Why Early Access?

“Card Shop Duelist is a passion project that's been built from the ground up, and Early Access gives us the opportunity to continue developing it with real player feedback shaping the direction. We want to grow alongside our community, using your suggestions, bug reports, and general enthusiasm to help us prioritize what matters most. Additional funding from Early Access also allows us to dedicate more resources to making the game the best it can be.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We're aiming for roughly a year or so in Early Access, though the exact timeline will depend on how development progresses and what the community helps us discover along the way. We'd rather take the time to get it right than rush to a 1.0.”

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

“We plan to significantly expand and polish the game based on what we learn during Early Access. This includes deeper content across all systems, more cards, customers, shop upgrades, and events, as well as improved quality of life features and a more refined overall experience. We want the full release to feel like a complete, cohesive game rather than a starting point, so we'll be using Early Access to fill in the gaps and smooth the rough edges.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Card Shop Duelist is in a highly playable state with a large amount of content and systems already in place. Here's what you'll find on day one:

The Shop
Run your card shop through a full day-night cycle, open your doors, watch customers walk in, browse your shelves, and make purchases. Customers have intent-driven behavior (pack hunters, card collectors, window shoppers) and memory of past visits. Manage your backroom stock, restock shelves, open packs, and set prices to match a shifting daily market.

Cards & Collection
A full card collection to discover and collect across multiple rarities and variants including Normal, Foil, Full Art, and Mythic Foil. Keep cards in your personal binder, stock them for sale, or break them down into dust and craft the ones you're missing. A dynamic market fluctuates prices daily based on supply and demand.

Card Duels
Challenge customers to card duels using a custom-built card game (Battleforge). Build and manage your deck, choose a starter archetype when beginning a new save, and compete in tournaments with bracket progression. Player matches are fully interactive. AI matchups simulate automatically. The tournament bracket is built from real sign-ups, customers who walk into your shop can opt in and compete as themselves.

Online Multiplayer
Open your shop to up to three friends online, or join someone else's. Each player brings their own save, their own collection, and their own cash. The host controls how revenue gets split and what guests are allowed to do. Trade cards directly with other players, challenge them to Battleforge matches, and run tournaments where real players fill the bracket.

Staff & Automation
Hire staff who work autonomously. Cashiers hold the counter, stockers pull inventory from the backroom and replenish shelves based on demand. Staff have role labels and task awareness, so you can always see what your crew is up to.

Shop Building
Use Build Mode to customize your store layout with furniture. Place, move, and stash pieces freely on a grid with visual placement feedback and zone restrictions.

Progression & Goals
Level up your shop through an upgrade tree, track Daily, Weekly, and Main quest goals, and unlock content as you grow. A community system tracks customer relationships and loyalty tiers, with returning regulars who remember their history with your shop.

Achievements, Seasons & Calendar
A full achievement system (with Steam integration), a living calendar with four seasons and year progression that influences customer demand and atmosphere. A browser app inside the game shows a full year forecast of events and weather so you can plan ahead.

Multiple save slots let you run parallel playthroughs, and the game saves automatically so you never lose progress. Full controller support included.”

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

“We plan to raise the price slightly when we leave Early Access, reflecting the additional content and polish added during development. If you're interested in supporting the game early, buying in during Early Access is the best time to do so at the lower price.”

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

“Our Discord server will be the main hub for community feedback. We actively read what players share, whether it's bug reports, feature ideas, or general thoughts on the game, and use that input to guide our priorities. We want this to feel like a collaborative process, and hearing directly from the people playing the game is the best way to make sure we're building something worth playing.”