Here we are – The Witch Mountain has been delivered, most (if not all) of you have already played it, and you've given us a ton of feedback. While we’re still digging through all of it (and it’s going to take a while), you've already started asking questions about the future, and it’s only fair to answer them.

But before we do that, let’s take a look back. It’s been a long road, and we haven’t exactly been sitting on the sidelines, staring off into the distance and slacking off.

• 2023.09 - Early Access launch on the Epic Games Store. The reception was phenomenal, and the whole launch was an experience like no other - you can read more about how we felt back then in this post[www.theastronauts.com] by Adrian
  
• 2024.04 - The Ghost Galeon Update – first major update, introduced Gnosis, refreshed Calamities, The Collector, Mirages and Witch Vaults
  
• 2024.08 – The Wailing Tower Update – second major update, introduced a new region, Prophecies, Corrupted Arcana and Fallen Preyers
  
• 2024.09 – Steam Early Access Launch + The High Stakes Update – making the game available on a new platform, Mysteria forge, new stamina system, Island of the Damned’s Witch Vault
  
• 2024.12 – The Brewing Update – release of Preview 1 and 2 allowing you to play in super-early access at your own risk, before the update was actually available; introduction of Alchemy, boss reshuffle
  
• 2025.03 – The Witch Mountain Update – introduction of a new region, Fallen Preyers 2.0, Shadow Orbs.

In total, that's 5 major updates, 27 patches and 6 hotfixes. As its the rule, each major update always included a new gear pack: new weapons, spells, fetishes, relics or rings.


And now, let’s take a look at the updated roadmap:

As you can see, nearly everything has shifted by about three months. This delay stems from the Witch Mountain update, which took longer than expected. Rather than creating a standard boss rush challenge, we opted to develop the Labyrinth and all the wild elements it brings. We believe the extra time was worth it - quality and surprises are core to Witchfire’s DNA - but it did come at the cost of a delay.

Let me talk about each upcoming update in more detail.


Originally scheduled for this spring, the first major stop on the map is the Webgrave update, which we’re planning to release sometime in mid-2025.

The work on this update has already began. A few days ago, we had a planning meeting where we established a realistic timeline for deliverables, and we’re working on bringing the vision to life.

The groundwork has already been laid some time ago, and the level is… well, I wanted to say "playable," but that’s a bit too generous. "Mostly traversable" seems more fitting, though small parts are already populated with enemies who will give you a bit of a pause. Having explored it a few times, I can confidently say it’s the same goodness you’ve already experienced - except there’s more of it, dialed up to 11, and sprinkled with fresh surprises. I wish I could tell you more, but it’s too soon to spill the beans. Let’s just say the fire has been lit (a Vestal Flame, if you will), and we’ll be drip-feeding information for a while.


The second update will bring a significant upgrade to some core mechanics, planned for release in the fall. I’m sure you can put two and two together (or rather, 2.0 and 2.0) and guess what’s coming based on the rest of the roadmap. These mechanical overhauls have been in discussion for a while, shaped by internal debates, our own experiences, and - last but not least - your feedback. We’ll share more details as we get closer to launch.


The third update is a big one - another region, one of the two mystery locations you’ve probably been eyeing on the destination screen, wondering what’s hidden in the distance. To quote a contemporary classic, "the patterns are there, buried in the data." You can see the direction we’re heading with our maps, and we’re not here just to meet expectations - we’re here to exceed them.


That said, exceeding expectations doesn’t happen overnight. As I mentioned it before, building the foundation of Witch Mountain took longer than expected, which means the overall timeline has shifted. As a result, the full launch of the game has been moved from late 2025 to early 2026. We’ve learned our lesson about calendar management - delivering the game this year is impossible, so we’re letting you know as early as we can while setting a realistic alternative.

There’s a meme floating around the Polish corner of the internet, "pora na CSa" ("time for CS"), used when someone slacks off, does the bare minimum, and then disappears to play Counter-Strike instead of doing their job properly. Some of you might think that’s what we’re doing (though if you frequent our Discord[discord.gg], you know how often we’re burning the midnight oil), but that couldn’t be further from the truth. While we’re adding content and refining what’s already in the game, there’s also a lot of behind-the-scenes work happening, even if it’s not immediately visible.

Two out of the three of the most frequently asked about features fall into this category, so let’s take a moment to address them…

Localization

It’s hard to count how many times we’ve seen requests for "language X" or "version Y" over the past months and years, and we’re not ignoring them. Localization is a far more complex subject than it appears at first glance, and we fully understand how important it is.

But that’s why we want to work with the best people. After a long selection process, we’ve chosen a lead for localization and partnered with a studio that will help bring Witchfire into multiple languages.

We’re not announcing who they are just yet, but they’re absolute stars - responsible for translating some of the biggest and best games of the past two decades. We understand that this needs to be done right, and we’re sparing no expense to ensure top-tier localization, so all people can enjoy the game and understand the world they’re experiencing.

Consoles

Another hot topic that some think we’re ignoring - even though it’s one of our top priorities (I believe I even mentioned it in the previous Hermitorium Archives). Porting the game to other platforms isn’t as simple as pressing a button labeled "PORT" and watching the builds magically appear in a folder. There are considerations like engine versions, system resources, hardware architecture differences, platform-specific requirements, and compliance rules.

We take this process very seriously, and we’re currently halfway through recruiting an expert who will help us bring our vision to consoles. Ports are a matter of "when", not "if," but doing them right takes time. We’re not willing to compromise the Witchfire experience just to ship sooner. We pride ourselves on delivering quality.

Co-Op

The third most often requested feature... And, folks, for the hundredth time - we absolutely understand the appeal of co-op. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t have racked up tens of thousands of hours across the team in a certain franchise that starts with “D” and ends with “-estiny.”

But - from day one, Witchfire has been designed as a single-player experience. Restructuring it into a co-op game at this stage would be an immense undertaking that simply wouldn’t make sense. Asking us to change course this late in development? Pointless.

If you want a co-op shooter, there's already quite a few on the market, and more are coming! Meanwhile, as for Witchfire, let us make the best possible Single Player experience we can. It will be worth it, we hope.



Over the past few weeks, we’ve been hard at work on the Witch Mountain Update, keeping a close eye on your feedback. Amid the sea of comments, one in particular stood out - not just for what it said about Witchfire, but for what it revealed about the state of the industry as a whole:

Click to visit the thread.

I am just going to leave you with your own thoughts on this - we surely have our own feelings, but it's a matter so profound and personal, I'd rather not point you into any direction.


Here’s a little PSA for those of you struggling with Dinmacher in regular duels: tackle him after dealing with other enemies, and definitely make sure to take out all the War Priests. Why? Well, mainly because the War Priest operates like a Marxist utopia - completely blind to class distinctions - which means he might just resurrect the very boss that gave you the hardest time. Reddit user plzinsertbeer found that out the hard way…

Click to visit the source


A few distinct playstyles are emerging from the videos making the rounds online. On one end of the spectrum, you have the “preppers” - methodically unlocking as many arcana as possible, sometimes even managing a full set. On the other end, some players don’t care about arcana at all and are just going in guns blazing. And then there are those who science the crap out of multipliers, dealing (un)godly amounts of damage:

Click to visit the source


I like to think I play at a respectable pace, but that illusion shatters when I see gameplay like this:

Click to visit the source


Let’s just say there’s a reason why the disclaimer “Online Interactions Not Rated” exists. Witchfire is a single-player game, yet some of the player-driven world interactions could probably still raise a few eyebrows among the rating boards…

Source:Witchfire Discord[discord.com].


We knew that the new gun is going to be fan-favourite, especially since testing it during the development was a blast, but we underestimated how much you will fall in love with it. It's an absolute joy to read messages such as these ones:

That's all for this week, folks. Take care!