Why Early Access?

“River Royale started from a simple question: what if you played as the water? A lot of people have followed our development videos and asked to play it, and the core of the game is already playable and tested. We want to get it into players' hands now and build the rest of it with them. Early Access lets us ship updates often, see how real matches play out, and shape new mechanics, maps and modes around what players enjoy most.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We expect River Royale to be in Early Access for about 3 months, depending on player feedback. We plan to keep updating the game after the full release too.”

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

“We plan to keep growing River Royale throughout Early Access. The full version is planned to include:

- More maps
- More terrain and weather to play with
- More power-ups
- Balance, performance and visual polish

Many of these ideas come from our community, and we expect the plan to change as players tell us what they want most.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The Early Access version is playable in single-player and online multiplayer. You drop from the sky onto Corsica, built from real elevation data, and race 79 other rivers to the sea: switch between a slow, wide pool and a fast river, drink smaller water to grow, and call rain or lava onto the map.

Online matches are peer-to-peer, so you play with people near you in the same region, and bots fill the rest of each match. International matchmaking is still a work in progress: it needs dedicated servers, and we plan to invest in them once we see how many people want to play. Expect bugs, rough edges and frequent balance changes while we build.”

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

“We plan to gradually raise the price as we ship major new content and features, such as new maps and international matchmaking.”

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

“Our Discord is at the center of development. Players share ideas and bug reports there, we try the best ideas in upcoming builds, and we post patch notes that explain what changed and why. We also read the Steam discussions and share regular development videos so everyone can see what is coming next.”