Hello flatmates!
In light of recent updates, many questions have arisen about Glasshouse and its future, so we want to take the opportunity to put together a handy FAQ and get ready for 2025, a year that will hold many surprises.
So, let's get into it!
Q: What is Glasshouse?
A: Glasshouse is an isometric Turn-Based-CRPG set in a post-capitalist feudalpunk world at the dawn of a terrible world war. Inspired by RPGs such as Disco Elysium and Pathologic, Glasshouse promises an intense narrative-roleplaying experience punctuated by unforgettable characters, complex dialogue trees, multiple endings and deep ideological introspections that go beyond the screen.
Q: What's the Plot of Glasshouse?
A: The entire fiefdom is in lockdown when a mysterious triple murder occurs in your apartment building. Unknowingly, you are caught up in a political conspiracy bigger than yourself. Find a way out or find yourself.
Q: Who is the developer FLAT28?
A: We are an international art collective consisting of 17 members from the film, CGI and video game industries. We have been working on Glasshouse since 2022 in our spare time, without salaries, funding or publishers. Completely smart working.
Q: What's Feudalpunk?
A: Feudalpunk is a fictional subgenre that mixes elements of the feudal era with contemporary themes or technologies, focusing on social themes such as class struggle and the sharp contrast between them. In Glasshouse's post-capitalist world, following the revolution of 1828, the geopolitical order has overthrown the state model in favour of the democratic feudal model. Inspired by the Kurdish manifesto of Democratic Confederalism, Glasshouse imagines a deglobalised world where technological progress has come to a standstill and the economic-social gap between fiefdoms is unbridgeable, where 100km distance between one fiefdom and another can be equivalent to 100 years of technological difference.
Q: Does Glasshouse have a combat system?
A: Yes, as announced a few months ago, Glasshouse will have turn-based combat inspired by older Final Fantasy and the more recent Fear & Hunger.
Q: When is the Release Date?
A: Too early to announce it.
Q: Are you planning an Early Access Release?
A: No, no early access release is currently planned.
Q: Are you planning a Kickstarter campaign?
A: It depends on many factors, first and foremost, the general interest around Glasshouse in these early stages. Kickstarter has changed over time and a proper campaign may require a lot of funding, which we currently do not have.
Q: Will there be voice acting?
A: The aim is to have Glasshouse, for the launch, at least with partial voice acting. To date, as there is no publisher, it is difficult to say for sure.
Q: How long will Glasshouse be?
A: We expect to have a main campaign between 10 and 15 hours. We are a small team (without budget) and want to create a strong, intense and highly replayable experience. For our ambitions, it is necessary to reduce the duration to have an rpg component that really makes a difference.
Q: Are there any DLC planned?
A: We have at least one expansion of the main story in mind, but nothing is certain. It will depend a lot on how the development of Glasshouse proceeds and on sales. Let's be clear, we are not talking about cut content, but a possible small additional story that will give another point of view to the main plot.
Q: What is the Concept Demo of Glasshouse?
A: A small 3-hour standalone experience from the first 2022 builds of Glasshouse, when we were young and didn't yet know what we were doing. It is a vertical slice mainly designed to sell the settings, atmospheres and core game mechanics to publishers. Nothing included in the concept demo will be present in the final Glasshouse game. You can download it from Itch.io.
Q: Why was the Concept Demo removed from Steam?
A: It was originally conceived in 2022 for pitching to Publishers, and later adapted to a wider audience to gather feedback, experiment and fine-tune our production pipeline. Now, two years later, this version no longer represents the final product and for this reason, we have decided to remove it.
Q: Will the game be available on GOG and other stores?
A: It’ll likely be available on GOG and EPIC Store.
Q: Will preorders be available?
A: No. ♥♥♥♥ preorders.
Q: What platforms other than PC are planned for release?
A: We’re planning releases for PS5 and Xbox S/X, likely following the PC release.
Q: What engine is the game being developed in?
A: Unity.
Q: How can I get in touch with the devs?
A: You can write us at [email protected] or join our Discord .
That's it for this year, and I want to take this space to make a promise: from 2025 onwards you can expect a devblog every month, with the aim of offering an ever-expanding window on the stormy development journey of the FLAT28 collective. Making video games isn't easy, but damn if it's fun.
We can't wait to reveal the future of Glasshouse to you.
Giacomo Montagnoli, Creative Director
FLAT28 Collective