Pony Island 2 | January 2026 Update

Hello everyone!

This is community manager Secundus, reporting for duty! If you have been lurking around our Discord or socials, you will probably recognize me! Besides being your friendly neighbourhood "leaker" and Sado fan, I have been working with our team to create exciting stuff for everyone in our community. I also lurk in our games' forums to see what people think about our games and what they would like to see. One of the most requested things was more updates on Steam! So...

We are super excited to share the first update of Pony Island 2 and 2026! Did everyone have a great farewell to 2025? Even if the year is over, the work on our upcoming game never stopped! As the team is pushing the limits of madness further and further for Pony Island 2, we want to give you glimpses of what awaits you next! The plan is to have at least one, if not two, updates each month. As 2026 is a very important year for Pony Island 2, we need to spice things up and bring you along for the journey a little more closely. Without further ado...

Behold, structures of the unknown!

Here we see a quiet chamber lit by candlelight, framed by heavy doors and worn stone pillars marked with unfamiliar details. The space offers little explanation, yet it feels deliberate in its design. And just beyond the threshold, something seems to linger in the darkness. What do you think awaits further ahead?

And what are these supposed to be? We see an old doorway reinforced with something far less ancient. Heavy chains and weathered stone clash with bright symbols, creating a strange sense of tension. Some of these icons seem familiar. If you played Pony Island, the concept might seem even more familiar. Yet, there is always a twist waiting around the corner...

Q&A with Daniel

All of us have crazy questions about Daniel's work, so why not get them answered? If you have any questions, drop them under this post and maybe we can answer them in the next post. Here are some questions from the past!

Question: How did you feel after getting the recognition from all the games you have made over the years?

Daniel: How have I felt on any given day over the last ten years? I think the biggest leap was releasing Pony Island years ago because that allowed me to do indie game development as a career. Even though Inscryption was ten times bigger, it didn’t have as much of an impact on me personally because I had already achieved the dream of doing this full time.

Question: What is your favorite anime?

Daniel: I’m going to offend some by saying that I don’t really watch anime.

Question: What is your favorite game of the three the main three games you have made?

Daniel: They all have a different significance to me. Pony Island was the one that started my career. The Hex has a special place in my heart because it had a weaker release but now has a bigger cult fan base than Pony Island, which I find fun. I feel that Inscryption is my best work so far. The one I’m most excited about is Panda Circus, because I’m spending every day working on it.

From the Community

Our community is full of talent, creativity, and sometimes too much chaos (I am looking at you The Hex fans...). What's better than celebrating it all by sharing it with others? If you want to have your art showcased on our posts, feel free to share them with me directly via secundusofficial@gmail.com or fan-art channels in Discord server. You can message me directly as well! The next month's theme will be Valentine's Day!

Our lovely header for this announcement was drawn by Tiff, who is arguably one of the pillars of our Pony Island community. Thank you Tiff! For Buer!

Why is Pando looking so sad? Surely there was no panda murder taking place... unless? Either way, StarsandNoodles did an amazing job creating our little friend from the trailer!

Among all the madness of the underworld prison, we need to catch a break. NinoIsACat's drawing will perhaps bring a moment of peace until our hero faces the terror ahead.

A Heartfelt Thank You!

Ever since we announced Pony Island 2: Panda Circus, the team has been hard at work to bring you a unique experience. Our community has been a pivotal element for our motivation and dedication. Pony Island was released over 10 years ago, and since then, our games evolved pretty much with our community! Thank you so much for your continued support!

If you somehow missed what's coming next (wait, no, that can't be!), check out our announcement trailer for Pony Island 2: Panda Circus!