For the last few months we have been gearing up for Steam Next Fest on October 13–20. For PC games, it is considered one of the most important events in a new game’s marketing and exposure prior to release. Next Fest requires a demo version of the game, and for the game to not be released or in Early Access yet. We fit the bill, and worked hard to provide a proper demo experience of Warped Universe.
While preparing for Next Fest we made sure to reach out to as many streamers on Twitch, Reddit, TikTok, and more to gauge interest and see if they’d like to play the game. Luckily many did, and we were so excited to have them along for the ride.
Next Fest debut gave thousands of players their first hands-on experience with the game, and the feedback has been incredible. Over 2,000 demos were downloaded, with strong playthrough rates, returning players, and a surge of new wishlists. Seeing ships launch, portals open, and pylons ignite live on Twitch was a huge moment for the team.
Also during October behind the scenes, we made a massive leap forward with the upgrade to Unreal Engine 5.6 and FSR 4.0, delivering strong improvements to performance, visual clarity, and stability. Every mission now feels sharper, smoother, and more responsive.
Player feedback from both Next Fest and our Discord testers drove dozens of gameplay tweaks and fixes. New maps, new missions, and new space weapons have expanded what’s possible in every mode. We also overhauled the UI with a sleek 3D interface, sharper icons, clearer modifier tooltips, and new loading screens across all modes, plus upgraded visuals, effects, and sounds throughout the game; the universe has never felt more alive.