The expected release date is at least two quarters beyond what was initially expected. This is in large part due to the amount of content work we’ve included in The First World War versus previous Making History titles. Another big reason for the delay has to do with important upgrades that are being added to the Making History game engine.
For the last few months the main focus on the engineering side has been implementing 64 bit processor support that will vastly improve memory management. This in turn gives us freedom to expand the quality and quantity of content to the game while improving overall performance. Engine work of this magnitude can be a tedious process that takes a lot of time. It’s also difficult to predict when the conversion will be finished. In the meantime, other areas of the game will continue to move towards completion.
Even without the engine improvements, Making History: The First World War is in a very playable condition. Almost all features are operating as planned and we have at one finished scenario with another that’s fairly close to being done. While there’s still more AI, game balancing and UI/graphical improvements to work on, overall we feel the game is ready to release to the community through Steam’s Early Access program.
Releasing a game in Early Access helps set context for prospective customers and provides them with information about plans and goals before the final release. Those who choose to participate in Early Access provide feedback and insights on the game while we are still in development. As a small company, this stage is vital to the process since the more eyes we get on the game, the quicker we can find and solve possible issues.
