Hello everyone,
Once again, we hope that you are all safe and healthy. With great joy we can share some more news on the Early Access release of Panther VR. We got a lot of positive feedback from the ALPHA and BETA, and we can't wait to share the game with the rest of the world. So without further ado, lets me explain our release schedule for Panther VR and what we have planned after release.
For the last Dev updates, Please check out our Kickstarter page.
First of all, we want to thank you all for your patience, trust, and positivity during the COVID situation. While it still a strange time for us all, we can look back at some very exciting weeks working on the game, and we are very pleased with the results of the ALPHA and BETA. We are still working on some last fixes from the BETA, but it is nearing its Early Access stage. It just needs a little more time in the oven to smooth some mechanics out behind the scenes, but it now only a matter of days, so we are talking about: very soon.
The first Launch of a game is an important moment, one that should be taken with great care but it also brings some important opportunities. Besides making the game ready for our Kickstarter backers and the general public, it is also the time to make sure that a lot of our backers get their rewards and it gives us a new moment for marketing. We are very proud of what we created so far, so we also want to take the opportunity to make Panther VR know to a larger audience. We need a couple of days to make sure that all remaining Kickstarter Backers will receive their EA key, and that the marketing is all set to go. There is also a small optimization update we want to make to improve the performance of the game. Due to these small additions we want to propose the following release schedule that we divided for Backers and non-Backers.
For Backers
Applies if you are a Kickstarter Backer
The ALPHA and BETA has been a huge success. Thanks to the feedback, and bug report from the community, We could address and fix a lot of small community reported bugs and issues. However, one important thing still required our attention: Performance. This is why we want to collect more data on this before we release it to the public, we decided to ask the remaining Backers to help us out on with this.
This means that we will release Panther VR to all backers as soon as the build is ready to test at the end of May/ First week of June! See it as an Early Early Access version. Looking at how the backers have been waiting with a lot of excitement, we don't want to keep you guys waiting any longer. So keep an eye on your email these days for an Early Access key of Panther VR and some small instructions to help us out on the performance part. We can't wait to hear what you think, and thanks again for all your support!
Public
Applies if you aren't a Kickstarter Backer
Now that the Early access moment of Panther VR rapidly is approaching, it will be a moment that we look forward to with excitement. The build is almost ready, but we still need some extra time to test out the performance with our remaining backers before we can open it to the public. So it will be a short wait before we release Panther VR into the world. We can't share an exact date just yet, but we will be announcing the release date at the UploadVR showcase, hosted by IGN summer of Gaming on June 16th. So be sure to check it out for more information, but trust us and rest assured, you won't be disappointed with the date! ;)
Once Panther VR goes live on Early Access, it also marks the beginning of our journey. This first version will contain the core mechanics of the game, but we have a large list of new content and improvements planned for many Early Access updates to come. Think of new weapons, gadgets, maps, mission types, mechanics but also improvement of current systems, like our detection and interaction system. We will release a small roadmap with future content together with the Early Access release of Panther VR. For all the latest content updates and progress, make sure to check out our Panther VR tracking List.
With the EA Release of Panther VR coming closer and closer, we want to talk a bit more about the retail price and our future plans surrounding it.
Panther VR started its production since the start of 2018 and went through a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund a small portion of the development costs. We have a small but very dedicated team working on their dream project. The world is going through some strange and difficult times right now, but working on the game is such a relief, and seeing all your positive reactions is heartwarming to us all.
Very soon, our Early access adventure will start with the first public release of Panther VR. The game will start with a solid base, a huge list of future content, and a lot of amazing community suggestions. Looking at the current size of the game, but also at, what we think huge potential and future content we decided on the following price.
Panther VR will cost 19.99 on Steam Early Access. We hope it will be a fair price to you all. The game is still in an Early Stage right now, but every sale will help us out a great deal and will allow us to keep improving the game with new content, missions, mechanics, weapons, gadgets, and community ideas! So we truly hope that you will be able to join us in the early stage of our adventure and stick around to see Panther VR grow into something amazing.
When the game will grow with future content and updates, we will come to a point that we decide to increase the base price as well. Meaning that once the game is more fleshed out with updates, or hits it full 1.0 version (which will still be some time away), we will raise the base price to a more appropriate level. This will come in small increments, and will always come with a heads up before this happens. So joining us in an early stage of the game will have some benefits!
We cannot say this enough, but please consider joining our community on Discord! We see our community as one of the most important things in our production process. We want to hear your feedback, support, suggestions, and questions regarding Panther VR. Make the game even better and make it truly yours. We take great pride in our community and we added a lot of community requested stuff in our other game; So please join us, Agents!
Links:
We hope you liked this dev update, and that it gave you some more insight into what you can expect from the upcoming Beta. If you liked this update, let us know in the comments or on discord.
As always: if you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to contact us. Please don't forget to join the Panther VR Discord, and get involved with your feedback and suggestion. Thanks again!
- Wolfdog Team
