Why Early Access?

“This game had a limited timeline, scope, budget, and development team, leading to a product that, while functional and complete with various additional features, may leave some players unsatisfied with the available options or experience. Refining the game's underlying systems, implementing online multiplayer, and optimizing game performance took a substantial amount of time during development, and even then may not be up to some players' standards of quality. Releasing the game in Early Access is the best option as it allows players to enjoy the game in its current state while allowing developers to collect and analyze player experiences and input, understand what works well and what could be improved for future updates, and overall assess future plans for the game.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“The game is planned to be in Early Access for at least a year, but more time may be needed for future development.”

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

“We plan to add a lot of features originally planned for the game that didn't make the cut given the timeline and scope of the game's development. This includes the ability to create custom starting boards and game presets, introducing even more rules and events, implementing special board space types, actually having music, polishing the game's visual art style, animations, and user interface, and optimizing features and performance across the board. Steam Workshop support was considered as well for custom chess piece textures and animations.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The game currently exists as a lightweight, slightly-beyond-minimalist version of the initial scope; chess matches can be played to completion and forfeited, rules and events function properly and interact well with each other, basic options and game setup are available to the players, and online multiplayer exists to a satisfactory degree.”

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

“No, the game will remain the same price regardless whether or not it is in Early Access.”

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

“As a small developer, listening to community feedback and suggestions is something we'll do to best evaluate what to include or change for future updates. We will do our best to stay involved with the community through the game's Community Hub and explore other options for community involvement as well.”