Deathground News

[p]People often ask us, “Hey, what’s the story behind Deathground? Who do we play as, when and where are we, and what are our goals?’’ and we always tell them the same thing;
[/p][h2]\[REDACTED], \[REDACTED] and of course, \[REDACTED].
[/h2][p][/p][p]
And that’s for good reason - you’ve likely seen the ‘AEON technologies group’ logo around the place, and they’re very secretive about what exactly went on in the complex and why it all went wrong.
[/p][p]Well, we’re here today to reveal a few of those secrets, leaking classified information from the D.A.R.T. team, which will give you a better understanding of the setting and story of the Deathground.
[/p][h3]Let’s tackle the Who, What, and Why
[/h3][p]In Deathground, you and your friends take on the role of a member of ‘D.A.R.T. ’ (the ‘Deathground - Asset - Retrieval - Taskforce’), a specialist group of operatives composed of The Scout, The Engineer, The Survivalist, The Medic, The Hunter, and The Observer - each one closely connected to AEON in some way.
[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]After some sort of catastrophic systems failure, the AEON facility became overrun with prehistoric creatures, leaving no survivors. You’ve been sent into the complex, which has now become known as ‘The Deathground’, to recover valuable research, samples and data left behind by the long-dead scientists and workers. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]But things aren’t always as they seem, and AEON haven't told you the complete story - so questions remain:[/p]

1. [p]What were AEON really working on, and why were they so desperate to keep it secret? [/p]
2. [p]What are the true motives behind the D.A.R.T. recovery operation? [/p]
3. [p]Why can’t you remember what happened - did someone want you to forget?[/p]
4. [p]And where the \[‎ REDACTED‎ ] even is this complex located??[/p]

[p]You’ll have to explore the Deathground and figure all that out for yourself.
[/p][p][/p][h3]The un-redacted information is there; you just need to search for it!
[/h3][p]Many of the scientists, researchers and workers of the AEON complex didn’t have time to carefully redact or shred their documents while being eaten alive by raptors - And so one of the ways you can start your (off-mission and unapproved) investigation is by collecting those documents and items.
[/p][p]You’ll find items of interest hidden throughout each facility, and once picked up, those items will be added to your collection menu for examination in between missions.
[/p][p][/p][p]Some are classified reports, others are surveillance transcripts or even e-mails written by staff. Each collectable you find gives you additional information, background and insight into the relationships between each member of facility staff, which you can use to piece together the answers to each of the above questions, and more.
[/p][p]There will be plenty of collectable items for you to find throughout each location, with more added in future missions and sub-missions as the game continues to expand.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Colonel Wells wants the mission completed, so get to it!
[/h2][p]Restarting the powerplant, spraying the greenhouse and securing the specimen are the first three ‘primary missions’ you’ll tackle in Deathground - with the mission brief for each delivered by Colonel K. Wells.
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Voiced by Will de Renzy-Martin, the Colonel is the first of Deathground's cast of surrounding characters set to appear as the story unfolds during Early Access development.

Once a high-ranking officer, Wells was dishonorably discharged due to \[REDACTED] and later became head of security operations for AEON technologies group. A patriot and soldier first, he has very little tolerance for those who fail to follow orders - Wells has inserted himself as leader of recovery operations in an attempt to find and punish those responsible for the inciting incident. [/p][h2]Subtitles and localization options
[/h2][p]Deathground will feature voice subtitle support at launch. This will be enabled by default, but can be toggled off to remove subtitles in the ‘audio options’ menu.
[/p][p][/p][p]Whether you’re exploring the lore through collectibles, following critical mission dialogue, or listening for the faint sound of danger in the dark, our goal is for players all across the globe to experience the tension and terror of the Deathground without barriers.
[/p][p](Well, except for all the redacted parts, those will stay redacted for everyone!)
[/p][p]While Deathground won’t have full localisation at launch, we’re aiming to include localisation support across multiple languages and cultures over the course of development, with full support for selected languages planned for 1.0 release.
[/p][p]Our plan includes:[/p]

• [p]Region selection for hosting / joining games[/p]
• [p]Localised menus and user interface[/p]
• [p]Full subtitle translation for all supported languages.[/p]
• [p]Full collectable document description translation for all supported languages.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]What lore do you want more info on? Do you have a specific language you want localisation for? Let us know in the comments below! [/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Until next time…
[/h3][p]Cheers for checking in! We’ll see you tomorrow for another mini development feature leading up to the launch of Deathground on the 7th of October!
[/p][p]As always, here's your reminder of where else you can find us: Join us and the rest of the community over on Discord. Watch more behind-the-scenes on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Follow us on Facebook, X/Twitter, Threads and Bsky. See you there![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[h2]We’ve all got an image of what a dinosaur is supposed to look like in our heads...[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]For some, that’s the ‘classic look’ of the towering, scaly reptile with a killer set of teeth - the image burned into our brains by movies, toys and of course, museum displays of the 2000s, which brought dinosaurs to life with scale replicas (pun intended) of what we believed these fearsome and monstrous creatures looked like at the time.[/p][p]
For others, it’s the more ‘modern look’ of a ferocious feathered fiend, light on its feet, cautiously moving forward and sizing up its prey. You often hear people call this the ‘scientifically accurate’ version, as it’s inspired by exciting modern paleontological discoveries which have completely shaken up how we picture dinosaurs today.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]So, which version is better?[/h3][p][/p][p]Well, we’re not here to debate that - we can see the valid points on both sides of the issue, but we still encourage you to share your thoughts in the comments below.
[/p][p]During an AMA way back when, we announced that Deathground would primarily star feathered dinosaurs, giving a few reasons why we decided to take that direction.

Over the course of development, that direction has changed a little, with the Utahraptor and Compsognathus keeping their feathers by default, and the Allosaurs and Tyrannosaurus rex instead shifting to show their scaled appearance by default.[/p][p][/p][p]But, we’ve also heard plenty of feedback and requests on the subject, which is why we’ve decided to leave the decision in your hands![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]You’ll be able to toggle between feathers on, and off at launch![/h3][p][/p][p]When Deathground launches (Which is happening on the 7th of October, if you missed our last update!) there will be a toggleable option in the gameplay settings menu which allows you to turn feathers off.

This gameplay option will specifically change the appearance of the Raptor, and Compsognathus locally - which means if the feathers on / off debate is a hot topic in your squad, you can each choose to have it whichever way suits you personally. 
[/p][p]While this setting will initially be an overarching on / off for all feathers across the board, we’re planning to include additional customizability in future updates - so, if you prefer one dinosaur with feathers on, but another with feathers off, you’ll be able to customise that in due time![/p][p][/p][h3][/h3][h3]Setting a standard for settings.[/h3][p][/p][p]While we’re starting with feathers, we’re looking to add more options which let you customise your experience in Deathground. For example:
[/p][p]GORE:[/p][p]We’ve heard many requests for a setting which would allow players to alter the amount of blood displayed on screen - and while we prefer our facilities coated in, uh, ‘tomato sauce,’ we understand that others might not![/p][p]
DIFFICULTY:[/p][p]We’re also keeping a close eye on difficulty, and while our goal is to balance the game’s base challenge level first, we’re aiming to include options for easier, harder, and way WAY harder difficulties later down the line, as well as options for just how often tutorials and point of interest markers appear.[/p][p][/p][p]ACCESSIBILITY:[/p][p]Additionally, we’re looking into more traditional accessibility options such as the ability to adjust the colours shown in game to make things clearer for those with colour blindness, settings which reduce motion for those who struggle with motion sickness, and more.
[/p][p]We are investigating each of these options and hope to update the game over the course of early access to include them alongside various localisation and translation settings. (but more on that later this week)[/p][h2]
Tell us below what other customizable options you would like to see in future?[/h2][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Until next time…[/h3][p]Cheers for checking in! We’ll see you tomorrow for another mini development feature leading up to the launch of Deathground on the 7th of October!

As always, here's your reminder of where else you can find us: Join us and the rest of the community over on Discord. Watch more behind-the-scenes on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Follow us on Facebook, X/Twitter, Threads and Bsky. See you there![/p][p][/p][p] [/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]That’s right! Deathground is coming to Early Access next week on 7th Oct! Here’s a little breakdown of some of the big FAQs.[/p][p][/p][h2]How much will Deathground cost?[/h2][p][/p][p]Deathground will be launching into Early Access at an initial price of $14.99 / €14.79 / £11.99. And there will be a discount for the first two weeks![/p][p][/p][p]We want to make this game as accessible as possible. We hope that this starting price helps you and your squad enter the Deathground sooner and get stuck into our starting missions straight away. [/p][p] We will be evaluating Deathground’s price later down the line, and it will most likely increase as we develop towards 1.0 and introduce some major updates. Essentially, this is going to be the lowest base price Deathground will ever be. With early buyers getting the most value - as Deathground is a one-time purchase, you’ll be getting all future content throughout Early Access at no extra cost![/p][p][/p][h2]What’s included in Early Access?[/h2][p][/p][p]Here's our roadmap where you can see the base content provided in this Early Access release and a little teaser of the journey ahead...[/p][p] [/p][p]FULL SIZED VERSION HERE[/p][p]Early Access allows players to jump in early, experience the tension, and help shape the game's future. Your feedback will be essential in guiding the expansion of new features, dinosaurs and maps as well as refining the balancing difficulty and overall horror experience.[/p][p][/p][p]We're really looking forward to getting the game in your hands next week! [/p][p][/p][h2]Until next time…[/h2][p][/p][p]Cheers for checking in! As always, here's your reminder of where else you can find us: Join us and the rest of the community over on Discord. Watch more behind-the-scenes on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Follow us on Facebook, X/Twitter, Threads and Bsky. See you there![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]We hope this teaser whets your appetite. Deathground is releasing into Early Access on Steam (PC) in October 2025![/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][h2]Early Access Release Date - October 2025[/h2][p]Now, if you’re all thinking ‘Wait, October isn’t in Q3?!’, well then you’d be absolutely correct! So, why the last-minute shift in the date?[/p][p]Our original target release date had been set for a while, but as we moved closer, various factors including the timing of the Steam build approval process and our marketing plans didn’t quite align. Given the tight schedule and rather than rush things or launch without the proper visibility and support, we decided it was better to shift the date slightly (only just!) and avoid the Autumn Sale to give the game the launch it deserves.[/p][p]With all that said, our Early Access release date is going to be announced later this week in our Official Early Access Launch Trailer![/p][p][/p][h2]The Silver Lining[/h2][p]We’ve been fixing bugs left, right and centre at a rapid pace thanks to the fantastic feedback and bug tickets submitted over on our Discord - and we’re not going to slow that pace any time before launch. We’ll be using this extra time to add a little more finesse and some features that we were going to include post-launch. More news over the next week![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Speaking of news…[/p][p][/p][h2]The Raptors are going on a press tour![/h2][p]Excitingly, content creators and press will finally be getting their hands on Deathground soon. We’ll be anticipating their reactions but we’re very much committed to taking onboard open and honest feedback and previews, and want to give these groups time to play and produce their respective content before launch.[/p][p]
[/p][p]Alongside all that, we’ll be posting a daily Deathground mini-update here in our Community Hub, leading up to launch. In these mini-updates, we’ll pull back the curtain on development progress and showcase lots of different things, including gameplay details, behind-the-scenes, developer interviews and Q&A. Additionally, what’s in store for the future of Deathground on the road to V1.0 with the reveal of our official Early Access roadmap. Exciting stuff, right?![/p][p][/p][h2]DevGround Episode 6![/h2][p]And if you haven't already seen it, our latest Devlog is also available to watch in full on YouTube![/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][h2]Until next time…[/h2][p]Cheers for checking in! We truly appreciate your support throughout the years and especially during this time as we race down the Deathroad to release! [/p][p]As always, here's your reminder of where else you can find us: Join us and the rest of the community over on Discord. Watch more behind-the-scenes on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. Follow us on Facebook, X/Twitter, Threads and Bsky. See you there![/p][p][/p][p]Wishlist![/p][p][/p]

[p]Hey everyone! Before the highly anticipated release date, we have a final gift for you![/p][p][/p][p]The operatives roster is expanding![/p][p][/p][p]We’re thrilled to announce that two fan-favorite characters are making their way from Kickstarter concept art into the Deathground. And they’ll be available to everyone.[/p][p][/p][p]That means you’ll now have six unique operatives to choose from at Early Access launch, giving you more variety and more ways to face the carnivorous dangers ahead.[/p][p][/p][h2]Finn Voss – “The Observer”[/h2][p][/p][p] Once a military photographer and war correspondent, Finn knows how to keep her cool in the face of chaos. Her expertise in documenting wildlife threats makes her the perfect witness to Deathground’s living dinosaurs. Armed with the Motion Detector, she spots danger before it spots you (hopefully).[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Cooper Calloway – “The Hunter”[/h2][p][/p][p]Hailing from the Australian Bush, Cooper is a specialist in tracking and neutralizing high-risk fauna. Where Voss observes in silence, Calloway acts decisively, ready to get his hands dirty when survival is on the line. His weapon of choice: the Rifle.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]And this is just the beginning. We’re planning additional items and loadout options in the future to keep your strategies fresh and exciting.[/p][p][/p][p]This expansion was made possible thanks to the incredible support of our backers. Bringing these two characters to life - modelled, textured, animated, and fully playable day 1 - was our way of honoring that early support and making the launch even stronger.[/p][p][/p][p]We can’t wait for you to experience them when Deathground enters Early Access. Stay tuned! Wishlist Deathground today and don't miss the release![/p][p]
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