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The indie developer behind Windrose, whose massively popular Steam Next Fest demo has inspired a million people to add the game to their wishlists, doesn't want to give a release date before it's confident it can deliver on one... you know, like the good old days.
I gushed about Windrose for about 700 words this week after playing its swashbuckling (if that means good) demo, so I'll spare you any more of that, but I will turn my admiration toward Windrose Crew itself now for doing its community right by intentionally not revealing a release date today. Let me explain.
Windrose got a new trailer during today's IGN Fan Fest, which would've been the perfect time to drop a release date, or at least a release window. Everyone's talking about the Steam Next Fest demo, the game just got a fresh trailer at a big showcase, anticipation is at an all-time high, and yet, no release date. Why? Because the developers aren't ready to announce one. A novel idea, I know, but one these days all-too-often ignored by studios who arbitrarily set release dates at opportunistic moments seemingly regardless of whether they think they can hit them.
"Guys, I know many of you hoped for the release date reveal today, and we understand your passion—trust me, we are so eager to lock in the date and announce it to you as well," the Windrose Crew posted in the game's official Discord (thanks, PC Gamer) shortly after the new trailer aired. "But now is not the time to do it."
The current Windrose demo is already pretty big at 4-6 hours long, but the studio said the full game "could be several times bigger in content and scale," so it seems there's simply more to be done before a release date can be responsibly announced.
Regardless, Windrose Crew said the demo's success has been "humbling," requesting that people who are enjoying it sit back and "let us cook more."
"I promise, we are not holding this information to tease your anticipation," the developer said. "We are holding it because we want to lock this in firmly and ship the game on time and in [the] best condition possible."
If it wasn't already clear by now, this response elicited a mighty yo-ho-ho! from me. I understand that there are way more moving parts happening beneath the surface that can cause delays, but I'm also fully confident that a lot of those factors aren't entirely driven by a commitment to players alone. And yes, it's true big studios have a much harder time landing release dates due to their much more complex innerworkings and external demands, but still, it's refreshing to see a developer plainly reject opportunity in favor of transparency. Right on, Windrose Crew.
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