T'was the night before DUSKmas
And as you might know – DUSK isn't coming this year anymore.
Alas we are sorry - an actual delay - since at one point we did say it would be that way!
Anyway, enough of the rhymes - we're sorry but not TOO sorry. Because we bring good news...
DUSK: Episode 2 is DONE and DUSKWorld Multiplayer (as you should know) is currently in a very stable and fun closed beta. And we want to give them both to you. ALL of you. ASAP
But SOON™ isn't soon enough anymore. In fact, Valve called me a couple of weeks ago (yeah they do that) and asked what all this SOON™ nonsense was about. It was only kinda awkward.
So, after explaining to them where we were at in development and our plans for releasing the rest of the game, they suggested the best course of action was to put DUSK in Early Access.
Now, after discussing it with the team and our community, we're going to be doing just that.
DUSK will be entering Early Access on January 11th, 2018.
Now here are some things you might be asking yourself...
Oh God, Early Access - does this mean the game is never coming out?
Hah, no – DUSK is definitely coming out SOON. Literally. Within the next few months.
What will be included in the game on January 11th?
Episode 1, Episode 2, Endless Arena 1, Endless Arena 2, DuskWorld Multiplayer Open Beta
I already own DUSK, do I need to buy anything else?
No.
Is the price going to change?
Nope. $20 then, $20 now, $20 forever.
Are you guys out of money?
Nah, but if you want to give us some that's cool...
So why didn't you put the game in Early Access originally?
Good question! In hindsight we probably should have. But back in August we naively thought we would have the game finished a few months after pre-orders went live and also that we didn't need Early Access to test the game.
We were very wrong. Well, not very wrong - but pretty wrong.
We also didn't anticipate just how many people would want and love the game.
There are currently about 7,500 people who have DUSK and 30,000 more wishing for it.
And while we've been doing a good job of testing the game internally and with our community (sup), if even 1/3 of those people jump into DUSK & DuskWorld on Day 1 and we're not prepared?
It could be catastrophic.
DUSK deserves better than a bad launch. And we know better than to let that happen.
Ok, so why Early Access NOW?
Well, by opening the game up to more people in Early Access – we'll be able to get all the DUSKWorld testing we need on a larger scale, give you Episode 2 sooner than later (why not) and also finally allow DUSK to start being seen on the Steam store as a purchasable game with user reviews plus possibly get promotion from Valve – all of which is super important for an indie game.
We'll also finally get to merge all the separate DUSK apps into one which will make our lives and yours so much simpler, don't ya think?
Also - when we weighed the pros and cons of putting DUSK into Early Access? There really was no downside. We get more players, more testers, more sales, more of a presence on the Steam store, and more love from you (we hope) for giving you more content.
The only downside to Early Access is that it has somewhat of a soiled reputation because of games that have abused the model, languished in it for eternity, or never lived up to promises.
Plus admittedly – we really liked the idea of the game being done “When It's Done” - but we've learned that's really just not how things work these days. Not if you want to continually grow your player base and build trust with them (hi guys).
Yet for every Early Access horror story, there are great triumphs.
Don't Starve, Darkest Dungeon, Grim Dawn and Divinity: OS 2 come to mind.
We also think it's safe to say that given the amount of content we've already put out, plus the amount of communication and transparency we've given to you during development (sup) – DUSK is certainly going to be an Early Access game done right.
And it won't be in EA for long. We promise.
Plus it's not like the game would come out any sooner if we didn't put it in Early Access. You'd just be waiting. Which seems silly at this point. You DO want Episode 2 and Multiplayer... right?!
Gotcha, so did DuskWorld slow down DUSK single player development?
Nope. DUSKWorld is being developed by other members of the New Blood fam (Hi Scott & Cam)
Did AMID EVIL slow development down?
No. completely different devs (Ayo Leon!)
DID anything slow DUSK development down?
Not really – but we don't rush. Oh and David and his wife had a baby (Hi Lavender!) Plus, after the release of Episode 1 the expectations for DUSK were raised SIGNIFICANTLY. The hype became real. It was pretty scary, but in a good way.
In fact, at one point David asked if I wanted to bring in more people to help him build the single player campaign and I said HELL NO.
This is HIS game and Episode 3 is being built just like Episode 1 and 2 were. This is his baby.
Well... his second baby. And I won't rush him or stress him (any more than I have to)
Ok - so what's left to finish after Early Access for the full launch?
Episode 3, Endless Arena 3, DUSKWorld Multiplayer v1.0, achievements/trading cards, etc
And what's planned for AFTER the full launch?
The DAWN SDK, Steam Workshop, Co-op?, Mac, Linux and who knows what else!
It's gonna be a long year.
Fair enough... But I pre-ordered the game in 2017? ...What do I get?!
Good point. We love those of you who were already willing to give us your hard earned money the most - so to thank you for being there for us on DAY ZERO...
We will be upgrading everyone who pre-ordered the game before Christmas to the Digital Collector's Edition of DUSK for FREE.
Yes, that means you will be getting the DUSK 40 page Digital Comic & Original Soundtrack by Andrew Hulshult (The $30 version of the game) completely FREE.
We think that's a pretty good way of saying thank you.
But don't thank us for being so generous. Thank Andrew for agreeing to literally give away thousands of copies of his OST for free. He really is that dude. May he be praised.
Whatever, I'm tired of waiting for this game and I want my money back!
That's cool, too – you can still refund DUSK at any time since it's still a pre-order – but we hope you'll be back when the full game launches.
Anything else?
I mean, we could just continue on as-is and not put the game in Early Access and just keep you all waiting until the full release - but at this point we think it would be not only detrimental to the game, but unfair to all of you who've been waiting for more DUSK.
So! We hope you're as stoked to get your hands on Episode 2 & DUSKWorld as we are to give it to you. In less than 3 weeks from now. Sooner than SOON™
Here's a TL:DR
DUSK goes into Early Access on January 11th, 2018 and it includes:
- Episode 1
- Episode 2
- Endless Arena 1
- Endless Arena 2
- DuskWorld Multiplayer Open Beta
If you already own DUSK?! You'll be getting the Collector's Edition for free.
If you don't yet own DUSK?! This will all cost you $20, same as always.
If you just want to wait for the full game to be out? That's cool, we love you anyway.
Merry DUSKmas, We'll see you all in 2018!
Ya know... SOON™
Chur \m/
The DuskDudes
P.S – You know maybe if you pray real hard, wish on a shooting star, and leave some bacon and soap out for Santa... they'll be a surprise in your stocking in the morning...