I love the premise of The Forever Winter. In a bleak, post apocalyptic future, not dissimilar in appearance to the ruined cityscapes of Terminator, the final remnants of humanity are hunted by gigantic, building-high mechs that seemingly want to use our flesh for fuel. First revealed earlier this year, the new survival game looks like a cross between Fallout, Armored Core 6, DayZ, and Silent Hill. Now, The Forever Winter Steam Early Access launch date is confirmed, and developer Fun Dog has explained its matter-of-fact, industry-defying approach to microtransactions. Do you long for a world where you pay a single flat fee and get to keep the game and everything that’s in it forever? So, apparently, do the makers of The Forever Winter.
A co-op shooter, horror, and survival game, The Forever Winter takes place at the tail end of a 40-year-long war fought between sentient AIs and self-aware mech monstrosities. As well as Terminator, Harlan Ellison’s I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream comes to mind, or maybe the machine-run world of The Matrix. You are, in the developer’s own words, “a small fish in a big apocalypse.” This isn’t about being the hero. This is you, possibly some friends, and the brutal realities of survival. Run, hide, and scavenge – it’s the only way to ensure another day of life.
With a unique premise and a distinct aesthetic, The Forever Winter is one of the most enticing new PC games of 2024. And now Fun Dog explains its plans – and its goals for post-launch support – in more detail.
“I don’t believe anyone should have to pay more than $50 for a game,” Fun Dog says, speaking through a survivor character rendered in the game itself. “If you want to support the team above and beyond the initial price point, that is awesome, and we really appreciate it. But that should be your choice, so The Forever Winter is going to be $27 at Early Access.
“There will be zero pay-to-win solutions. You will earn your gear via skill or luck, and you will not be able to buy your way into nirvana. You will never be charged for a new character, because that’s the way it should be when you buy a game. You will not be charged for maps, guns, additional quests, new bosses, and more. That nickel-and-diming sh*t is for the birds. We will charge for skin packs and all the money earned will go to supporting the character team.
“I fondly remember a time, growing up in the ‘90s…when you could buy a boxed copy of Command and Conquer, Giants: Citizen Kabuto, or KKnD for fifty bucks, or less, and be set for months. I’m really hoping we can get back there.”
In terms of The Forever Winter’s post-launch roadmap, Fun Dog says it has been inspired by FPS game Ready or Not, and will periodically release in-development maps so that players can test them out and provide feedback to the designers. Fun Dog also says that everybody who buys the horror game will have access to an exclusive channel in the official Discord where they can vote on which bosses and features are focused on primarily.
“You will be able to vote on who or what drops next,” Fun Dog says. “Regardless of how many people, you will always be able to play with your friends locally or via peer-to-peer hosting. We learned from the nightmare some of our industry colleagues have gone through this past year, so that means no infinite loop matchmaking bugs and no flooded servers, so you can’t jump into what you just bought. When you buy our game, you can jump in and rock and roll.”
At the end of the announcement, Fun Dog also shares opinions on a number of game cancellations, delistings, and server closures that have happened throughout 2024, as well as offering some hopes for the industry’s future.
“We lost Spec Ops: The Line, Project Boundary, and now they are shutting down the Battlefield 3 servers,” the studio says. “The reality is, in the neverending quest for profit, they are closing the lid on some really special games that inspired us.
“Games cost more now to develop now than they ever have, and that means risk mitigation is priority one, two, and three. It’s not their fault. They’re a product of their environment. And that’s why this year has been so inspiring, to see so many crews break out of that muck to bring the magic.”
“This means we’re not alone in hoping we see a new Killzone, a gritty Battlefield, maybe a new Command and Conquer title that’s not a bloody mobile game. If the response to what we’re building is any indicator, maybe they’ll find the guts to bring those games back, the right way.”
The Forever Winter Steam Early Access launch date is now set for Tuesday September 24. If you want to wishlist the game now, just head right here.
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