Why Early Access?

“HellFactory Inc. only works when three things click together:
the depth of factory automation, the variance of a roguelike run,
and the tension of boardroom politics. How those three pillars
collide and find their rhythm within a single run is something
our team can no longer answer alone, inside the studio.

We want to find the answers together with players:

- Among the seven deadly sin board members (Greed, Gluttony,
Lust, Pride, etc.), which combinations make repeated runs
most compelling?
- In the tightrope walk between Approval 10 and Probation 10,
what monthly revenue curve feels "tight but fair"?
- Do slush funds, bribery, and blackmail genuinely function as
meaningful choices, or do they collapse into obvious optimal play?
- Of the planned 26 privileges (利權), which ones expand build
variety, and which become traps or runaway dominators?

The honest answers to these questions live in hundreds, thousands
of hours of live play data. The actual playtime, feedback, and
criticism from our community will determine the ceiling of what
this game can become.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We are planning roughly 12 to 18 months.

That said, this timeline may shift based on how the game's
completeness develops and how community feedback is incorporated.
Rather than shipping by a fixed date, we view full release as
the moment when "the core fun is properly validated and the
content is stably rich."”

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

“For the full version, we are planning expansion in the following areas.

[Content Expansion Plans]
- Privileges (利權): expanding from current 12 to 26+
(supporting more diverse build strategies)
- Incident event system: slush fund discoveries, industrial
accidents, labor disputes, and other unpredictable factory events
- Deeper board member behavior: unique events and dialogue per
deadly sin
- Additional resource sites and items (currently 7 sites, 50+ items)
- Challenge mode: an escalating difficulty system (working title
"Ascension") planned post-launch — each clear adds new constraints
for long-term challenge

[System Polish Plans]
- Data-driven rebalancing of revenue targets and the dual-gauge system
- Refined cost curves for board member bribery and blackmail
- Expanded sound and visual effects
- Broader accessibility options (UI scaling, colorblind mode,
customizable hotkeys)

[Under Consideration]
- Additional language support (Korean and Simplified Chinese
being prioritized for review)
- Mod support (Steam Workshop)
- Additional ending branches

These items reflect our current plans, and priorities may shift
or change based on community feedback and development progress.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“At the time of Early Access launch, the following content is
playable.

[Currently Playable Core Systems]
- Full dual-gauge system (Approval / Probation)
- Approval 10 = victory / Probation 10 = termination (game over)
- All five Approval-raising paths implemented
(Performance, Contracts, Bribery, Blackmail, Internal Reputation)
- Seven deadly sin board system: pool of 7 board members,
3 randomly selected each game
- Bribe, Blackmail, Expose, and Secret Collection actions all working
- 50+ items across full Tier 0–3 production chains
- 3 resource sites + 7 processing buildings
(additional sites to be unlocked through future updates)
- Conveyor automation system (belts, mergers, splitters, tunnels —
4 tiers)
- Quarterly contract system (choose 2 of 4 contracts each quarter)
- Slush fund system (skim from sales, exposure risk, bribery
and team dinner spending options)
- 12 privileges (利權) enabling different build strategies each run
- Detective Office (special building for digging up board secrets)
- One run takes roughly 2–3 hours (1st to 3rd year clear range)

[An Honest Note on Limitations]
- Some balance values (especially the revenue target curve) will
be continuously adjusted based on real play data
- Visual and audio effects are implemented at a core level and
will be expanded incrementally throughout Early Access
- UI for Korean and other languages is under consideration;
English only at launch
- Some privileges and events will be added in future updates
- You may encounter bugs or incomplete behavior during gameplay

We believe the core fun is already in place — but this is not
yet a "complete game." We are looking for players willing to
build it with us.”

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

“We are planning a price increase at the time of full release.

We intend to offer the game at the Early Access price for those
who join us during the EA period, and to adjust the price at
full launch — when accumulated content expansion and polish
warrant it.

The exact size of the price change will be determined based on
the volume and scope of content added during Early Access.

If you purchase during Early Access, you will receive the full
version at no additional cost.”

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

“We plan to communicate actively with our player community
through the following channels.

[Communication Channels]
- Steam Discussion Boards: collecting major feedback and
responding from the dev team
- Official Discord Server: real-time conversation, build sharing,
bug reporting
- Steam Community Hub: patch notes and development logs

[How the Community Can Participate]
- Regular Dev Logs: sharing what we are working on and what
changes are under review
- Balance Change Notices: when key numbers change (revenue
targets, bribery costs, etc.), the reasoning and data
shared together
- Community Voting: gathering input on priorities for upcoming
content (e.g., the next privilege to add, the next type of
incident event)
- Build Showcase Gallery: a space to share interesting factory
layouts and board strategies
- Beta Test Channel: an opt-in beta branch under consideration,
where larger changes can be tested first

We are a small team, so we cannot promise to reply to every
message — but we will read everything, and we will work to
find ways to bring your feedback into the game.

Every player's feedback shapes what HellFactory Inc. becomes.”