Hey everyone!
We wanted to give you an update about the current state, plans and roadmap of Shapez 2.
First of all, if you haven't wishlisted and followed the store page yet, this is the best way to get notified about updates, giveaways, release dates and more!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/
Roadmap & Funding
We want to develop Shapez 2 much more sophisticated than Shapez 1 - with a larger team, all kinds of new features, content, quality-of-life improvements and all-new 3D graphics.
This implementation would not be possible with our current resources, which is why we have applied for funding from the German government.
We hope to have the response by the end of February, which would allow us to start with the production of Shapez 2 in March. In case we get a positive funding response, the timeline & roadmap would look like this:
Steam Demo / Next fest: Either February or June 2024
Steam Early Access: ~Mid 2024
PC 1.0 Release: Mid 2025
Consoles Release: TBA
We would be self-publishing the game on Steam (except for the Asia region), but once we have the funding secured, we will also look for a publisher for consoles. Once found, we can also announce a release date on those!
Game Theme & Features
While Shapez 1 had a very abstract, minimalist art style, we want to re-work the art-style to look a bit more interesting and exciting. However, we'd like to point out again that we still want to keep all the core mechanics that define shapez - No enemies, no building costs, no stress, and so on. Making the visuals stand out a little more allows us to get more people excited about the game though - and personally, we really like the planned direction!
While we are talking about the theme and space stations, here's some concept art already - our vision on how we want the game to look and what we will aim to produce once we get the funding response. Hope you like the new direction as much as we do! (Please note: This is just concept art. We haven't started with the actual production yet, so it's still a long way to go until the game actually looks like this, if ever!)
Besides of all the new features (multi-layers, trains, blueprint library and so on) that we plan to implement, I'd like to highlight one specific feature: The blueprinting of entire space station platforms.
Later in the game, you will be unlocking the ability to copy & paste whole stations, so you can start building on an entirely different scale. For example, you can build a "cutter", "stacker" and "rotator" platform, and then move and duplicate those modules as required, building huge factories consisting of thousands of buildings with a single click.
Surveys
As a preparation for a potential production we prepared a few surveys, and we plan on doing a lot more in our Shapez 2 Discord!
We are really trying to involve you as much as possible - for example, the change to the space theme was actually driven by community surveys!
Here are a few past and actives surveys, to give you an idea what those are about:
Initial Art Style Survey
Cutters
Second Art Style Survey
Space Stations Survey
Miner Modules
Should we add multiplayer - Survey
Game Name Survey
Visual Style Survey
Grid Survey (ongoing)
... and much more!
As you can see, we are really looking to involve you in the development & decisions and are trying to make sure we are building a game that everybody loves as much as we do!
Giveaways
Once we have settled on a release date, we will run multiple giveaways for Shapez 2 keys on different platforms. To make sure you don't miss out on those, we recommend to:
- Join the Shapez 2 Discord
- Follow + Wishlist the steam page
FAQ
We frequently get similar questions, so we wanted to start a small FAQ!
Q: What will be the price?
A: We can't give an exact price yet, but our current estimate would be around 25-30$/€ on Early Access Release.
Q: What will be the state on Early Access?
A: We want to make sure the game is already very polished, playable and enjoyable on Early Access release (comparable to other major games in the genre). During Early Access, we will aim for 3-4 major updates instead a lot of smaller ones, which justify picking up the game again (in case you ever stopped).
Q: When will the game release?
A: If we can secure the funding, we would plan to release in Early Access Mid 2024.
Q: How can I support you?
A: If you like our games and what we are doing, we have a patreon which also gives you discord benefits!
You can also check out our other games, like Kiwi Clicker or YORG.io!
Q: Will my PC be able to run it with the all-new graphics?
A: We will be very focused on performance, and we are even considering to add a "low-spec" mode with largely reduced visuals. We are aware that a major advantage of Shapez 1 was that it ran on various setups, and we'll give our best to ensure Shapez 2 does too!
Q: What operating systems will the game support?
A: Shapez 2 will be available on Windows 7 or newer, macOS and Linux.
Q: Will I get a discount if I own Shapez 1 already?
A: Unfortunately, no.
Have a nice weekend!
~Tobias
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2162800/shapez_2/