This studio will be a AAA after this game is released. Great mentality making sure the game is released as best as they can get it 100% the right way to do it. GL&HF
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Even if it is not a surprise as a lot stated, it’s still nice of you to be transparent right now about the release of the game and not wait until the last minute to report the launch.
The most important thing now is to plan carefully what to release next to keep new players coming and current one staying.
I’m saying that because in my case I feel like I’ve pretty see everything the game has to offer in its current state (that’s what playing too mcuh lately does to you I guess).
I think I’ll probably come back when rogue is up or new endgame content is released. MP is not appealing to me (but I understand that it is a valuable feature for a lot of people).
So take the take needed from what I’ve seen of the game I’m pretty confident for its future.
Keep up the good work.
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Well said! This should be the norm in game development, not the exception.
Thank you EHG for always being so open in your communication. Other studios should be looking to you as an example.
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Sorry to be that guy (and I can imagine this topic âlready being discussed to death), but when it comes to their business-model they´re not that far behind the “Tripple-A”- industry. 35 bucks isn´t that low for an Indie-ARPG, and then a MTX-Shop on top. Even if they´re “only cosmetics” as many people often point out.
I´m still pretty fresh when it comes to Last Epoch, and I immediately wishlisted the game after I watched some vids (from Vulkan for example); but wanted to wait with my purchase until the Rogue-Class was available. But then I read about the business-model; and my excitement immediately took a severe dump. The “cosmetic coins” are a concern as well. How will this system work ? I hope it´s not some kind of “Premium Currency”; that would be even worse.
It’s fine for me. Focus on optimization for Christ sake! xD And since the price will stay the same (which is also fine for me) I hope MXT, if they are still in game, are a fair cheap price.
Overall i’m happy with the decision. I still prefer when Devs follow the mentality of “it’s done when it’s done”… and like Shigeru Miyamoto once said: “A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad.” And as long as important features(to me) aren’t gutted, like as example the offline Singleplayer-Mode which i still hope will a thing for full release, i can wait for the full Game.
As far as i understood, are this cosmetic Coins a Premium Currency. And while i get where you come from, as someone who prefers to have a once-time premium price and than buy optional new Expansions like Diablo 2 era, i still have to point out that they plan to keep working on the game even Post-Launch. And with competitors like Diablo and stuff, it’s really hard to finance future support on game with this buisness model, especially since Path of Exile is such successfull. In someway the need to able to finance their future updates, and cosmetics are the best way for a f2p game. And at some point they also mentioned they don’t want sell stuff like stash-tabs, which is even better so no pay-for-advantage stuff like PoE.
This certainly is the right decision. You guys went a long way already and adjusting your goal according to the progress you made is absolutely fine.
But I also hope that you guys don’t fall into this “when it’s ready” mode too deep. Take your time. You became more ambitious during development and that’s definitely a good thing because of the huge potential of LE. This should not be wasted and you guys don’t seem to let that happen.
Just figure out what you really want your game to be when it is 1.0. But you have to set deadlines for your milestones and communicate them to not develop forever. Star Citizen is an extreme example for a dev team that never seems satisfied with what it has achieved and that sets the bar higher with every step of progression.
Good luck 
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Take the time you need, you’ve a great game in your hands o/.
Take care too 
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Definitely glad to hear you guys will release 1.0 when it is ready. I wish I had known about this game from the start but I picked it up in December last year . I didn’t have much time to focus on the game as i normally would have but its definitely been a game that has helped pass the time while dealing with the loss of my father to brain cancer in January of this year. So keep up the great work. I will be there when its released for sure. Sincerely.
pls add russian language. I’m ready to wait, but I want Russian to test it with you
But Last Epoch isn´t a F2P-Game…Premium Currency is even worse; it´s as predatory as can be (if that´s really how the devs intend to sell their MTX). And it´s not as if this old Diablo 2-Business-model isn´t working anymore. Grim Dawn for example is pretty succesful with paid expansions…and a ton of free content as well.
I know the reasoning behind the MTX… future support. But what does that mean ? That all future content will be free ? Sorry if I´m a bit hesitant to believe that.
Sorry if I sound like an old record…but once again a very promising game becomes much less interesting to me because of its business-model.
In my opinion such comparison can be easily misleading if you don’t take into account the state of the market of the time the game were released.
Grim dawn was released in 2016, against PoE already established and Diablo 3 that was already 4 years old.
LE will have to compete in the near future with PoE 2 (which one of the main objectives is clearly to appeal new players with better accessibility), Diablo 4 despite whatever people think of Blizzard is still going to be a mastodonth of the genra. And who knows if Wolcen ever make a come back.
ARPG is a niche market let’s be realistic one second. The cake is small and you will have to share it with two giants. If you take that into account it is not that outrageous to rely on cosmetic MTX on the long term to be sustainable.
Foreign language translation is likely to happen after the content is complete.
Awesome, great decision, game has a great foundation and is always getting better.
I am with you here buddy.
I am very happy they raised the price, but I really hope they will rethink their MTX/coins/cosmetic approach. There is this notion that “It’s just cosmetic” is not predatory, but it is. They have paid product, they should focus on paid expansions, dlcs and just remove MTX altogether (or just for some vanity items like…i don’t know…pets, player frame borders etc), or something what Grim Dawn did, some cosmetics armors for few bucks, which are added to your transmog pool. Interesting enough, but not insanely better than any other sets in the game for like 20 bucks, that’s just BS.
Or just be F2P game so at least there is this excuse.
I think this “belief” that games needs MTX to survive is first - already outdated and second, it’s something what companies like EA or Activision want you to believe. But time and time again, even in current year, indie companies and indie games can be hugely successful even without cosmetic shop. I am not saying they should remove all sources of income after box price and for example expansion pack, but cosmetic shop is just not okay in my opinion.
That’s a too vague and too general statement in my opinion. What indie company, what games, what genra ?
Again APRG is a niche market. And for the first time in nearly a decade you are going to have in the span of a year maybe a year and a half, probably 2 majors releases that are supposed to carve the lion’s share of the market and LE.
I don’t know if betting the ecomonic sustainability of your studio only the on 35$ B2P model is a risky bet or not.
Think about it, currently LE money comes from KS and sales. As they said, income from sales allows them to grow as company and fact, they were able to delay the game for a second time should tell you, their finances are stable enough. Which is fantastic.
ARPG is not niche market, I am not sure how you came to this conclusion. ARPG market is actually pretty big across all platforms and wide spectrum of players (more hardcore and super casuals). So if game will be good enough, players will be there.
One super niche game I played was for example Mordheim: City of damned, this game peaked at 2k players. Yet, they were able to release several expansions, grew, and next month they are releasing their second game, which looks absolutely fantastic. No coins, no cash-shop, no streamers generated sales like wolcen did yet there they are.
And they are not betting on 35$, they can easily have some deluxe editions of the game, art books, soundtrack, they are still selling supporter packs and dlcs + expansions are expected with this type of the game. It’s more than enough.
This is great news to hear, i’m glad you’re taking the launch of the game very seriously. In my opinion people anymore are sometimes (not all the time obviously) overly critical of games these days, and you only get one chance to make that first impression at official launch of what people are willing to tolerate rightfully so. My only concern and this could just be more over thinking it, do you guys have enough funding to keep going and not have to worry about it, i would imagine that would be the case if you’re delaying the game but i know the game doesn’t have a publisher and all that just wondering.
I don´t think Last Epoch will have to compete with Diablo 4 in the near future…And I think the ARPG-market is at a pretty good spot at the moment…The genre is as diverse as never before. Sure there are the giants that are Diablo and maybe PoE (regardind classic ARPGs)…but that doesn´t mean that there is no space next to them. As you said…Grim Dawn had the already established PoE to counter…but was still succesful. Not to forget Reaper of Souls was only released 2 years prior to Grim Dawn, and then came the Seasons as well; both gave Diablo 3 somewhat of a second Wind. I simply disregard the notion that you HAVE to have MTX in your game nowadays to be succesful. And the thing is…I look to more Indie-games because I want to get away from all the crap the Tripple-A-industry is pulling off. But more and more I get the feeling many Indies aren´t so far behind anymore in terms of monetization.
And my point wasn´t only about MTX in general, but about the Premium Currency as well (again, if that is what the devs REALLY want to go with). Isn´t it enough to sell those MTX directly ?
stuff like that usually isn’t there while the game is in development. That is at the final stage of development when it goes into localization.