Why Early Access?

“Retro Empire already plays as a complete day in the shop: you buy consoles, clean and repair them on your bench, price them and sell them. I'm making it on my own, and the demo has shown me how much the game improves when people play it early. Autosave, for example, came straight from a player's report. Early Access lets me keep working that way while I build the bigger features.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“About 12 to 18 months. The exact date depends on development and on what players report, and I'll announce any change on the Steam page.”

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

“The plan for 1.0:
• A cyber café down the street.
• Moving the shop to bigger premises.
• More consoles, accessories and faults to fix on the bench.
• More ways to automate the business as it grows.
• Balance, performance and accessibility improvements throughout.
The order may change depending on what players ask for.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“Early Access starts with the whole shop loop and the systems around it:
• Find consoles and games on RetroPop, haggle and meet the sellers in the street.
• Clean, open up and repair consoles on your bench, then test them on a TV.
• Price your stock, rent out games and consoles, and serve customers at the till.
• Take repair jobs from customers who bring in their own consoles.
• Fix arcade machines, swap their boards and empty the coin box. Later, turn the old video club down the street into an arcade hall.
• Hire staff to keep the shop running while you hunt for deals.
• Paint the walls, choose your furniture and design the sign over the door.
• Interface in 11 languages, full controller support and Steam Cloud saves.
Expect bugs and balance changes. I update the game often and explain what changed each time.”

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

“Yes. Retro Empire will cost less during Early Access than at 1.0, and the price will go up as the game grows. I'll announce any price change well in advance.”

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

“I read every bug report and review, along with the Steam forums, the Discord server and the survey at the end of the demo. Each update comes with a devlog that says what changed because of player feedback.”