Dear Alchemists,
First of all—please allow us to say we are sorry. We know these words have come far too late.
Over the past years, our absence has been long and silent. We left countless adventurers who stood waiting in the world of Alchemage feeling confused and disappointed. To every one of you, we must solemnly say: we are deeply sorry for making you wait so long.
And yet, despite the silence, you never stopped waiting. You never stopped hoping for the day you could once again return to the magical world we built together. It is your support and your faith that gave us the courage to write this letter today. In it, we not only want to share why we disappeared for so long, but also officially announce a special Veteran Rewards Program prepared for our long-time players.
Why did we disappear?
Greetings, fellow Alchemists.
I am the former CEO of Xiqi Network, and my surname is Hong. In my more than 20 years in the game industry, people generally call me "Zhu Zhongjian." I have always been a person with a deep passion for games. Back when I was still a student, I joined GamerSky and became one of its core members, mainly responsible for writing game reviews and walkthroughs.
Later, I founded Xiqi Network. At first, we developed web games like Heroes of the Song Dynasty and several mobile titles. But in my heart, my greatest love was always single-player games. Many of our online designs were inspired by classic single-player games like Anno 1404, Sango Fighter, and Floating Island Saga. Yet at that time, the market gave no room for single-player titles, nor did we understand their business model. To survive, we made online games—just so we could keep our place in the industry.
But with the rise of Steam, more and more players rediscovered what they truly loved: pure games, built upon gameplay, art, music, content, and interaction. Social elements were important, yes—but meant to be “playing together,” not endless grinding and spending. I’m talking about exactly those kinds of games that require both endless grinding and heavy spending. Mr. Shi Yuzhu once said, “Games are about glory, glory, and glory.” That might have been true in the past, but today, there’s another path.
Around 2014, my business partner and I were invited by friends to give a talk at Xiamen University titled “From Playing Games to Making Games.” During that visit, we met three juniors — Xiao Wang, Xiao Chen, and Xiao Lin. They were very smart, eager to learn, and had already started making games while still in school. Later on, they came to our company a few times to discuss the possibilities of game development with us.
Two years later, after graduation, they turned down a high-paying offer from another online gaming company and chose to join us instead. They became the first generation of Arupaca. On their advice, I eventually decided to provide them with funding and almost unlimited time so they could create the game they truly had in mind. Later, this game was officially given the name — Alchemage.
Before Arupaca, our company had also tried making a single-player game. We once set up a studio to develop a mecha-themed title inspired by RimWorld and Dyson Sphere Program. However, after investing nearly a million and producing a demo, we realized it was still far from a mature product, and in the end, we had no choice but to put it on hold.
After more than a year of development, the first version of Alchemage finally went online and officially met its players. The three founding members of the first generation laid out a very rich content plan and continuously absorbed valuable feedback from the community. With the publishing license successfully secured, things were looking very promising for a time — the game’s positive rating on Steam once held above 86%.
——
However, there are always times of confusion and exhaustion in the creative process, and the development didn’t progress as smoothly as imagined. Later, due to personal life and future plans, Lin and the lead, Wang, left one after another, leaving only Chen and He, who had joined later. The two of them carried the heavy burden of design, art, and programming all at once, gritting their teeth to press on. But eventually, even Chen grew disheartened and chose to leave.
In the end, only He remained, and I believe he truly lived up to the title of Arupaca Studio’s second generation. It was around that time that we received a custom cooperation offer from a well-known game platform. They wanted Alchemage adapted for mobile, but with the condition that it be turned into an online game and include as many in-app purchase features as possible. To support He, the company assigned him a designer and a programmer to help push the mobile version forward.
After nearly two more years of development, the product was completed. But to be honest, it had lost the purity of the original while failing to meet the standards of an online game. It ended up as something in between, neither here nor there. To this day, we still haven’t been able to officially release it.
At the same time, Xiqi Network faced a financial crisis. Costs were cut, projects shut down, and in the end, Arupaca came to its end. Many of you said “Arupaca is dead.” Sadly, you were right. We simply never had the courage to admit it.
The reason we never officially declared the project over is that we’ve always held on to one original intention: this was our very first game released on Steam, and the positive feedback from players filled us with pride. We are deeply grateful for everyone’s recognition, and we continue to hope that one day we’ll find new successors to carry the torch and fulfill the vision we once set out to achieve. We may be late, but we will arrive in the end.
——
In 2025, Xiqi Network underwent a restructuring and returned its focus to premium, buy-to-play games. With new partners like Minai joining, we decided to officially restart Alchemage.
This time, we are better prepared. The detailed relaunch plan has been announced on September 19, 2025.
To honor your eight years of patience and loyalty, we are offering the following exclusive benefits for players
who purchased Alchemage before 10:00 AM, September 19, 2025 and who contact us before 10:00 AM, September 19, 2026:
1.Our Commitment: All Future Versions of the Game Will Be Free to Play
Simply contact us and provide your purchase receipt or library proof, and we’ll grant you a free base-game key (for existing players only).
You may also choose to gift this key to a friend, inviting them to return and join you in building, exploring, and creating in the world of Alchemage. For all future versions of Alchemage — including mobile and console platforms — we will also make sure our existing players receive them first. As a token of our gratitude, all loyal players will never need to pay again to embark on new adventures.
2.Free Access to Our Next New Game
At present, our studio is also preparing for the development and release of a brand-new title: Danmo Three Kingdoms: Battle of Wits.
As an exclusive benefit for our longtime players, anyone who contacts us through the channels listed below and completes verification will receive a free base-game key once the game officially launches.
We sincerely hope that this new Three Kingdoms–themed title, blending strategy with innovative gameplay, will bring you fresh enjoyment and experiences. We also warmly invite you to add the game to your wishlist — we look forward to standing alongside you once again:
Steam Link for Danmo Three Kingdoms: Battle of Wits:View game page
3.Respect for Your Choice
If you no longer wish to wait for Alchemage’s future updates, we understand. For players who purchased through the Steam platform, you can directly request a refund via Steam. We fully respect every player’s choice and will ensure that within the scope of the Steam platform, your rights and interests are properly protected.
How to Contact Us
For players in China: Join our official QQ group (ID: 1055211096).
For international players: Join our Discord:
https://discord.gg/2nJysFSk
.
Alternatively: You may also email us at
[email protected]
.
When contacting us, please use the subject line: “Alchemage Veteran Rewards – [Your Account ID]” and attach screenshots of your purchase confirmation or Steam library entry.
Through the three measures outlined above, we hope that every longtime player will receive something truly meaningful in return. Your patience and support have been our greatest source of motivation. Thank you all for your continued understanding and trust.
One More Thing
Since 2017, we have moved our global publishing under Quantum Arts (Hong Kong). Going forward, please recognize Quantum Arts—it is still us, and it is the new beginning for Alchemage.
Once again, thank you all for standing by us over the past eight years. A new journey is about to begin — stay tuned!
Fix Version (September ~ Mid-to-Early October):