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Coming to Steam on April 7th

Dissent on Mars · published 18 months ago

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Finally, after 5+ years of development, Dissent on Mars is coming to Steam on April 7th! To help celebrate, we’ve released an updated version of the trailer. Check it out:

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Nothing is perfect, but I can honestly say I’ve put everything I have into this game. This has been a dream project of mine for 13 years, and it’s hard to put into words how it feels to finally be here. This wouldn’t be happening without the help of many people, so I’d like to take the time to thank some of them.

First, thanks to Gonçalo Antunes for drawing the art. I’ve collaborated with him on every game I’ve made since 2012, and it’s hard to imagine doing this with anyone else. Besides drawing, he brings his own creative ideas to the table, and makes the development process a lot more fun! It always helps to have a friend around.

Thanks to my parents Chuck and Dee. I quit my job in High School to make indie games and then moved in with them after college to try doing it full-time. Thanks to them we were able to ship our first big project back in 2015. I don’t think it’s possible to have more supportive parents, and I’m beyond grateful for their love, support, and inspiration. I dedicate this game to the memory of my dad, rest in peace.

Thanks to my friends and family for being there for me, and for testing the game! This would turn into a book if I wrote a paragraph for everyone, but I want to specifically thank Adrian Garcia who has been one of my best friends for over 20 years. He’s usually one of the first people to test a new game, and hearing his thoughts is always something I look forward to.

Thanks to everyone who’s thinking about different ways of running an economy and government. I wanted this game to let people experiment with a variety of different setups, so I spent a lot of time researching different proposals. I specifically want to thank Robin Hahnel, Jason Chrysostomou, Michael Weisdorf, and Mitchell Szczepanczyk for going above and beyond in answering my questions and letting me conduct lengthy interviews. I also had the chance to interview Jacque Fresco in person. Listening to his talks pushed me towards making this game, so I’m glad I was able to meet him before he passed away. Hopefully, I can live to be 101 too!

Thanks to Jason Rohrer, who has been my game design hero for many years. Playing Gravitation helped me realize that video games can have a deeper impact on people. Jason sent some important emails throughout the years that helped me grow and not give up. The feedback he sent for the Dissent on Mars trailer was invaluable and the trailer is much better because of it.

Thanks to the Xbox Live Indie Games community for helping me realize I could become an indie game developer. Growing up I never thought any of this was possible, but XNA changed everything. I learned so much from that community, and it was great to be around people who were usually making games for the love of doing it and not for the love of money. I made lifelong friends there, and it’s been inspiring to see what so many of them have gone on to accomplish.

And finally, last but not least, thanks to all of the fans! Reading messages from excited fans was the fuel I needed to get to the finish line. I hope you enjoy playing the game! I definitely enjoyed developing it.

We’re almost there!!

Michael

Other announcements

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Major update8 Jun 2025v2.00 Now Availablev2.00 of Dissent on Mars is now live! There’s a brand new tutorial that’s broken up into eight chapters. We think it does a better job showing how the different economies work and will help with the steep learning curve. It’s broken up into digestible chunks, and there are challenges along the way to test your knowledge. Just like the old tutorial, you can enable it while designing a new societ…Community23 May 2025Devlog #6The new tutorial is content complete, so now I’m testing it with people and making edits based on that. So far, it seems to be helping! Hopefully, I’ll know when the update will be released the next time I post! Thanks for being patient with me, and I hope everyone has a great weekend, Michael Community9 May 2025Devlog #5The new tutorial is over 50% completed! I finished the first 4 chapters that focus on the different allocation systems, and now I’m working on the chapters that focus on building, natural resources, and colonists. I don’t have a date for when it will be finished, but I wanted to let everyone know that I’m still working hard on it. Have a great weekend, Michael