Originally set to launch on July 25, 2024, Frostpunk 2 has received a new release date: September 20, 2024. The news comes from Game Directors Jakub Stokalski and Łukasz Juszczyk, who confirmed that the delay is the result of feedback from the community during the Frostpunk 2 Beta. “As we analyzed your feedback and prioritized things we want to add to the game, we realized that to properly do them justice – and to guarantee the best possible experience at launch – we need more time to finish the development of Frostpunk 2,” the team said in a post on Steam. There are several features that the developers want in the game on day one, instead of being patched in at a later date. Some of these include new additions to the game mechanics, extensive UI and UX changes, and a new city feature they’re calling Zoom Stories.
The post provides some details on what these new game mechanics are, which are intended to make gameplay proceed more smoothly while giving players more options for managing their city. Some of these improvements include changes to temperature, heat, and proximity-based gameplay; new and rebalanced Hubs; more detailed and flexible workforce management; more direct-use abilities in the game loop; an additional resource to help stabilize the city’s economy; the ability to reshape districts after construction; changes to factions’ behavior; and a more thorough approach to dealing with protests.
Changes to the UI and UX include improving the head-up display, adding a new construction menu, and improving the clarity, readability, and look and feel of the Idea Tree and frostland. Finally, the Zoom Stories will allow players to watch their citizens up close, observing their day-to-day activities.
As the sequel to a very popular game—Frostpunk has nearly 90,000 user reviews on Steam—Frostpunk 2 comes with high expectations. It’s good to see 11 bit studios taking the feedback from the beta and putting it to good use. It will be interesting to see, as September is a bit more crowded than July when it comes to game releases, so those changes better be worth it.
