Hello everyone,
I want to take a moment to speak openly and honestly with you about the current state of Ethernia, the recent delay, and what happened during last weekend’s failed launch attempt.
What started as a small indie project grew into something far bigger than I could ever have imagined. This rapid growth, combined with the fact that this is my first full game development project, resulted in challenges that I was not fully prepared to handle at that scale. Unfortunately, this led to another delay and a frustrated launch attempt last weekend, caused exclusively by launcher-related issues.
Ironically, the launcher problems are exactly the reason why I decided to bring Ethernia to Steam from the very beginning. Steam provides a mature, secure, and battle-tested launcher infrastructure, which significantly improves reliability, update delivery, and user safety. Moving forward, this decision gives the project a much more solid technical foundation.
The Game Is Not Canceled — And It Is Not a Scam
I want to be absolutely clear:
Ethernia is not canceled
Ethernia is not a scam
Ethernia will be free-to-play
Because many players expressed a strong desire to financially support the project, I opened the option to purchase Founder Packs. These packs grant:
Exclusive in-game skins
Initial gameplay supplements
A Founder title, obtainable only during this early phase
Due to the delay, all Founders who requested a refund have already received it, with no complications. Refunded players simply no longer receive the associated skins or rewards. This process is straightforward and complete.
About the Engine and Game Assets
I also want to clarify some concerns regarding the technology and assets used in Ethernia.
The game is built on an open-source engine, which is also used by other projects — just as countless developers use Unity, Godot, or Unreal Engine. Using an open-source engine does not invalidate or diminish a game. What truly defines a game is its world, story, missions, systems, and community, not the label of the engine behind it.
Regarding assets:
Yes, a large portion of the game’s assets comes from online packages, both free and purchased. This is common practice in indie development, especially for a first project of this scale.
However, this was never a simple asset dump. Over the years:
I curated content carefully together with my wife to maintain visual and thematic coherence
I purchased packs from multiple artists
I supported over 200 Patreon creators
I hired freelancers to modify assets, create unique animations, and customize visuals
I firmly believe this does not devalue the project. Once again, a game is defined by its story, quests, systems, and community, not by whether every pixel was created from scratch.
Final Words
I sincerely apologize to everyone who prepared their weekend expecting to explore Ethernia.
And I deeply thank all supporters who believed — and still believe — in this project.
I took a while to post something here on Steam because I'm currently working alone and still juggling all the communication channels. I will respond to all discussions and comments started here soon.
I assure you: I will continue working tirelessly to make Ethernia worthy of the attention it has received. The project has grown beyond what I ever imagined, and from now on, it may no longer be a journey walked entirely alone.
To those who choose to stay:
Soon, you will witness a new milestone in the history of Ethernia — and in this RPG world we are building together.
Thank you for your patience, trust, and understanding.