Why Early Access?

“Our small team of six has dedicated many years to creating Midwest 90, driven by a simple ambition: to make something fresh and unique, yet somehow familiar.

We’ve spent those years building and refining the gameplay, smoothing out the experience with the help of a handful of players who generously gave us their time, tested the game and shared their feedback.

Today, the core gameplay is solid, replayable and already works as a complete experience in Endless Mode, which is available at the Early Access release. Now, we’re ready to put it into players’ hands.

We don’t have Microsoft or any other big publisher funding us to finish this on our own, so Early Access gives us the opportunity to develop it further with the people actually playing it, while we continue building the other half of Midwest 90: its story.

The narrative is central to the game. We want to craft interesting stories from the perspective of a small-town restaurant manager in a difficult situation. And we want to release these stories only once they’re fully cooked.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“The plan is about six months. We have a timeline prepared and milestones to reach. The gameplay is locked in. What's left is narrative, cutscenes, QA, localization, and optimization.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“We plan for the full version to include a deep, complex, and character-driven narrative that involves the player in moral decisions through gameplay. The narrative has horror elements and a nostalgic 1990s aesthetic and vibe, with deep characterization and a fairly hefty script.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The Early Access version is fully playable in Endless Mode, and highly satisfying as a pure gameplay experience. Frankly, it could ship in this state alone. The Prologue and Chapter 1 of the story are also available at Early Access launch.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“There will be a minor lift in price upon full release.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“We want all the feedback we can get. The gameplay is very deep and complex, and both direct and indirect feedback will be essential in perfecting the story version of this gameplay loop. Players are our lodestar in finalizing, optimizing, and balancing the core loop.”