Why Early Access?

“Nest Rivals is built around autonomous creatures, competing colonies and a changing environment. The core simulation is already playable, but the game around it is still evolving.

During Early Access, we want to expand the situations, encounters and environmental challenges that emerge from these systems, while learning which parts of the simulation create the most interesting decisions and stories for players. Player feedback will help us decide where existing mechanics need more depth, where new interactions are worth exploring, and how the overall experience should develop towards the full version.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We currently expect Nest Rivals to remain in Early Access for roughly 6–12 months. This is an estimate rather than a fixed release date, as the scope and priorities may change based on development progress and player feedback.”

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

“We plan for the full version to offer a broader and more varied colony experience than the initial Early Access release. One of the major additions we plan for the full version is a colony development tree, allowing players to shape how their colony develops over the course of a game rather than relying only on growth and survival.

During Early Access, we also plan to expand the situations and encounters colonies can face, develop environmental threats and interactions further, and give existing systems such as colony behaviour, combat, survival and exploration more depth. The Bestiary will continue to grow as both a record of discoveries and a way of revealing more about the creatures and world of Nest Rivals.

The exact scope and structure of the development tree, as well as other additions, may evolve during Early Access. Player feedback and observed play patterns will help determine which choices and specializations create meaningful differences between colonies and which systems we expand, change or simplify on the way to the full version.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The current development build includes the core single-player colony simulation: direct control of individual slimes, autonomous colony inhabitants, food gathering and transport, underground nests, rival colonies and exploration. Procedural worlds, different biomes, weather, a day-night cycle and an illustrated Bestiary are already implemented.

Players can establish and grow a colony, explore the generated world and underground, gather resources, encounter other colonies and interact with the survival and environmental systems already in place. The game is playable as a sandbox simulation, but its content, progression and some of its systems are still being developed and may change substantially during Early Access.”

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

“We currently expect the price to increase for the full release. The timing and amount of any increase have not yet been decided.”

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

“Players will be able to share feedback and suggestions through the Steam Community discussions and our Discord community. We are particularly interested in how colonies and their autonomous inhabitants behave during real play: which situations lead to interesting decisions, which systems players engage with or ignore, where unexpected strategies emerge, and where the simulation feels too predictable or unclear.

We plan to use this feedback when deciding which interactions and situations to develop further and when setting priorities for upcoming updates. Bug reports, balancing and usability feedback are also valuable, but community involvement is intended to go beyond testing and polishing the existing game.”