(Space Grunts pre-order 30% discount ends in a few weeks, get it now : www.spacegrunts.com)
September is here! and the game isn’t done!
Now that’s not a big problem tho, I have an alternate plan ready. Right now the game is playable, and the many pre-order customers who are enjoying the beta will tell you: it’s great, and some will even tell you it’s my best game so far.. no pressure!
However I still have a huge list of “features” and changes I want to implement. Normally at some point I cut that list, and only fix the bugs and then release, but this time the list is just still so full of awesome idea’s and improvements that will make the game even better.. I just can’t ignore that!
So the plan: Early Access here we come! Now I know there have been horror stories about early-access, but there have also been great examples on how it should be done. Personally I think Space Grunts will fit on the good side of the list. The game is already playable right now, and I believe it could be released like this and nobody would say it’s missing anything.
I’m doing 2-3 (sometimes even 4) updates a week, I’m present on the forums, and I listen to feedback without ignoring my own ideas on the matter.. exactly what Early Access was designed for, right?
There are a few things I consider as “required” before launching the game in Early Access, so the plan is to work on those things in the coming week or two, and then I’ll launch the game in EA. So that makes the target date around September 15th.
This date also marks the end of the “30% discount” for pre-orders! So if you want to save some money and know you’ll be getting this game anyway, then GET THE PRE-ORDER NOW!
The downside: this will be on PC only.. Android and iOS are hereby officially delayed until early January. For me it’s just easier having to maintain only one version, even tho they share the same code, because I’m still just one guy! I will already maintain the Steam release and the Humble DRM free version (windows,osx and linux).
The upside for Android and iOS version: you get the most feature-packed version available with, most likely, very few bugs
Eventually when all is launched and done, I’ll work on the ChromeOS version which often feels more like a fun hobby-project.
As for this weeks progress, we are now at updated #7 and you can read up on all the changes on the Steam page.
Next week will see the addition of the “best runs” leaderboards, and hopefully I’ll manage to squeeze in the “daily challenges” mode also, as that will need some time to make sure it works in the beta stage.
