A New Direction for Wild West Pioneers

Howdy Partners!

We've got some exciting news to share about where Wild West Pioneers is headed and what that means for you.

Back in February, we released our demo, and a horde of fresh Pioneers stormed the Wild West. This came with a lot of your feedback, which we are grateful for. We read it, analysed it, and got to work. Now, after months have passed, we took an honest look at what the game had become and realised it had grown into something a little different and better.

If we had to put it in one sentence:

Wild West Pioneers is a city builder for adventurers who want to explore the Wild West.

We can't wait to show you what that looks like in practice, but in the meantime, here are just a few of the highlights:

✯ Tutorial and Player Guidance Rework

Many of you have not enjoyed the tutorial in the demo. That's why we redesigned it from the ground up. It's now a completely separate experience that no longer interrupts gameplay or covers the screen. If you want to focus on the main story, nothing will get in your way.

To make sure that players who do want the support can still get it, we added a new optional Tutorial Assistant. This assistant can provide descriptions, extra tutorial tasks, and videos explaining more complex mechanics. It can be turned on or off at any time.

✯ New Journey System

Your feedback from the demo and our tests has shown a big issue with a lack of meaningful choices in how players progressed in the game. To address this, we created a new Journey System. This system constantly rewards players for pursuing their own goals and plans, while also suggesting optional challenges for those looking for extra objectives.

✯ Better Building and Road Placement

Building placement is becoming more flexible thanks to new snapping options. Players will be able to snap buildings to other buildings, to roads, to both, or turn snapping off entirely.

Roads are also being expanded. Players will have access to a wide main road, a standard road, and smaller paths, allowing for more variety in settlement layout and visual composition.

✯ New Art Direction and Voiceover Changes

Characters now use a new, fully handmade style inspired by comic books, giving the game a stronger and more recognisable visual identity. We already did a deep dive on this - you can read it here!

We have also removed the AI voiceover from the game. Casting is currently underway, and the final game will feature real voice actors.

… in addition:

• Major UI and UX Improvements

• Building Freedom and Town Hall Rework

• Two Settlements – Two Biomes

• New Economy, Transport, and Trade Systems

… and more!

That's all yet to come, but what are the next steps?

The demo is riding into the sunset.

We'll be taking it down from Steam soon, because it simply doesn't represent the game anymore. We'd rather new players meet Wild West Pioneers as it is today, not as it was months ago.

You can still enjoy the demo until the 6th of July, 10:00 AM CEST.

A closed playtest is coming.

This is the part we're most excited about. We want you to see how far the game has come with your own eyes. We also genuinely want to hear what you think!

We will share details on how to join closer to the playtest itself - sometime around the end of this month.

Deep dives are on the way.

We'll be taking closer looks at the features and systems we're most proud of, just like we did with our art direction deep dive. This way, we want to share our progress with you and keep you in the loop on what's new in Wild West Pioneers.

None of this would be possible without your feedback, so from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

Stick with us a little longer, partners. The best of the frontier is still ahead.

Wild West Pioneers