When Double Fine revealed Kiln as the surprise game at this year’s Xbox Developer Direct, it immediately stood out as one of the most creative games we’ve seen in a while. An online multiplayer pottery party brawler from the studio behind Psychonauts is exactly the kind of weird that we were excited about, and now we have a launch date. Kiln arrives on April 23 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam, and Xbox Cloud, and it will be available day one with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. It’s also an Xbox Play Anywhere title and will launch as Handheld Optimized.
Before launch, an open beta will run on Steam from April 9 through 11. Double Fine says the beta is primarily a server stress test, but the studio is also looking for feedback on what resonates with players to help shape post-launch priorities. Preorders go live alongside the open beta for both the standard edition at $19.99 and the Fired Up edition at $29.99. The Fired Up edition includes premium glazes, stickers, attachments, custom pots, and bonus chips, which is the game’s customization currency that can otherwise only be earned through playing.
For those unfamiliar with Kiln, the concept is equal parts creative and chaotic. Players shape a ball of clay on a pottery wheel using what Double Fine says are surprisingly intuitive controls, and the size and shape of the resulting pot determines its stats and abilities. Small pots are fast, large pots hit hard, and every shape from bowls to chalices to bottles comes with a unique special ability. Once you’ve crafted and decorated your pot, you jump into 4v4 matches where teams compete to gather water and quench the opposing team’s kiln three times. The game recently had its first public play sessions at Day of the Devs during GDC in San Francisco, where attendees got hands-on time with three maps, each with distinct layouts and gimmicks that keep matches unpredictable.
