There’s been a lot happening with Bannerlands over the last few months! New art, big design changes, and a new demo just in time for Steam Deckbuilders Fest 2026!
Art Overhaul
I am in the process of working with a new artist to replace all the art in the game. Thank you to https://www.workwithindies.com/, which helped me find several great candidates. I commissioned several test pieces from various arists and sent out a survey to players and got great feedback on the test pieces. (If you want to be involved in future surveys, sign up for the mailing list or join our Discord!). I eventually ended up selecting one artist to take on the entire project.We’ve been collaborating for a couple of months now, and it’s been great. He is not only a fantastic artist, he’s also a fan of the genre and has been a fun partner to work with. It will take some time to swap out everything, but every new demo build will have more and more of the new art.
Campaign Overhaul
In parallel, I also decided to drastically simplify the way campaigns work. Previously, there was a lot going on in a campaign that I ultimately concluded wasn’t fun enough. I cut all of that out and am much happier with what’s left. Now a campaign run is solely about crafting interesting decks and engaging in high stakes battles. This will hopefully show in the new demo.
New Demo
The new demo is coming out this weekend and will show off everything described above plus many bugfixes and UX improvements. There is still so much I want to add to the game, but I wanted to release something sooner in time for Deckbuilding Fest and to get early feedback. Remember:
The new art is not all done yet, so there’s still some old card art. But all the UI art, 5 characters, all backgrounds, and about 40 cards are new art.
Please leave feedback in Steam Discussions or Discord or by emailing me.
And please wishlist the game and spread the word to friends who like strategy games!Thank you!