Hey everyone !

The latest update for Dead Alone, Alpha 1.10.0 has been released two weeks ago and it included several new elements including a large map expansion. Today I want to give you a look at what’s next for Dead Alone, we are going to talk about the next update, the Beta, the Final release as well as the Steam release.

Back in december of last year I published a lenghty post about the future of Dead Alone (Which was still called Project Apocalypse at this time). My plans and the roadmap haven’t shifted a lot since then but I want to give more details and new informations about the next steps.

Before diving into any details, let’s take a look at a little summary of the important points:

• The next update, Alpha 1.20.0 will be the last update during the Alpha stage of the game, it should arrive by the end of the year
• Beta will start with a large update in the first half of 2023, my current plan is to finish it for a release in march
• I’m now targetting summer 2023 for a complete release of Dead Alone. This will depend heavily on the release of the Beta and the amount of polish needed at this stage
• Dead Alone will be available on Steam as soon as the Beta start, the game will still be playable on Gamejolt and Itch.io
• At the final release, Dead Alone will be available for 13.99$ on Steam and 6,99$ on Gamejolt and Itch.io, a free demo will still be available to everyone.

Do you want to have more details about these elements ? Then let’s dive into all this !

Alpha 1.20.0 and the road to the Beta

As said earlier, Alpha 1.20.0 will be the next update and last update during the Alpha stage of the game, it should arrive by the end of the year.

This update will have two main points of focus.

First of all, it will include a completely reworked player with brand new first person animations, more movement capabilites, a lot of fixes to different issues as well as the addition of melee attacks and some new features and changes for the weapons.

This update will also have a focus on the map, just like the Alpha 1.10.0, this new update will include a map expansion, while a lot smaller, it will also have an effect on the current areas with some reworks and an overall polish to every part of the map. A map menu will also be added to the game, this will allow the players to have a better understanding about their progress on the sectors and control points as well as see their location and multiple points of interest (these will essentially be visible in the survival gamemode).

Some other things are in the work but could not end up in this update like new special weapons and other changes. This update will also inlcude QoL changes and a bunch of bug fixes as always.

This update is planned for the end of the year but I can’t give any precise date for it as it may still change.

After this update, the main focus will be on the first Beta version of the game. Just for a quick remember, the Beta 1.0.0, just like the Alpha 1.0.0 will include a brand new gamemode. Let’s talk a bit more about this update.

Beta 1.0.0

The Beta 1.0.0 will mark the end of the Alpha for Dead Alone and will be released in H1 2023. As said just before, this update will feature a brand new survival gamemode, I won’t give any details regarding this mode right now as some parts of it are still not confirmed. This gamemode will also bring new gameplay features such as a sleeping and hunger system which will inlcude different sets of buffs and multiple related features such as ennemies raids. This update will also include another map expansion specific to this gamemode, this new area will be located on the north of the map, outside of the city, and will serve as a starting point for the survival gamemode.

Dead Alone on Steam, final release & pricing

After the first Beta update the game should be in a mostly finished state which mean that the beta 1.0.0 will be the last update including a large chunk of content and reworks. Between the begining of the Beta and the final release, there will be multiples updates but mostly focused on small changes, a lot of fixes and some more smaller features. This stage should be pretty short, one to three month in total which should lead to a final release during summer 2023.

But now what about Steam ? Publishing the game on Steam has been a large request and I can now confirm that Dead Alone will be available on Steam since the start of the Beta !

Let’s now talk a bit about pricing. When I started working on Dead Alone more than two years ago I was not so sure if the game would in the end be free to play or not. But now, when looking at the amount of work done and the different charges that went into the development, I am leaning torward a paid game. Thus, when Dead Alone will launch for it’s final release, it will be available for a price of 13.99$ on Steam and 6,99$ on Gamejolt and Itch.io. The price gap is mainly due to the higher Steam fees. Note that the game will still be free to play on Gamejolt and Itch.io until close to the final release. After that, a free demo will still be accesible to everyone on Steam, Gamejolt and Itch. However, all these details may still change.

With each update, we are getting closer to the final experience that I envisionned two years ago and I again want to thanks everyone that take the time to try the game and send me some feedbacks, it really helps me a lot in this journey !