Dear apprentice Ninzas,
It’s here! Ninza is available on Steam, right NOW! We won’t lie, after all these years of development, it feels completely surreal, and we’re absolutely buzzing with excitement and dopamine, hihi.

With the official launch of the game, the first season has officially begun! We can’t wait to see you grinding quickmatch, climbing the leaderboard, showing off your crazy cosmetic creations, and sharing your reactions and theories about the lore.

All the details about this version are available in the patch notes on Discord.[www.discord.gg]

We’re streaming on Twitch[www.twitch.tv] tonight to celebrate, Ninza style! The idea is to come together and mark this huge moment, this new beginning. We’ll probably play some quickmatch, talk nonsense, and just go with the flow. So don’t hesitate to drop by and celebrate with us! We’ll be drunk on good vibes (and a bit of fatigue too, probably, but in a good way).

A simple gesture that can make all the difference: leave us a review on Steam! Reviews are super important because Steam is more likely to promote games with a lot of them. So go ahead and drop us a review—it would help us out A LOT.

If you also want to support us financially, you can purchase the Ninza Club Membership DLC right now, which gives you access to all cosmetics with no restrictions. All proceeds will help us ensure the ongoing development of Ninza. Here too, your support can make a big difference.

The release of Ninza marks the beginning of the first season… which means there will be a second one! Get ready to see one of our famous chaos maps appear on Discord, where you’ll be able to vote on future improvements for the game.

We want to wrap up this newsletter by saying a huge THANK YOU for all the support and passion you’ve shared for Ninza. Today is a significant milestone for the game, and no matter what happens, we’re thrilled and proud! We’re so excited about what’s to come, which will take shape little by little. We’ll probably discover it at the same time as you, and honestly, we’re totally stoked about that.

Dear apprentice Ninzas,
This is a solemn (and a bit emotional) moment because, after all these years, the time has finally come to share Ninza's release date with you!

To celebrate, we’ve put together a new trailer 👇

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Ninza version 1.0 will launch on Steam in just four weeks!


These last few days leading up to the release are going to be pretty intense. We’re giving it our all to deliver the most polished version of the game possible!

For us, this release marks the end of an era… but also the beginning of a new one! Those who’ve been with us from the start know how much the game has evolved, gradually becoming a title with strong competitive potential, featuring an online ranked mode, a leaderboard, and rollback netcode. Given the size of our studio, this achievement borders on madness. The challenges we faced—technical and otherwise—haven’t always been easy. We’ve had to tackle a lot of unknowns!

But what this release truly signifies for the game is that, in terms of features, we’ve done it all. The future of Ninza will be about adding new content, tweaking balance, fixing bugs, and polish. In short, we’re going to make the most of everything we’ve already built!

Of course, none of this would have been possible without your unwavering support and patience. Throughout the development, your feedback and encouragement have been invaluable. So, a huge thank you to all of you! August 28th will be a real celebration, and it’s dedicated to you as well. <3

Alright, we’ll see you in a few weeks for Ninza’s release (omg)!

Wuthrer, for Klakmioch

Dear apprentice Ninzas,

The release date of Ninza is approaching, and with great excitement (mixed with a bit of stress, hihi). We are fully committed to adding the final touches to our game. But before the big celebration, we wanted to have a little pre-party...

The quickmatch online game mode will let players enter a queue to be matched with suitable opponents by M0on. This is a brand-new feature we've been dreaming of for a long time, and it will make the game even easier and smoother to play. We've also added a ranking system that will feature an official leaderboard!

However, this is also quite a technical challenge, and we would love to test it with you in a small group before continuing to fine-tune it for the release. That's why we're inviting you all to a short event, which will be streamed on our Twitch channel: the Match Making Community Night.

The concept is simple: we will deploy a beta version of the game on Steam to test the matchmaking for one evening. The idea is to gather together and grind the ladder like crazy! We'll stream our games and exchange feedback on Discord/Twitch, discussing our feelings, experiences, and any bugs encountered.

NINZA MATCH MAKING COMMUNITY NIGHT
24th July 2024 - 8:00 PM - 11:45 PM CEST

Details:

• This playtest will use a new dedicated save file (but for testing purposes, all characters will be unlocked from the start)
  
• The test is limited to players in the European zone (at least for this first edition, due to server-related reasons)
  
• The test duration is very limited, as we are trying to maximize server occupancy at a specific time
  
• The test is open to ALL players, regardless of your level. This will also allow us to test the matchmaking system!
  
• The test will also showcase the new progression system and its cosmetics

We hope many of you will join us! If you haven't already, feel free to join our Discord server,[www.discord.gg] which will contain all the information, including how to access the beta, in due time.

We can't wait to share this moment with you and get hyped for the upcoming release! Your help will be invaluable in uncovering bugs, but not only that. Your feedback will allow us to improve what can be improved so that we have a solid and fun quickmatch mode!

From your Ninza Happiness, Ninza Social Coordinator,
Wuthrer, Love <3

Dear apprentice Ninzas,
2024 will be the year of Mo0n. The sky will be lunar, bathed in chaos and rains of bones from your crushed adversaries on the battlefield. But before the festivities reach their climax, let's start gently with a small balance update, warmly requested.

Over the past weeks, we've gathered your feedback, conducted tests, and performed pagan rituals to implore the Mo0n to deliver its truths, all to result in a patch primarily dedicated to balancing.

When tackling game balance, our intention is and will always be the same - to favor aggressive play. Ninza is a game we want to be dynamic, brutal, and competitive. For us, this means that players who take risks and initiatives should be rewarded.

The corrections that have been implemented aim to bring us as close as possible to this intention, and we hope you'll enjoy discovering a revamped meta that now includes a greater number of dangerous characters ;)

For the curious ones, all the details of these changes are available on our Discord![www.discord.gg]

As you read this news, the demo has already been updated on Steam! So, feel free to dive in and test the new features. As always, don't hesitate to join the Discord to find opponents to play against online!

This patch marks the end of Season 2 of the weekly tournaments, which holds the record for the longest duration in the history of independent video games xD

Jokes aside, a big shoutout to ALL participants in this season 2. Throughout the year, you delighted us with extraordinary matches. You amazed us with your creativity and passion! It's simply incredible to see how you push the game's limits every week to offer us splendid battles that are a true pleasure to watch and comment on.

But enough chatter, it's time to celebrate the grand winners of this second season!

Season 3 will start without delay, next week. Everyone is welcome, and we look forward to seeing you, whether on the battlefield or on the stream.

WEEKLY TOURNAMENTS:
EVERY THUESDAY or WEDNESDAY
FROM 8:00 PM TO 9:30 PM (UTC +1)
Registrations are available via our Discord!

We will closely monitor the new meta that will emerge with this new patch. We are very curious about your feedback, and we are extremely excited to see the impacts in the weeklies. It is always thanks to you and your patience that we improve the game from version to version, and that's not about to change.

Speaking of things to come, we're holding quite a bit of information for the coming weeks. Rather than dropping everything in a big newsletter, we prefer to reveal a bit more gradually. On the agenda, we'll talk about the game's release, pricing, modifications to the progression system based on your feedback, reworked online features, new cosmetics, and other features that we are eager to unveil!

In summary, lots of super cool things coming up that will allow Ninza to reach its final form and are intended to ensure an interesting and rich future! We're excited and looking forward to this year, which we guarantee will bring Ninza to maturity for even more fun and beautiful moments.

From your Ninza Happiness Ninza Social Coordinator,

Wuthrer, Love <3

The time has come to celebrate our participation in the Steam Next Festival. We'll be playing plenty of online matches, and we invite you to join us. Beginners and experienced players, everyone is welcome!

Download the demo and join us online for a chance to appear on our stream!

A short notice:
At the launch of the demo, online play is disabled. You'll need to complete a very short tutorial (5 minutes) before you can join us. This will give you a little time to familiarize yourself with the game and shine even brighter when it's your turn to play with us.

We're looking forward to meeting you! So don't hesitate, dive in!

The demo is now available, and the Moon is eagerly waiting for you on the battlefield! It's the perfect time to gather your friends and dive headfirst into frenzied online or local battles.

This is our chance to present you with the best moments from the beta through a compilation of the highlights from our previous live streams. Discover incredible turnarounds and plenty of laughter!

Dear apprentice Ninzas,
Exciting developments are just around the corner, and we couldn't be more thrilled to share them with you! Here's what's in store: a brand-new trailer, an upcoming update, and the chance to play Ninza on Steam with a demo version at last! Let's take a closer look.

Fresh out of the oven, our new trailer is a feast for the eyes and ears. Dive right in, and don't forget to share it everywhere you can.

We've been teasing new content for a while now, and it's almost here! While not everything is 100% complete, the most important foundations are in place.

Introducing a new progression system that aligns more with what's typical in online games. Of course, we've maintained Klakmioch's unmistakable touch, aiming for something relevant, effective and somehow quirky.

We've also worked to make the initial steps into Ninza even more enjoyable, giving new players more space and time to familiarize themselves with the game.

While this new system and all its rewards aren't fully available yet, we're eager to hear your feedback about it! But wait... how do you get to play this new version, you ask?

Ninza is participating in the Steam Next Fest! It's a major online event where tons of demos are unveiled and highlighted over the course of a week. It's the perfect opportunity to introduce Ninza to a wider audience and grow our community.

This marks the end of Ninza's open beta actual system. While the demo will remain accessible for longer than the festival's duration, the game won't be entirely free to access as it has been until now.

Our participation in the Steam Next Festival represents a crucial step in the game's development. It will allow us to reach new players and expand our community. However, as always, it's your support that will enable us to make the most of this event.

So, please, spread the word, and join us on Discord if you haven't already. We'll be reaching out at opportune moments, so you can be part of the collective effort!

It's going to be a blast, and we can't wait!

From your Ninza Happiness Ninza Social Coordinator,

Wuthrer, Love <3

Dear apprentice Ninzas,
Summer time usually rhymes with sun (even if it doesn't), yet our dear Mo0n is not to be outdone. Indeed, in order to spice up your holidays with a nice touch of chaotic energy, a new version of Ninza is out, NOW!


Those new features allow newcomers to play solo or in coop while having a more friendly space to learn their moves! This is the first step of our big plan to make the game more welcoming to new players.

For a more detailed patch note, you can join our Discord server.[www.discord.gg]

Fresh, reliable and more interesting to play against, please make a warm welcome to our new punching bag, aka the Bot!

It now comes with its own set of abilities and appearance, so that nobody will mistakes it with our good old Tobias.

He's cute but has no soul.

Seriously though, this version of the AI is based on a new and more reliable system. Meaning there's still a lot of stuff we could improve and add. It's still radically better than the previous one, but we refrained ourself to put too much work on it. We wanted to wait on your feedbacks and decide afterwards if the bot should benefit from a more elaborate education.

Working on the Bot allowed us to create a more tailored to our needs AI. Basically, it's like some sort of brain we can now put in whatever we want. Guess what? That's exactly what we did!

Those Mo0n minions can be destroyed while playing our new game modes: the trials! Available for 1 or 2 players in coop, every trial has its own objective to complete. We designed those modes to give something fun to toy with, when learning to play. On their side, advanced players can challenge theirselves to unlock the best ranks for each trials.

As for the new bot, we didn't commit heavily to create a big amount of trials. We have ideas for more of them but we're waiting on your feedbacks to see if that's something worth adding.

While working on the trials, we needed more control over the procedurally generated levels. So we went back to this whole part of the game and did a few improvements.

We won't go much into details here, but let just say that there's now a LOT more patterns available. This means, more diversity on the battlefied, more opportunities to get creative, in other words: more Ninza fun! We've also modified the amount of blocks spawned accordingly to the number of players. While playing 1vs1 you should expect more opportunities to crush your opponents, among a few other surprises ;)

As usual, we've fixed some of the reported issues / bugs. We've also made a few adjustements regarding the characters balancing.

If you fancy taking a closer look on those, feel free to look at the #patchnote channel of our Discord!

Friendly reminder that our weekly online tournament is still up and running. So don't hesitate to join us for some good fights or to cheer up your favorite underdogs on Twitch.[www.twitch.tv]



In summary, this update is expanding the offline experience of the game. Our goal was to give more opportunities for newcomers to enjoy and get better at Ninza without getting annihilated online. Rather than working heavily on one new feature, we've carefully implemented a new AI system. The idea was to build solid and flexible foundations so that we could easily add more content later, if needed.

Indeed, the goal we're aiming for, is to have enough solo content to get a good first impression of the game. So, if the feedbacks ask for more solo content, we will be ready.

What we're planning to add next will change for sure the way you look at Ninza. This might be... some kind of final form? Anyway, thanks again a lot for patience and your amazing support!


From your Ninza Happiness Ninza Social Coordinator,

Wuthrer, Love <3

Dear apprentice Ninzas,
We have good news and bad news... Indeed, it seems like the game has opened its battlefield to a very dark and mad creature which seems very enclined to annihilate our souls. Maybe the Mo0n was bored of being the only vilain of the whole ninzaverse?

The good news being: this dark badass is actually a playable character and is part of the update that just went live!


So, let's take our little tour of the most important additions introduced by this new version!

For a more detailed patch note, you can join our Discord server.[www.discord.gg]

Voodoo magic allows her to fight like no other ninza! She summons the spirit of her old crow to haunt blocks. Once possessed, those blocks can be pushed in any direction, at anytime. Jeanine is an awesome character capable of setting up the most dangerous and unpredictable traps.

Haunt, push and kill!

Same goes for her hyper attack!

As for her mobility, let's say she's more of a "floaty" one.

Her attack mechanic really brings something fresh to the game, almost like a new way to to approach the game. We can't wait to see how far you'll push the full range of her capabilities. LET'S EMBRACE VOODOO MAGIC DEAR NINZAS!

From now on, Ninzas are entering a spawning stasis when landing in the gamezone. Basically this a new state in which characters are sleeping and invulnerable. Players are free to get out of the spawning stasis at any time they want by pressing any button.

A very rare footage of Kaitlyn being patient.

In the end, beginners have now more time to locate their character. On the other hand, more advanced players can anticipate their opponents spawning kill intentions and wait for the right moment to break the stasis. More control, less frustration, more brain opportunites.

As usual, we've fixed quite a number of reported issues / bugs. If you fancy taking a closer look on those, feel free to look at the #patchnote channel of our Discord!

Friendly reminder that our weekly online tournament is still up and running. So don't hesitate to join us for some good fights or to cheer up your favorite underdogs on Twitch.[www.twitch.tv]


To join the tournaments, jump by our Discord and pick the @Online Player role to get notified when registrations open.

We're also planning to spice up the experience for spectators... but we need to become Twitch affiliate to do so :D

That's why we might throw some random twitch sessions in the upcoming days, to please the algorithm. If you're willing to help, subscribe to our channel and don't hesitate to come by to drop a line or two. The more, the faster we'll earn our affiliate badge!

Thanks to recent feedbacks, we've realised that the tutorial we've added in a previous version wasn't simply enough for beginners. A lot of new players reported feeling lost when launching Ninza for the first time. They told us that they would really like to receive more guidance.

So that's what we're working on, our primary focus: "how to make Ninza more welcoming for newcomers". Indeed, discovering the game with friends, or during an event is definitely not the same experience as downloading the game and figuring things out all by yourself.

Sooooo, stay tuned! As soon as we'll have more stuff to share, you'll heard about it!


From your Ninza Happiness Ninza Social Coordinator,

Wuthrer, Love <3