the back or belly can be offset from the center, and twisted into asymmetrical positions.
Fix: paired limbs on the end segment of the body can result in flesh to be dragged towards one of those two limbs.
Fix: symmetrical limbs can interact with the body differently, eg with one limb being a fin while the other remains thick, etc.
Fix: error in soft cap computation could in rare cases cause large spikes in population when specific well-fed creatures died.
Fix: gifts can float outside the creature's mouth as a result of physics instability in its body.
Fix: errors can occur in procedural materials when savegames are loaded in quick succession.
Fix: null reference error that could occur when the game corrects a physics calculation that has blown up.
Fix: subspecies notification can overlap the explainer text for subspecies.
Fix: rare error could prevent the 'finish editing' button in the editor from functioning.
Hi everyone! November has been such an incredible month! On November 8th, Ecosystem finally entered full release with the arrival of our crustaceans. We’d like to thank each and every one of you for your continued support – for playing our game, providing feedback and suggestions
Hi everyone!
November has been such an incredible month! On November 8th, Ecosystem finally entered full release with the arrival of our crustaceans. We’d like to thank each and every one of you for your continued support – for playing our game, providing feedback and suggestions, or supporting us on our social media. Every bit of support means the world to us as a solo dev and a small publishing team, and we could not have done it without you. It is our greatest pleasure to see all your creations thriving in the depths of Ecosystem. You can find the full patch notes of our 1.0 update here.
To celebrate 1.0, we had a launch livestream on Slug Disco’s channel! Hei Man and Mike from Slug Disco were joined by Tom, mastermind and solo developer behind the creation of Ecosystem, to showcase the gameplay and a slightly more in-depth discussion on the unique evolution mechanics of Ecosystem. You can catch up on YouTube if you didn't catch it live!
We are deep into the autumn season, and the Steam Autumn Sale has begun! Ecosystem is now at 30% off until December 4th, and this is the perfect time to grab our game, either for building your own virtual aquarium or as an early Christmas gift for friends!
The Steam Autumn Sale also marks the start of the Steam Awards nominations, and Ecosystem is aiming for the Most Innovative Gameplay category. We believe Ecosystem has some truly unique evolution features, and we hope you feel the same. Your support and recognition mean a lot to us, and we’d really appreciate it if you could give Ecosystem a nomination and a positive review on Steam.
With the crustaceans now crawling all over the seafloor of Ecosystem, let’s check out the creations by our community. Here are some fun crustacean designs by Turkey on our Discord channel:
Look at these cute crustaceans. And yes, crustaceans can definitely swim! If you wish to talk about evolutionary matters and share your own creations, do join us on Discord!
On that note, we shall end this community update here. We hope you are all having fun with our 1.0 release and creating the most unique ecosystems out there. Follow us on Twitter, TikTok and YouTube for any new Ecosystem updates! Once again, thank you all so much for playing and supporting Ecosystem throughout our journey.
Greetings everyone! Thank you so much to everyone who has played Ecosystem, whether you have been here since early access or just joined us recently. We are very delighted that Ecosystem’s 1.0 full release has been met with such positive response from the community. Now the Steam
Greetings everyone!
Thank you so much to everyone who has played Ecosystem, whether you have been here since early access or just joined us recently. We are very delighted that Ecosystem’s 1.0 full release has been met with such positive response from the community. Now the Steam Awards 2024 is around the corner and we hope you could consider nominating us for this year’s Most Innovative Gameplay Award.
In Ecosystem, creatures evolve and learn all on their own to adapt to their surroundings. During early access, we’ve had 11 major updates to flesh out the aquatic world of Ecosystem, allowing players to craft unique environments for their species to thrive, as well as introducing numerous evolution options that creatures can organically adopt:
On November 8th, the crustaceans arrived with our 1.0 full release as the 12th major update. We love seeing everyone having such a great time with the new shellfish creatures, and we could not have done it without all of your support over this long journey of development.
https://youtu.be/LPVd926QMe4?si=2EpcbbREyUgnZg3Y
The Most Innovative Gameplay award has some intense competition, and it’d mean the world to us if you could nominate us with the button on top and leave us a positive review. Thank you!
Let’s try and get you up to speed on the fascinating oddity that is simulation game Ecosystem , on the off chance that Nate's coverage of it hasn't stuck with you like an unwelcome brain parasite you’re nonetheless unwilling to get removed for fear of the lingering emptiness it m
Let’s try and get you up to speed on the fascinating oddity that is simulation game Ecosystem, on the off chance that Nate's coverage of it hasn't stuck with you like an unwelcome brain parasite you’re nonetheless unwilling to get removed for fear of the lingering emptiness it might cause (he once described an eel as “a quaver with erectile dysfunction”). Broadly speaking, this game is Spore’s evolutionary-biology-degree-having cousin. It’s been in early access for about three years now, but with the latest "Crustacean" update, it’s just hit 1.0. Once again, carcinization has come for all things.
The day has finally arrived! Crustaceans have come to your ecosystems, bringing the game version up to 1.0! It's been a long journey from our initial early access release back in March 2021! Since our initial early access launch we have had 12 major update alongside smaller bug f
The day has finally arrived! Crustaceans have come to your ecosystems, bringing the game version up to 1.0!
It's been a long journey from our initial early access release back in March 2021!
Since our initial early access launch we have had 12 major update alongside smaller bug fixing patches:
We've also had new languages added in that time with the following languages now available in Ecosystem:
All this wouldn't have been possible without you, the community, supporting the project from day one. Special thanks also goes out to Stobz, the Lead Community Scientist for Ecosystem and passionate Discord mod. His support on the Discord and the Steam community forums has been really helpful to our tiny team.
Massive thanks again to everyone who's been along on this journey with us!
Ecosystem 1.0 Patch Notes
FEATURES
CHANGES
FIXES
Hi everyone! We’re back for an October community update and, you might already know, we have some major news to share this month! Let’s jump right in! 1.0 Full Release Incoming! After 4 years in early access, Ecosystem is finally getting our 1.0 full release on November 8th ! Cru
Hi everyone!
We’re back for an October community update and, you might already know, we have some major news to share this month! Let’s jump right in!
After 4 years in early access, Ecosystem is finally getting our 1.0 full release on November 8th! Crustaceans will be crawling out of hiding to join this brutal struggle for survival. Alongside the seafloor dwellers we are also adding a myriad of improvements and fixes to the game. See here for the full change log and learn what’s coming to the depths!
The good news just keeps coming. We have been nominated for the Creative Gaming Awards by PLAY Creative Gaming Festival! Creativity is a core part of our game and we aim to grant players maximum freedom in designing their creatures and the environment. We are honored to be selected alongside some truly amazing titles, which also allow players to display their creativity in so many different forms!
At the start of October, we were part of the Animal Week Steam event. Organised by Games Incubator in support of WWF Poland, we get to celebrate wild life and help out a great cause!
That’s a wrap for this month, and now back to preparing for the big day! Be sure to follow us on Twitter, TikTok and YouTube for more news on our full release on November 8th!
Greetings everyone! Ecosystem was in some wonderful events during the month so you can say our September was... eventful. *Cough* Bad puns aside, let us get right into today’s monthly update! One Special Day We got to participate in One Special Day 2024 , organised by Special Eff
Greetings everyone! Ecosystem was in some wonderful events during the month so you can say our September was... eventful. *Cough* Bad puns aside, let us get right into today’s monthly update!
One Special Day
We got to participate in One Special Day 2024, organised by Special Effect, to help level the playing field for physically disabled gamers. Gamers were getting more than just games in this event – they were also helping a great cause! Speaking of two birds with one stone!
Tokyo Game Show 2024 Steam Event
Another exciting event we took part in! We're honoured to be featured on the Tokyo Game Show 2024 Steam page alongside many other amazing titles!
And that's all for now! Be sure to check out our Twitter, TikTok and YouTube for the latest updates of Ecosystem!
Hey everyone! We're at the end of August and summer is almost over already? Where did all the time go? And it's time for another monthly update already! Back to School Celebrations When summer ends, school begins. To get everyone up to speed for their biology class, we are taking
Hey everyone!
We're at the end of August and summer is almost over already? Where did all the time go? And it's time for another monthly update already!
Back to School Celebrations
When summer ends, school begins. To get everyone up to speed for their biology class, we are taking part in the Back to School Games Celebrations organised by Spirit City Lofi. The event is still ongoing at the time of posting this community update so do go ahead and check out all the amazing educational games!
Community Screenshot
Here’s a screenshot of feldspar from our Discord community showcasing a “minor” population growth, when the foragers didn’t have any predators to keep their numbers in check. Luckily feldspar managed to create an excellent apex predator called Banana Mantis (guess which one is it) and the overpopulation crisis was successfully averted.
That’s a wrap for the month and now back to the grind on the 1.0 update. Don't forget to check out our socials on Twitter, TikTok and YouTube for the latest news!
Hi everyone! The first half of 2024 really went by in a blink of an eye and July is already almost over. In this monthly round-up, we have some exciting news to share! New Models Yes, crustaceans are coming! You might have caught a glimpse of them on our Twitter or TikTok , and h
Hi everyone!
The first half of 2024 really went by in a blink of an eye and July is already almost over. In this monthly round-up, we have some exciting news to share!
New Models
Yes, crustaceans are coming! You might have caught a glimpse of them on our Twitter or TikTok, and here’s another display of the crustacean head models from different angles. They will be part of our 1.0 release and details will be announced at a later date. Please look forward to more news on our socials!
Community Screenshot
An amazing screenshot from the community, this time from ipoopsometimes from Discord! Interesting username aside, I think we can all agree that this is a beautifully layered reef, almost as if the coral is glowing under the depths!
On that note, we shall end this community update here. We’ll be sharing more news about Ecosystem and the 1.0 full release on our socials so be sure to follow us on Twitter, TikTok and YouTube! See you again next month!
June is ending and we are well into the summer heat. Here’s another monthly wrap-up for Ecosystem! Games for Waves 8th June is World Oceans Day, and to celebrate this occasion, we took part in the amazing Games for Waves 2024 to support the Whale and Dolphin Conservation . Other
June is ending and we are well into the summer heat. Here’s another monthly wrap-up for Ecosystem!
Games for Waves
8th June is World Oceans Day, and to celebrate this occasion, we took part in the amazing Games for Waves 2024 to support the Whale and Dolphin Conservation. Other than a discount on our game during the event, part of our proceeds also went to help WDC’s work on protecting whales and dolphins in the wild.
Community Screenshot
Our community has created many stunning ecosystems. Here's a beautiful coral reef by Mr.FruitCup on our Discord. Seems like he managed to get it to occur naturally too. Just look at the vibrant colors!
That’s all for this month! In the meantime, more content for Ecosystem is in the works. Be sure to follow us on Twitter, YouTube or TikTok for any updates.
Today (8th June) is World Oceans Day, which catalyzes collective action for a healthy ocean and a stable climate. That's why we're pleased to share that Ecosystem is taking part in Games for Waves , to help support Whale and Dolphin Conservation! Ecosystem will be offering a 20%
Today (8th June) is World Oceans Day, which catalyzes collective action for a healthy ocean and a stable climate. That's why we're pleased to share that Ecosystem is taking part in Games for Waves, to help support Whale and Dolphin Conservation!
Ecosystem will be offering a 20% discount until the end of the event, and we'll be contributing a portion of our proceeds during the event to the cause.
Games for Waves features over 100 games, and all purchases made during the event will help to support Whale and Dolphin Conservation's vital conservation work to create safer seas for whales and dolphins, so make sure you check out the full line-up of demos and games available here!
Hey everyone! May is almost over and it’s time for another monthly update! We've got things scuttling about in the depths that we need to cover... Thank you for the support! First of all, a massive thanks to everyone for checking out Ecosystem and the Behavior Update. We really a
Hey everyone!
May is almost over and it’s time for another monthly update! We've got things scuttling about in the depths that we need to cover...
Thank you for the support!
First of all, a massive thanks to everyone for checking out Ecosystem and the Behavior Update. We really appreciate all your support to our indie project, whether you're new to the game or have been with us for some time. Super happy to see everyone enjoying the new content and we got many new players showing up for the submarine concerts and light shows!
*Jumps in excitement
Curious questions
The update introduced a bunch of evolution options, and we got some questions on how they work in the game. So here's a screenshot of us on Twitter talking about how our creatures develop their unique vocalizations.
Something's lurking...
Now, a big update might be out of the way, but work isn’t over. Here’s a sneak peek on a little something we are working on:
We can’t tell you exactly what it is just yet, so be sure to follow us on Twitter, YouTube or TikTok for the latest news. If you have any questions or feedback, do join our Discord and let us know!
On that note, we shall end our May round-up here. See you all next month!