Hello Jans!
After a year full of patches, updates, and successful release, we’re stepping into 2026 and celebrating our very first JANuary together!
The thing we’re most grateful for is you. From launch on June 13th until the end of the year, 1,500,000 Jans played The Alters across all platforms! Thank you so much for your support, your curiosity, and your love for the game. We hope even more Jans will join us on this journey in the coming year. <3
Now it feels like the perfect moment to look back at 2025. Let’s rewind and relive some of the highlights from our shared adventure:
We shared with you a little sneak peak post here on Steam, how the beginning of The Alters looked like. Tomasz Kisilewicz, Game Director of The Alters, started shaping the idea behind the game with just three teammates over 4 years ago already. And the very first prototype? It was literally a board game!
Those early paper-and-token experiments helped us figure out the core gameplay loop. The board version went through many iterations, heated debates, and creative breakthroughs, which helped us decide the direction as the team grew.
After the feedback which we gathered from you after the demo version, we decided to organize open playtests to further apply your feedback before the launch. On the release we improved early stages of the game you have seen in the demo with:
An expanded and improved research tree
New cutscenes
A richer planet exploration experience with new discoveries and anomaly types
The introduction of Hard Mode, which many of you now treat as your daily challenge
Demo brought us valuable feedback, and data, which helped us shape the game to its full potential.
In April, we hosted the 11 bit studios Hands-On 2025 Event, inviting journalists and creators from around the world to play The Alters.
They tried new levels, features which weren’t shown ever before, and you can see their positive reactions from that time here for yourselves:
To give you a taste of what awaited in the full game, we launched the Expedition Logs video series that offered a preview of the strange, wondrous, and dangerous world you would soon explore.
We also shared an interview with the incredible Alex Jordan, the voice of all 11 Jan Dolskis, where he talked about the unique challenge of voicing many different versions of the same person and how he approached the role.
On June 13th we launched The Alters. The positive reviews of leading media, creators, and Steam rating (which sits still around 90% of positive reviews) bring us more joy than you could imagine. Thank you so much! You can check some of the reviews below, in our Accolades Trailer:
Your kind words after launch meant the world to us. Your feedback and reviews helped shape the game and directly influenced what we would include in the Free Major Content Update released on December 8th.
A new module
Spacesuit skins and customization options for the base
Relax Mode
Overhauled save game system
and many more…
If you haven’t seen them yet, check all the changes in the trailer below:
Of course we are not doing this for awards but it feels great to have our hard work recognized. We got a nomination for The Best Sim/Strategy Game on The Game Awards; Best Lead Performer and Best Console Game on the Golden Joystick Awards. We might have not won, but it's still a great honor! We also already know that our game received a nomination as Best Simulator/Strategy Game of the Year on D.I.C.E. awards!
Moments like these remind us why we do what we do.
And now here we are, stepping into a new year full of challenges, opportunities, and exciting plans such as incoming DLC which we hope will blow you away! Thanks to you, we’ve built an experience we are incredibly proud of.
Stay tuned for future updates, Jans.
There is still much more ahead!
~ 11 bit studios Team