Hello, guys! There are many opinions about the year 2020. Many think it was a bad and troublesome year. Some think 2021 will be even worse. We do not think, we make games. So, we will tell you about all the events happening with Starni Games in 2020, and let you make your own conclusions.
Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg release
We have started to work on Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg back in 2019, right after The Pacific release. Yet the majority of the work was done in 2020. It was tough to meet the deadliner, but we did it despite all the troubles. The release was a success, and the game is doing reasonably well.
Big Battle: pandemic vs release
We had to work remotely in April and May 2020, just before the Blitzkrieg release. Then we got back to the office, but in October went remote again for a month. Overall, working remotely and doing Mocap and VO mid-pandemic was quite challenging. If you want to know more about it make sure to check out our Developer’s Diaries dedicated to these issues.
Russian government stops the Blitzkrieg
Soon after the Blitzkrieg release, the Russian government demanded that Steam remove it from the store in Russia. Moreover, the spokesman of the Russian president commented on it. They even claimed to file an official investigation request to the UN. If you want to find out more about the issue, make sure to check our news about it.
Free game Demo
This year we started to create free Demo versions for our games, to make sure you can try them out before buying. We want to make sure that you know what you get.
👉Check out our latest Demo here.
However, at first, there were issues. When we submitted the Blitzkrieg Demo 3 months after we published the game, Steam blocked both the full game and the Demo. We had to start all the explanations anew. We managed to lift the limitation off of the full game, but only at the cost of creating a German-only version with Hitler’s face blurred. You can learn more about it here.
Strategic Mind: Spectre of Communism release
All the while we kept working on the Strategic Mind: Spectre of Communism. The release date was planned for 13 November, and once again we had to work remotely for some time and faced some other problems. All in all, we managed to break through the enemy’s encirclement and released the game on time. It was our most polished and smooth release so far.
Hitler is more popular than Stalin
Strategic Mind: Spectre of Communism release was the least successful to date in financial terms, but the game got the highest review score so far. It sold 2 times fewer copies than Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg. However, due to other projects still showing decent results we are able to continue with the Strategic Mind series. We discuss it in more detail here.
New Starni Games website and Starni Store
Just on the last day of the year, we managed to release our new website - starnigames.com. The design was fully reworked. It will get further polish in January. You can also buy our games (Steam keys) there directly from the developer. Yet, if you prefer to do it on steam - we are more than happy with that. You can learn more about the website and different stores here.
Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom - the work has begun
In November and December, we were working really hard and made good progress, making a full release of our next title in Q2 2021 very realistic. So, far we have the first gameplay trailer and an early Free Demo with the first operation. We plan to update the Demo as our work progresses and release more trailers along the way. We will keep you updated on our progress through regular news and Developer’s Diaries.
Developers Diaries
This year we started to issue Developer’s Diaries regularly and plan to keep doing so in 2021, so stay tuned. In case you missed our story so far, you can check it out here:
1. New VO and mocap setup
2. Units’ speech review. Part 1
3. Units’ speech review. Part 2
4. Strategic Mind Franchise Soundtrack
5. Undo feature, new music, and hilarious moments
6. Designing winter operations
7. 5 days after the release, new ice visuals
8. A windy road
9. Communist Economy
Developer’s Gameplay
We also started a series of Developer’s Gameplay, where our Lead Game Designer plays our games with commentary, telling you more about the game mechanics and the development process.
New episodes will be available in January 2021, so stay tuned. We want to be even more open and transparent about our production, so feel free to ask any questions you like and we will do our best to answer them in future episodes.
Wishlists matter
You may not know, but the best indicator that the game will do well is to have a high wishlist count. That is why all game developers are really happy when they get more wishlists. So, if you want to make us happier and did not add Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom to your wishlist yet, that would make a great New Year present for our whole team.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1381850/Strategic_Mind_Fight_for_Freedom/
Our power grows
The power of Starni Games is in its team members, in their skills and expertise. When the Panzer Strategy was released there were only 3 people in the office, and a couple more remote or outsource. In 2019 the team grew from 3 to 10 people. After the Strategic Mind: Blitzkrieg release we hired 3 more people. A couple more guys will join our team in January making it 15 people in the office. We hope that the team and the company overall will keep on growing in the next year and all of our plans will be carried out.
The novelty in the Strategic Mind series and community feedback
The changes to the series were gradual, but in retrospect, there were quite a lot of changes. A large portion of them suggested by you - the player’s community. Here are some of them:
- two new classes Armored train and Assault gun
- winter operations (visuals and mechanics)
- retreat operations (gameplay and mechanics)
- better Steam integration: localization, cloud saves etc.
- Steam Achievements and Leaderboards
- lots of new skills, HQ skills, and equipment
- lots of new units for various countries
- general performance optimization
- the Undo button
- additional game settings and hotkeys
- tons of bug fixed and improvements
Strategic Mind Franchise Soundtrack
This year we started to produce our own exclusive soundtrack in cooperation with the Daraba studio. It is shared across the series. You can find it here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1358280/Strategic_Mind_Franchise_Soundtrack/
Strategic Mind Complete Collection bundle on Steam
The Strategic Mind series is growing and we decided to provide an opportunity to save some money on getting additional titles, especially for our long-time community members. So, now you can get all the titles you do not have at a 20% discount any time, and on top of any other discounts, which is great. We will also add the next title to the pool, so if you already have all the Strategic Mind titles, you will be able to purchase the bundle and get a nice 20% discount at the release of Strategic MInd: Fight for Freedom.
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/16499/Strategic_Mind_Complete_Collection/
Future plans
'If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.'
This year was quite challenging and unpredictable, and we do not know what to expect from the coming year 2021. Yet, we will strive to keep creating the best games we can. We cannot disclose all of our plans right now, but you will be properly informed in due time. So far, we are concentrated on delivering Strategic Mind: Fight for Freedom in Q2 2021, as promised.
We wish you all a great holiday and a happy New Year! 🎄
See you in 2021 🖤
Starni Games team