Frostpunk 2, the much-anticipated hybrid between city-building and survival games set in a frozen wasteland, has been delayed.
Frostpunk 2 was originally set to release on July 25, just under a month, but developer 11 Bit Studios has pushed that release date back to September 20, 2024, a more seasonally appropriate time - just think of all the poor ice caps, okay? Frostpunk 2 directors Kuba Stokalski and Łukasz Juszczyk say the delay will "guarantee the best possible experience at launch" after extensive fan feedback gave the team more ideas.
"Just over two months ago, you had the chance to play Frostpunk 2 Beta, and we greatly appreciate the feedback you shared with us," the two directors explain in a recent blog post. "So much so that it took us some time to take everything in, as there was both a lot of praise for our work (who doesn’t like praise, right?), but also many keen observations on areas we could improve or add to the final game."
Beta players supposedly gave the game an average rating of "8 out of 10" - a good score, but the developers feel they can push it further with improvements to the UI, additions to the good stuff that's already in the game, and one new feature that makes things a little more personal amid the snowstorm.
The blog post describes incoming changes to the way temperature works, "more detailed and flexible workforce management," a new in-game resource, and tweaks to faction behavior that's more in line with their lore, among other improvements. New and improved menus should also clear up any clutter, but what caught my eye was the 'Zoom Stories' features. Players apparently pointed out that the game's larger scale meant they "lost attachment to individuals" since "Frostpunk 2 plays out on a much larger scale." Zoom Stories gives you an opportunity to zoom in on "specific city parts that allow you to watch the day-to-day life of your citizens."
Behind only Hollow Knight Silksong and Black Myth Wukong, Frostpunk 2 is the most-wanted game based on Steam wishlists. It's not hard to see why either. Our Frostpunk 2 preview breaks down the stressful and satisfying situations you can get frozen with, feral children included.
