[h3]Dear Birders!
We have eggciting news, especially for those who are waiting for Wingspan: Oceania Expansion. We present to you an
official development roadmap until the big launch! We are very keen on transparency and for you to know what is happening with the game you are so looking forward to. In this post, I would like to introduce you to our plans and tell you a little about them. We know you’re excited about Oceania but we need some things to happen before Oceania is out, here we will also share how you can help us get there smoothly. :)[/h3]
[h2]
New Online Stress Testing - Late June[/h2]
[h3]As we have mentioned a few times, for several months we have been working on moving our online infrastructure from ChilliConnect to the Nakama service. We are committed to making the online mode as stable as possible and making it even more fun for you. This is a big task and must be completed before we release the next expansion.
In order to make sure that online in the new system works properly, we will organize its tests. Some of you have already taken part in smaller, closed tests of it. The next planned ones we want to conduct on a large group of players. We strongly encourage you to take part in them - a large group of testers will allow us to examine whether the server load is not too high, and your feedback will help us fix any flaws before introducing the new online permanently to the game. You can express your interest in the form here:
LINK[/h3]
[h2]
New Online Release on all platforms - Late August[/h2]
[h3]Once we have completed testing and made all necessary adjustments, the new online will replace the old online mode in Wingspan. There will then be a migration of player accounts and we will carry out a global karma reset to help all those whose karma has dropped significantly due to problems with the mode.[/h3]
[h2]
Oceania Beta - TBA[/h2]
[h3]After we introduce the new online mode and make sure it works smoothly, we will invite you all to Oceania beta testing on Steam. You will be able to see how the new mats and goals work. You'll also have an opportunity to play the first games using nectar and get to know the new birds! Along with Oceania, the whole game will be changing, so after the tests, we will definitely ask you for feedback, both in terms of the introduction of new features, the flow of the game, and the performance of individual birds. We don't know the date of the tests yet, but we'll keep you posted on signups as soon as possible.[/h3]
[h2]
Oceania Release Date Announcement - TBA[/h2]
[h3]After beta testing, we will work on polishing Oceania and introducing the most essential elements from your feedback. Any information gained during this period will allow us to specify the release date of Oceania. We will announce the date when we are sure that the game will be in the best possible shape for the release. Passing all the certifications to appear simultaneously on all platforms is also necessary. Too often we hear about games that, upon release, failed to meet players' expectations or had too many bugs. We want to do everything we can to make sure Oceania gives you as much enjoyment as possible right from the very start.[/h3]
[h2]
Oceania Release - TBA[/h2]
[h3]Last but not least, is the highly anticipated DLC release day. We want Oceania to appear simultaneously on Steam and other platforms.
We know you can't wait for Oceania to land on your devices. We hear you and we understand. We, too, are anxious to get the game to you as soon as possible. However, we don't want to release it in a hurry. We want to come to you with a finished, as polished as possible expansion, that will be perfectly compatible with the basic version of the game and the European Expansion. The whole process involves a lot of changes and additional work, which requires us to balance between making improvements to existing products and developing Oceania to the state we all want to see it in.
For anyone worried that the team's attention has shifted to another project - be not afraid. The Oceania team has recently expanded with the addition of two developers and two QA testers. The whole 9 people team is devoting their time to Wingspan-related topics only. Quilts & Cats of Calico is being developed by a separate team at its own pace.
Thank you so much for your continued support and the energy you devote to Wingspan. We are working hard to make playing Oceania an excellent experience for you. Once again, we sincerely invite you to follow more news about the game and join the upcoming stress tests of the new online mode - your help is extremely valuable to us and does not go unnoticed throughout the development process.
Have a feathery rest of the week![/h3]