Hello, everyone! ːsteamhappyː
It’s been quite a while since our last update post. We apologize for this radio silence, but frankly there’s not been much to update on. Until now…
Console Ports
Possibly the most frequent question we’ve gotten post release was “Console ports when?”
Well, we wanted to be done with the console ports by the end of the year. We now know that we’re not going to make it in time for that deadline. We’ve been falling behind the schedule slightly for a while now, but we wanted to wait until the end of September to be absolutely sure.
After some deliberation, we have decided to set the new deadline for the release of the console ports. This deadline is fairly lenient and should allow for enough QA to be done in order to deliver smooth gameplay experience on all the intended consoles.
Console release of Hobo: Tough Life is now planned on the 13th of April 2022 - coincidentally a year after the PC version. That almost calls for a “Year One Feature Update” for the PC version, right? Which brings us to the next point…
New Content
The second most frequent question we now get is “New content when?”
Here is a bit of sad news. Unfortunately, there will assuredly be no new content until the release of the console ports. We realize that almost a year-long wait since the PC release is a bit too much to ask, but it is simply not viable for us to add to the project in its current state.
We are simultaneously working on the console ports, cross-platform play infrastructure, and new cloud save system. Any changes and/or additions would require a project rollback, implementation, testing, release, and then reroll back to the current work copy.
It sounds like a simple process, but a single instance of this could take anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks and there is a lot that could go wrong. Simply put, it’s worth neither the risk, nor the time investment.
HOWEVER, that doesn’t mean that PC players will be left empty-handed when the console ports release. We want the console versions to be the most feature-complete and polished versions of the game. That will of course serve to improve the PC version as well.
There are still a lot of issues, bugs, and features that are on our to-do list. Console optimizations will improve performance on PC across the board as well. The “Year One Patch” is going to be big, we can promise you that.
As for any new content past that, who knows. There have been talks about a DLC and mod support, but nothing specific yet. Truth is, Hobo: Tough Life has been in development for almost 7 years. That is a long time and we would like to avoid burnout, which is already slowly creeping in.
CEEGA 2021 Nomination
Now, to end on a good note, “Hobo: Tough Life” has received a nomination in Central & Eastern European Game Awards 2021! Next week, we will wrestle for the title of the Best Narrative with Mafia: Definitive Edition, Cyberpunk 2077, and The Medium in Poznań, Poland. Those are certainly formidable opponents so wish us luck! Part of our team will attend the event and keep you posted live on our social media.
That is going to be all for now, stay safe, and remember to stock up on medkits and lifebringers before the winter comes!