Xiao Mang here – thank you all for your support!
Bandit Simulator TD has successfully wrapped up its participation in this Steam Next Fest. Thanks to your support, Bandit Simulator TD consistently remained in the global Top 20 most-played demos during the festival.
Throughout this test period, we received a wealth of feedback from players – including suggestions, encouragement, anticipation, as well as negative reviews and issue reports. These valuable insights and reports will directly guide the development and direction of the full version.
As a result, the game will undergo significant optimization and adjustments. We will be closing the playtest and returning to closed development until the full release.
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[] The limited-time demo will end three days from now, on June 26, 2026, at 11:59 PM.
[] Due to the scale of adjustments and changes to data structures, save files from this test will NOT be compatible with the full version.
Once again, thank you all for your support and trust. I've also been doing some soul-searching. With each new game I've made, I haven't continued the gameplay of the previous one. I know this inevitably causes discomfort for some returning players. At the same time, new ideas may not always appeal to new players either.
Is this kind of thankless innovation (or should I say, risk-taking) really worth it? Is it better to just iterate and refine instead?
From my point of view, innovation and change come from a simple place – as a creator, and even more as a player, I just want to see:
Games that feel different. Games that are more interesting. Games that don't all play the same.
I'm not a professional game developer. But I've asked no fewer than five seasoned industry veterans, and they all told me the same thing:
Innovation costs too much, and the price of failure is too high. Reskinning, iteration, or even cloning – while unlikely to produce a breakout hit – is the only reliable path to stable profits in line with capital and business logic.
It's not that China lacks talented game developers. We certainly don't lack creativity or cultural depth.
It's just that – whether for personal survival or company operations – developers are often forced into those choices.
I'm just an enthusiast-level developer, but I want to do what I can to bring some change and innovation. Each of my games – while perhaps not entirely original in every detail – combines and reworks mechanics in ways that, overall, you won't find anywhere else on the market. It's precisely because I chose this path that Myriad Realms Looting came to be, and that more players came to know me.
At the same time – though I call myself "Game Raising Family Studio" – I have no investors, no shareholders, no employees, no overwhelming survival pressure, and certainly no grand ambitions. What you've given me is already more than enough. As long as my family can eat and live comfortably, I'm content.
I've also had several seasoned developers tell me that the reason I've made it this far is because I stand from the player's perspective and create what players actually want – things the market lacks. If someone like me, who came this way, were to stop making games that are different, I would be fundamentally letting down the players.
Please rest assured – I've taken all your positive reviews, negative reviews, suggestions, and issues to heart, and have carefully noted them down.
Alongside innovation and change, I will focus on improving player convenience, addressing pain points in balance and controls, and building richer gameplay systems. That is the core of making a good game. I clearly understand the issues with the current version.
Since I've chosen to make games that are different, then it absolutely must be a game that's fun, not frustrating, and enjoyable for most of you (I'm not kidding) – a game that feels satisfying and great to play. That's the whole point of what I do.
If you've read this far, you're a true fan. Thank you for reading all this – for putting up with all the rambling inner thoughts of a developer that you really shouldn't have to care about. As a player, all you should have to do is enjoy a game that makes you happy. See you in the full version!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4267800/_/