Why Early Access?

“Derby Dynasty's core — the racing engine, intelligent AI, character system, stable management, breeding, — arrives deep and complete from day one. We chose Early Access not to deliver half a game, but because, as an independent developer, we want to polish and grow it together with our community. For us, the greatest value is a roadmap shaped by real player feedback.

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

During Early Access, our focus is on two areas:

Visual Realism. The game's systems are mature and deep from day one. Throughout this period we'll direct our energy toward the visual layer — horse animations, track detail, atmosphere, and overall visual quality will step by step reach a far more realistic level. We're adding visual polish on top of a solid foundation.

Online Competitive Racing. This is our biggest goal: online, player-versus-player competitive horse racing with no true equivalent on the market today. Racing the champions you've bred against other players — this is the heart of our short-to-mid-term vision.

Alongside these, new races, a deepening economy, and additions driven by community feedback will be part of our roadmap.

"What is the current state of the Early Access version?"

Early Access begins with a fully playable and deep game: a real physics-based racing engine, rivals that make decisions through Utility AI, five racing personalities, stable management and upgrades, a rules-based racing calendar, breeding and foal-rearing, a horse market, and talent and bond systems. In terms of systems, this is a complete racing RPG. At this stage, our main area of development is visual detail.

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

As the game grows and its content deepens, the price is likely to increase somewhat for the full release. Players who join during Early Access get the game at its most affordable price and witness its development from the very start.

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

Feedback sits at the center of our roadmap. We'll listen to our players through Steam discussions and our community channels, shaping which features come forward, our balancing, and new content together with the community. Player feedback will be especially decisive in the design of the online racing system.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We plan for Derby Dynasty to stay in Early Access for about 3 to 6 months.

Our game promises a rich experience from day one with its deep mechanics, high-quality design, and extensive content. At the same time, we want to integrate valuable feedback, balancing suggestions, and user experience improvements from our player community into the project before the full release.

This timeframe is the most suitable to take the game’s quality to the level we’re aiming for. While there might be minor adjustments depending on community requests and the progress of development, our main goal is to move to the full release according to the planned schedule.”

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

“The difference between Early Access and the full version isn't about adding systems — because all of the game's core systems (the racing engine, intelligent AI, characters, stable management, breeding, the horse market, talent and bond systems) arrive deep and complete from day one. The difference lies in polishing that solid foundation and bringing it to its peak:

Visual Realism: In the full version, horse animations, track detail, atmosphere, and overall visual quality will be brought to a noticeably more realistic level. This is our main area of development during Early Access.
Online Competitive Racing: Our biggest goal is to bring player-versus-player online competitive racing to life in the full version — racing the champions you've bred against other players around the world.
Content Depth: More races, an expanding economy, and balancing and improvements shaped by community feedback.

In short, the full version will take the deep gameplay experience of Early Access to its visual peak and crown it with online competition.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Early Access begins with a fully playable and deep game. The systems currently active and complete:

A real physics-based racing engine — every horse is simulated live with speed, power, stamina, acceleration, and intelligence stats; there are no fixed outcomes.
Rivals that decide through Utility AI — no cheating or rubber-banding, horses that genuinely produce strategy.
Five racing personalities — Frontrunner, Stalker, Midfield, Closer, and Backmarker, each with its own racing style.
Stable management and upgrades — a deep, layered facility development system.
A rules-based racing calendar — with a bulletin and participation selection.
Breeding and foal-rearing — building a bloodline of champions across generations.
A horse market — buying and selling foals, and herd management.
Talent and bond system — the bond you build with your horse shapes its performance.

In terms of systems, this is a complete racing RPG. At this stage, our main area of development is visual detail — horse animations, track and atmosphere quality will be brought to a more realistic level step by step throughout Early Access. Online competitive racing will also be brought to life during this period.”

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

“Yes, the price is likely to increase somewhat for the full release. As new content, visual improvements are added throughout Early Access, the game's value will grow, and the price will reflect that development. Players who join during Early Access get the advantage of acquiring the game at its lowest price and witnessing its development from the very beginning.”

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

“Feedback sits at the center of our roadmap. As an independent developer, our greatest advantage is being able to communicate directly and quickly with our community.

We'll actively listen to our players through Steam discussion boards and our community channels. We'll shape which features come forward, balance adjustments, and new content together with our community. Player feedback will play a decisive role especially in the design of online competitive racing — our biggest goal — as we want to build that system together with our community.

Input on race balance, the economy, and breeding systems will directly influence the direction of our updates. Our aim is to carry the game to full release guided not only by our vision, but by the vision of the community that plays it.”