Hello inmates,

We'd like to invite you to watch today's Darwin Invitational and participate with your votes! We've got a stellar lineup of contestants who will be randomly paired in Duos over the the course of 5 matches starting at 4 PM EDT!

Tune in to any of the streams to support your favourite contestant:

Forsen: https://www.twitch.tv/forsen
CDNthe3rd: https://www.twitch.tv/cdnthe3rd
xqc: https://www.twitch.tv/xQcOW
Ohmwrecker: https://www.twitch.tv/ohmwrecker
XChocoBars: https://www.twitch.tv/xchocobars
wtcN: https://www.twitch.tv/wtcn
Disguised Toast: https://www.twitch.tv/disguisedtoasths
MoMaN: https://www.twitch.tv/momanus
Shroud: https://www.twitch.tv/shroud
Jotobo: https://www.twitch.tv/jotobo
Show Director perspective: https://www.twitch.tv/darwinproject

Have fun everyone!

Hello inmates,

We’ve got a smaller patch for you this week that follows up on some features introduced in 1.10. These changes are coming to Steam on Tuesday, May 8. (We’ll update with the specific time when we can).

UPDATE: Maintenance for patch 1.10.1 will be from 11 AM to approximately 12 PM EDT (3 PM to 4 PM UTC).

In case you missed it on our social channels over the last couple days: On Friday we fixed an issue with Show Directors not earning Fans and gave them a roster of Powers proportional to their number of matches played when patch 1.10 went live. On Sunday, we fixed an issue with Show Directors being unable to direct Duos matches. Now you're all caught up! Check out the next changes in full below.

See you in the arena!



Thanks for your feedback, Show Directors! Our original Rating requirements allowed only a small fraction of Show Director players to use the full suite of currently available Powers, so we’ve lowered them to the following:

Warm Up - 2.5
Give Wood - 2.5
Electronic - 2.5
Close Zone - 2.5
Speed Up - 3
Expose - 3
Electro-mania - 3
Telepathy - 3
Blood Moon - 3
Heal - 3.5
Gravity Storm - 3.5
Nuke - 3.5
Manhunt - 3.5

We also removed these requirements in Private Matches, allowing Show Directors to use any Power they have obtained during Private Matches regardless of their Rating.

• Updated the default set of Powers available to Show Directors:
  - Give Wood x 2
  - Warm Up x 1
  - Electronic x 2
  - Close Zone x 2
  - Nuke x 1
  
• The Show Director Megaphone is now back to a default ability on a cooldown and will no longer appear in the Power Deck
  
• Removed the red sound wave visual emitted by a tree when a player was hidden inside
  
• Player status icons will now be displayed during Telepathy to clarify who is speaking

• Increased the duration of Blood Moon from 1 minute to 2 minutes
  
• Added voiceover and sound effects to accompany the Blood Moon start, plus music for the entire duration
  
• Blood Moon will change the time of day to midnight and a giant moon emitting red light in the sky will appear.

• Fixed an issue where arrows would sometimes go through some trees
  
• Fixed an issue where the Slow Power, which does not actually exist, was made available to Show Directors
  
• Fixed an issue that would not display the correct amount of matches needed to appear in the Arrow Accuracy, Headshot Ratio, Average Rank, Average Number of Kills, Win Ratio, and Show Director Rating leaderboards
  
• Fixed an issue where clues didn’t work properly while Blood Moon was in effect
  
• Fixed an issue where Expose would sometimes not expose anyone
  
• Fixed an issue where a newly unlocked Show Director power would not appear in the Power Deck until another match was played
  
• Fixed a typo in Show Director Power info text
  
• Fixed an issue where Show Directors could not see their cursor until they opened and closed the Power Deck
  
• Fixed an issue where players’ Official Ratings would not decrease when they died by lava or cold
  
• Fixed an issue where the names of the Blue Shirt and Orange Shirt were inverted for the female character

Hello inmates,

It’s almost time for patch 1.10! If the last changelist you read was 1.9, be sure to check out this catch-up post detailing the hotfixes we pushed over the course of the last week.

Patch 1.10 will come to Steam Friday, March 4 (expect maintenance from 11 AM EDT - 12 PM EDT) Don’t miss our devstream during the maintenance! Tune in here: https://www.twitch.tv/darwinproject

UPDATE: We’ve rescheduled the maintenance and devstream to 1 PM – 2 PM EDT on May 4.

See you in the arena!



There are some big changes in here, so a little bit about the reasoning first. Being the Show Director is a big responsibility: the skill and personality of the Show Director has a lot of impact on the contestants’ play experiences. With the progression system, we’re rewarding experienced Show Director with more Powers and influence over the match while giving newer Show Directors the ability to learn the role with more basic Powers before they become familiar with the mechanics and grow into their style.

From now on, when you play a Darwin Project match where there’s a Show Director with access to Powers such as Manhunt, you’ll know that they earned the ability to use them by playing several matches and maintaining a high Rating throughout. Here's what's involved in the progression system:

1. The prerequisite to play as the Show Director is now Level 10 instead of 5 matches played.
2. Show Directors will begin with a limited amount of available Powers and unlock new ones as they play. Some Powers can be unlocked and equipped multiple times, whereas others can only appear in the Power Deck once.
3. All Powers have an associated Show Director Rating requirement. The higher the Power’s potential to influence the match, the higher the required Rating the use it.
4. The Show Director role will become unavailable if players fall below a 2.5 star Show Director Rating, but can work their way back up by playing matches as contestants

We’re really excited about this improvement since it’s one of the most requested Show Director features, and it’ll create a lot of new Director styles and combinations. Show Directors will be able to browse available Powers and insert them in their Power Decks as they see fit. The Power Deck is customizable from the main menu as well as from the lobby, so the Show Director can decide on the Powers they’re bringing into the match after getting to know the contestants a little bit!




Give Wood (Cost 1): Channel your inner Wood Delivery Guy and give a chosen player 3 Woods.

Expose (Cost 3): The selected player and their nearest opponent both receive a clue on each other

Telepathy (Cost 5): All players can hear one another’s voices

Blood Moon (Cost 5): All players track one another

Electro-mania (Cost 5): Activate all Electronics

We look forward to hearing about your experiences with all these new Powers! We’ll be polishing them over the next few weeks, so don’t hesitate to share your feedback.


Many of you have been asking for ways to support Darwin Project now that it is free to play on Steam. First of all: thank you. We didn’t expect to see so much of this feedback, and it means a lot to us that you care. Or maybe you just really like shopping for clothes? That’s cool, too.

We’re introducing a simple in-game shop with just one purchase option to start: the Supporter Pack. Here’s what it contains:



As a reminder, alternate clothes and weapon appearances will never come with in-game advantages.

Keep an eye out for more stylish items in the near future!

• The Show Director Manhunt Power can now only be used when at least 4 players are alive and at least 2 zones remain
  
• In Private Matches, Show Directors now have the ability to start the game in Solo or Duo Mode (teams are chosen at random)
  
• Decreased visibility for players hidden in a tree
  
• Hiding in a tree will now cause it to shake and emit sound effects
  
• Arrows used to kill Deer will be retrievable from the body again
  
• Shortened the Axe jump attack damage window by 30 milliseconds
  
• Tweaked Axe animation timing to improve fluidity and feedback in combat
  
• Changed the default Mute All key from Y to M
  
• Increased the amount of Wood salvageable from dead players
  
• Aiming your bow no longer consumes stamina, but it does slow down its regeneration

• NEW 5/04: Decreased loading times

• An icon will now appear next to your mute icon when you are talking
  
• Updated the match end screen
  
• Added an option to watch Behind the Scenes videos from the main menu
  
• Corrected the Revenge Cloak description in the Crafting Wheel

• You must now play at least 50 matches to appear on the Arrow Accuracy, Headshot Ratio, Average Rank, Average Number of Kills, Win Ratio, and Show Director Rating leaderboards
  
• Leaderboards will now reset at 11:00 AM ET (3:00 PM UTC) instead of 3:00 PM ET (7:00 PM UTC) to correspond with our (semi) regular maintenance time. Resets will still occur every other week on Tuesdays, with the next Steam reset being May 8. The remaining time before resets will be displayed as a countdown above the leaderboards.

• Fixed an issue where players who downloaded Darwin Project after the free-to-play transition did not have access to all skin colour and hairstyle options
  
• Fixed an issue where players would sometimes jump out of the window in a buried house and fall into an abyss
  
• Fixed an invisible player collision under the bridge
  
• Fixed collisions on big trees being a bit wider than the tree
  
• Fixed an issue where Electronics would sometimes play the wrong animation
  
• The final zone will never be Nuked, even if it wins an audience vote
  
• Fixed an issue where players would sometimes start the match with 5 Arrows
  

Hello inmates,

Last week was a very eventful one with the deployment of our very exciting customization update, and if you haven’t been tuned to our social media channels, you might’ve missed a few changes that happened in the form of hotfixes throughout the week. This post is meant to get you caught up before we announce what’s coming in the next patch!

We published patch notes 1.9 on Friday, April 20, aiming to push the update itself on Tuesday the 24th. While these notes contained improvements that had been frequently requested by the community, such as the ability to earn Fans in different game modes and to unlock new cosmetic items, not all changes were met with the same enthusiasm. Darwin Project players were concerned about the Show Director power targeting update and how it would severely limit Show Director freedom. After reading this feedback on Discord and our other social media channels, we reacted swiftly and tweaked the mandatory votes to affect only Show Directors with a rating of 3 stars or less before pushing the patch. This change has since been updated in the patch notes.

An unexpected issue that occurred right after we deployed patch 1.9 on Steam was that zones would not close properly. If you were online on Tuesday afternoon, you might’ve played a few matches that lasted way longer than they should as a result! This technical issue was caused by a huge amount of vote requests sent to Twitch due to automatic zone closures then prompting an audience vote via the Spectator Interactions extension.

We improved zone closures in a hotfix on April 25 and also fixed a small texture issue with the Founder’s Pack Legendary sets. By then we’d read even more feedback, especially from new players who discovered Darwin Project when it became free to play on Steam just days before, and we identified another trend that we felt was too often leading to unpleasant social experiences in-game: the Show Director Invincibility power. We decided to remove it as part of April 25’s update instead of waiting until the next patch to try to determine, as soon as we could, whether this would have a positive effect for both contestants and Show Directors. And so far, it looks like it might. Right now a second Warm Up power replaces Invincibility, but we’re looking forward to telling you about some new ways Show Directors will be able to spice up Darwin Project matches soon.

On April 26, we definitively fixed the zone closing issue by undoing the change requiring zone closures to be voted on by the audience. The same hotfix removed the AI Show Director, which, in the form it took last week, didn’t create as many exciting moments as we expected. We’re not opposed to potentially bringing those systems back in the future, but only if we’re able to improve them in a way we’re confident will make Darwin Project more fun. Finally, this update also addressed an issue where equipping cosmetic items would affect both the male and female character at the same time.

Later in the day on April 26, we disabled Show Director ratings in Private Matches. This one’s pretty straightforward: the rating should reflect how skilled Show Directors are at making Darwin Project matches more fun, and Private Matches with friends are not the right environment to accurately measure this.

So that was our week. Whew! Though perhaps the biggest news for our Discord community was yesterday’s introduction of the new #fashion-project channel, where all manner of elegant and not-so-elegant outfits are being shown off! Our Discord server now counts over 21,000 members, and if you haven’t joined yet, now’s a good time: https://discord.gg/darwin

On behalf of the whole team, thanks for continuously sharing your feedback with us across all our different channels. We’ve said from the start that we’re building this game hand in hand with our community, and that’s not about to stop just because there are a lot more of you!

Stay tuned for patch notes 1.10! Especially you, Show Directors.

See you in the arena!
- The Scavengers Team

Hello inmates,

We've started a new Behind the Scenes video series recorded here at the studio. The first episode features none other than our Creative Director Simon Darveau as he welcomes all the new players and outlines what to expect from Darwin Project!

Watch it by clicking the image below:



Stay tuned for the next video, which will focus on the Darwin Project roadmap!

See you in the arena!
- The Scavengers Team

Hello inmates,

Here are the changes coming on Tuesday, April 24. Warning: this is a big one! Maintenance will begin at 11 AM EDT (3 PM UTC) and is expected to last about one hour.

The Glider tool was recently unlocked! More information on our official website click here

See you in the arena!




We’re overhauling the progression system to give you the ability to earn a variety of cosmetic items as you level up. As you play Darwin Project matches and gain Fans, you’ll occasionally receive Fan Gifts. Open these packages to discover new styles for your clothes or weapons. We hope you’re excited to start expanding your collection, because we’re adding over 200 items on Tuesday, with more coming later!

Full information click here

Spectator Interactions: Now with More Votes!

UPDATE 4/26: Following your feedback, we’ve undone these changes.

The last update we made to Spectator Interactions allowed viewers tuned in to contestant streams to vote, even if the Show Director was streaming on a different channel. On Tuesday, we’re making another significant update to this feature that will engage viewers even further. The update is in two parts:

1. All zone closures will be voted on by the public, regardless of whether there is a Show Director in the match. This guarantees many votes are launched in a match, giving more control to the audience.
   
2. In matches where nobody joined as a Show Director, an AI will take over the Show Director drone and use Powers whose targets will be voted on by the audience! The Powers that the AI Show Director will be able to use are Nuke, Manhunt, Warm Up, Heal, and Gravity Storm.

In short, if you’re looking to watch some Darwin Project matches, all streams where at least one contestant in the match is streaming (and connected to Twitch/Mixer) will allow you to have a say in the match by voting!

Finding the sweet spot for what Show Directors can and cannot do has probably been the most persistent challenge of Darwin Project’s development so far. Our vision for the role of the Show Director continues to be entertainment-first, with the contestants’ ability to negotiate and win over the Show Director an important factor in the outcome of the match. Unfortunately, some players still feel that Show Directors directly granting Powers such as Heal and temporary Invincibility to an inmate counts as an unfair advantage. The Show Directors themselves sometimes have trouble dealing with the negativity this creates, so we’ve decided to change the way targets for Show Director Powers are decided.

On Tuesday, all Powers that require a player target will cast a vote to the audience. UPDATE: Thanks for your feedback! We've updated this so it'll only affect Show Directors with a rating of 3 stars or less. There’s a sense among players that if a group of viewers decides which contestant receives an advantage, that player has earned it―but the Show Director’s decisions aren’t received the same way. We hope this change will have a positive impact on both contestant and Show Director experiences while still allowing Show Directors to make matches a blast to watch. Note: this change doesn't affect Private Matches.

Further improving and adding depth to the Show Director role is on high priority for our future updates. Please let us know what you think about this update on any of our official channels as always, and we’ll keep working until we get it just right.

Another frequently requested improvement! Playing in Duo Mode, Private Matches, and as the Show Director, will now also allow you to gain Fans. This means that Duo and Private Match enthusiasts will also be able to fill up their Dressing Rooms with new gear starting April 24. (Don’t worry, Show Directors, we haven’t forgotten about you).

• Increased Turret deploy time from 0.5 to 1 second
  
• The Turret will no longer highlight players it aims at
  
• Decreased the Revenge Cloak clue duration from 2 seconds per level to 1.5 seconds per level
  
• Decreased the Detective Cloak clue duration from 20% per level to 15% per level
  
• The Ghost Cloak will now reduce clue duration by 10% per level instead of 15% level
  
• Decreased Radar duration from 15 seconds to 10 seconds
  
• The Radar will no longer detect Traps
  
• The Detector will now detect Traps
  
• Increased Detector cooldown from 30 seconds to 45 seconds
  
• Reduced Arrow knockback by 30%
  
• Increased health recovered when you kill a player from 150 HP to 300 HP
  
• Parrying an Axe attack while trapped now breaks the Trap
  
• Killing a deer with an Arrow now destroys the Arrow
  
• Improved server Axe hit detection (Axe combat will feel better the lower your ping)
  
• Aiming your Bow will now slightly consume Stamina
  
• Snowballs will now nullify Camo on hit
  
• Snowballs will now destroy Turrets on hit
  
• Using the Camo power when the Glider is in effect will also camouflage the Glider
  
• NEW: Tightened the hitbox for the jump Axe attack

• Added volume sliders for music, sound effects, and voiceover

• Removed a huge rock in the North West Electronic area to create more space for combat during sudden death

• Matches can now begin in the daytime, at dusk, or at nighttime (previously they would only begin at dusk)
  
• The snowstorm will no longer begin at the same point in the match

• Fixed an issue where the zone restriction would trigger a crowd favorite vote
  
• Fixed an issue where Holomaps would disappear after the Manhunt cutscene
  
• Fixed an issue where the Turret could hit a player who was out of range if it started firing while the player was in range
  
• Fixed an issue where the Evader Boots bonus would stack when multiple players tracked you
  
• All Bear Traps, Cage Trap, Tripwires, Turrets and Rigged Chests touching an Arena (Electronic power) when it vanishes will be destroyed (to address an issue where these tools would be stuck in the air if the Arena was used during a jump)
  
• Using the Glider will no longer prevent your Stamina from regenerating
  
• Fixed an issue where the Turret would sometimes not be destroyed when hit by an Arrow
  
• Fixed an issue where the incorrect voiceover would play when the Manhunt target was killed
  
• Fixed an issue where the kill by trap voiceover would not play
  
• Fixed a hole near West Electronic area where a player can fall in and get stuck
  
• Jumping through a Portal will no longer cause a hard landing
  
• You will now be able to enter a Portal from the side
  
• Fixed an issue where audio input and output device settings were not saved

We're proud to say that the Darwin Project community is THE MOST AWESOME community there is in this industry. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much for this nice surprise. We never thought we'd get sushi and pizza gifted by our inmates.

Update: To get a refund, you need to get in contact with Steam Support and they will refund regardless of purchase date.

We love you all!

Here's an important update from our Creative Director Simon Darveau:

“We’ve said from the start that we’re committed to creating a fresh and exciting experience for Darwin Project players and viewers. With features like the Show Director who serves as a master of ceremonies, Spectator Interactions that let viewers directly interact with streams, and an emphasis on tracking that ensures players are always within arm’s reach of a tense confrontation, we still believe Darwin Project offers a quality experience unlike any other battle royale game out there.

“We’ve been fortunate to have a core community of players join us at a very early stage, with many still supporting us during Early Access, and the last thing we want to do is let those passionate players down. Lately, members of our community have reported longer queue times and difficulty finding matches in lesser populated servers. To bring in new players and maintain a level of activity that ensures players are able to get the most of out Darwin Project, we’ve decided to make it more accessible by removing the price tag.

“We’re aware that it’s a big change, and we want to reiterate that we’re remaining true to Darwin Project’s vision as we move forward.”



How can I play for free?
Darwin Project is currently available as a free download on Steam.

I bought the game already. Since it’s free now, will I be compensated?
If you own Darwin Project, you’ll receive the Founder’s Pack containing 2 MTL Legendary sets, 3 Legendary Axes, 3 Legendary Bows, a full jumpsuit collection, and 5 Fan Gifts. The Founder's Pack will be added to your inventory on Tuesday, April 24. UPDATE: Here’s the final Founder’s Pack with the confirmed item names in full:



I’m not interested in the Founder’s Pack. Would it be possible to have a refund?
If you paid for the game and want to be refunded, you can do it through Steam regardless of purchase date (we’re currently in the process of extending the refund period, so check again soon if you’re not able to refund yet).

Will Darwin Project be pay-to-win?
No. We will never sell items that give a competitive advantage.



See you and ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS in the arena!

Inmates,

Thanks to your help, Mister Friend has successfully gathered 500,000 flags for his mysterious tool! Here's his heartfelt response to finally being able to build the Glider:

I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of support, in the forms of flags, that greeted my humble request for hundreds of thousands of flags. Sure, collecting flags wasn’t as glamorous as flying a fighter jet with the window open or eating a Philly cheesesteak, but it got results. Years from now we’ll laugh together, remembering these days, our Flag days, and how we proved everyone wrong, how we stood up for what was right and said Yes! I got all those flags. I worked long nights in the lab (my prison cell) only taking short breaks to use the bathroom (also my cell). Testing the Glider in a small room was extremely painful.
Courage. Vigilance. Flags.
Your Neighbour,
Mister Friend



To use the Glider in-game, go to the Crafting Wheel customization inside a lobby or in the main menu and add the Glider to your Tools. Collect 1 Wood and 1 Leather to craft it in the arena, then use it to make a quick escape or drop in on unsuspecting enemies.

With the Glider, you can cover long distances faster than ever. Deploy it from high ground and fly over a fire or a lava area to maximize flight time!

Manage to create a really cool moment with the Glider? Tag us on Twitter @ScavengerStudio with your clips!

Hello inmates,

Tuesday, April 24, we’re overhauling the progression system to give you the ability to earn a variety of cosmetic items as you level up. This means that when Tuesday’s update goes live, which is expected to happen at 12:00 PM EDT (4:00 PM UTC), you will be reset to Level 1. Don’t worry: none of your career stats like Official Rating and Games Played will be affected.

As you play Darwin Project matches and gain Fans, you’ll occasionally receive Fan Gifts. Open these packages to discover new styles for your clothes or weapons. We hope you’re excited to start expanding your collection because we’re adding over 200 items on Tuesday, with more coming later!

Here’s a sneak peek at some of the items you’ll be able to unlock and show off in the arena very soon:







Look forward to new hairstyles and facial customization options soon as well. For now, unlockable cosmetics will be limited to items wearable by contestants, but we’re not forgetting about all the Show Directors out there! This is just the start of our efforts to make the Darwin Project arena a more fashionable place to carry out the manhunt.

For more information and a deeper look into what we’ve got in store, tune in to our devstream Friday, April 20 at 2 PM EDT: https://www.twitch.tv/darwinproject. We’ll be answering some of your questions related to customization and other recent updates. Submit your questions here ahead of time: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheDarwinProject/comments/8d94im/reddit_ama_and_live_devstream/

See you in the arena!

Hello inmates!

It has been one month since Darwin Project launched on Steam Early Access and Xbox Game Preview. I am personally amazed by how our whole community has grown in that short time. Our community has expanded to almost 13,000 on Discord (from about 7,000 prior to launch), 14,500 on Twitter, and almost 33,000 here on Steam. For a small team like us, those numbers are humbling. However, what we’re even prouder of is the sense of camaraderie and positivity within the community, despite Darwin Project being all about sticking your axe into other players the first chance you get. Players are generally friendly to one another, and we hear “good game” frequently―even from players who just died to a headshot. As someone who has been a member of many other gaming communities for several years, I find this simply amazing.

Darwin Project’s vision was built around social interaction, so it’s very important for us that our community continues to display this positivity throughout Early Access and beyond. We have been hard at work listening to our players, recording feedback, and amplifying community initiatives. Most importantly, we have been working on making sure that Darwin Project matches are toxicity-free as much as possible. Today, we wanted to share some measures we’ve taken to minimize the number of unpleasant experiences our players encounter:

• We are investigating player reports and have given sanctions to players found to have violated the Code of Conduct.
  
• We have increased the number of in-game enforcers on both Steam and Xbox as well as the number of moderators on our social channels. Enforcers and moderators exist to provide support, answer questions, ensure order, and spread positivity.
  
• We now require event organizers to adhere to the Code of Conduct to promote their events in the dedicated community events channel on Discord.

Your reports are greatly helping us make sure toxic players are held responsible for their actions, and we are working on better tools to not only handle reports more efficiently, but also notify you when those you’ve filed lead to a sanction. Please continue to report behavior that violates the Code of Conduct so we can maintain the fun atmosphere inside the Darwin Project arena together.

If you haven’t already and want to get more involved with our community, come join our Discord server at discord.gg/darwin. We are now 12,700 strong and still growing! It’s a chance for you to get to know community members, share tips, and apply for special roles if that’s something you’re interested in.
We will keep being as active as we can on all our official channels and do our best to nurture the wonderful spirit many of you have come to expect from the Darwin Project community.

Looking forward to seeing you around!

Love,
Your blacksmithing Community Manager - Sam <3