Beastieball News

Since the last Milestone, we've been working on a lot stuff, making small improvements and addressing feedback reports. Here's a collection of changes that we felt were worth putting out now rather than waiting for the next Milestone!

• Added FXAA effects to 3D objects. This softens the edges of 3D objects nicely. This can be disabled in Settings > Performance, but the cost is relatively low so shouldn't make an impact on most devices. This has been in the experimental branch for the last month and seems to be working great!
  
• Updated the layout of "Detail View." Previously, highlighting a Beastie showed stats, trait, yearnings, and recruit data on the bottom of the screen; whereas selecting them would show their plays on the top of the screen. We've modified it such that there is much more space on the screen top, and all highlight/selection data also displays on the top. This means you can't view highlight/stat data while viewing plays, but there's much more space between elements which means it's easier to see Beastie and stamina bars at all times, and also relevant info is now all in one consistent location.
  
• Some minor text changes; updated Chinese localization with some fixes and more translated text, fixed some auto-generated Beastie nicknames, and added a couple text lines for certain menu features.
  
• Fix for missing lines when unlocking Super Tower Tourney immediately upon completing Tower Tourney
  
• In the Super Tower Tourney, if your streak goes long enough to see every boss (over 100), repeat bosses will now start appearing instead of generic matches
  
• In the Super Tower Tourney, boss characters will now loop their dialogue rather than going silent if the player has matched them enough times
  
• Added dialogue for Kaz in the Super Tower Tourney (oops... don't know how I missed that one... localization will come in the next update).
  
• Improved random team generation for players using the "Random Team" option; training values are better optimized, and some team playstyles are now excluded (some are fun in the hands of an AI opponent, but not as fun to pilot).
  
• Fixed/updated some Tower playbook sets for Illugus and Mudslee
  
• Updated Tower Beastie stats for many sets to favor maximum POW at the cost of DEF (only applies at 50+ wins, but it will add some teeth to higher-level floors).
  
• Extra safety preventing fast travel while in challenge modes
  
• Added extra culling to some 3D objects in the city to improve performance
  
• Simplified/optimized the way Beastie emotes are rendered in the overworld to improve performance and reduce the chance of bad z-fighting.
  
• Added some extra safety checks to prevent rare crashes in a couple instances
  
• Changed interaction bounds for water fountains in locker rooms to not be interactable through walls
  
• Fixed ground placement for Callisto
  
• Better spawn locations when exiting some Callisto hangouts
  
• Fixed the missing "Friendship maxed!" message after Callisto's last hangout
  
• Player animations now freeze while some menus are open, matching Beasties and other characters
  
• Minor updates to credits text
  

This weekend we held a BIGMOON BASH where all Beasties were allowed!

This was the first open bash since our major balance patch at the end of 2025. It was also the first open bash with Weepy added, Rally changed, and other sweeping changes that were brought along... so it's exciting to see how the results lined up. Without further ado, here are the top-scoring players this time around!

[h2]👑 Top-Scoring Players[/h2]

1. Bolimar (The Crimson Angels) | Bash Score: 3080
2. Boris (The Rutile Lights) | Bash Score: 2984
3. Darc Tech (The Arcane Robots) | Bash Score: 2908
4. Dino (The Unlimited Chaos) | Bash Score: 2840
5. Juninha (The Valiant Hearts) | Bash Score: 2784
6. Ket (The Lonesome Lovers) | Bash Score: 2768
7. Pummy (The Tiny Tacos) | Bash Score: 2728
8. Mabel (The Clashing Roses) | Bash Score: 2724
9. Boolerex (The Speedy Racers) | Bash Score: 2720
10. Arcwell (The Sad Cats) | Bash Score: 2716
11. Score (The Jamming Ballers) | Bash Score: 2708
12. GFZA (The Fun Pizzas) | Bash Score: 2676
13. Zonk (The Violet Enigmas) | Bash Score: 2664
14. 苍庁龙 (紫罗兰幽灵) (ENG: The Violet Ghosts) | Bash Score: 2652
15. CryoPhoenix (The Goofy Birds) | Bash Score: 2640
16. Triangle (The Future All-stars) | Bash Score: 2636
17. Stardust (The Starbound Dinosaurs) | Bash Score: 2624
18. Igor (The Rutile Artists) | Bash Score: 2612
19. HP (The Jolly Jokers) | Bash Score: 2608
20. Sabrewoif (The Inglorious Shamblers) | Bash Score: 2604
21. Phoenix (The Flaming Birds) | Bash Score: 2592

The median Bash Score this time was 1916. Following the Steam Winter Sale, I think a LOT of new players joined us this time around, which naturally means the average score is a bit lower...

A warm welcome to 苍庁龙, our first leaderboard player whose game wasn't set to English! Even I ran into them when playing at weird hours during the Bash... they wiped the floor with me. It's exciting to see players from across the globe scoring higher in the rankings, mixed in with many names already familiar to anyone who's seen past Bash results!

[h2]📊 Beastie Usage Stats![/h2]
As has become tradition, we've collected a ton of data on Beastie usage during this event and we're happy to share that data with you for further investigation!
[h3]> Check out the STATS here![/h3]

The number one most-used Beastie was... WHO? This is the first open Bash where the #1 most used Beastie wasn't a starter or spreckomorph! A huge honor for Daredillo! Could this be because Daredillo is an overpowered monster in the meta right now?! No... to be honest, I'm pretty sure it's because they finally got animation in the last Milestone update. We might have underestimated just how popular they are...

As always, this data collection is some of the most important we can do toward building balance patches. But typically it takes quite a lot of games before we can start to accurately assess bigger trends worth addressing.

[h2]🔥 Want more fierce matches?[/h2]
If you're reading this, I'd recommend you check out the upcoming fan-organized Bring the Heat tourney! These events are open to all and will expose you to other opponents who want to play seriously. Even if you don't think you have the skills to win, it can be really fun to jump in and see just how far you can go!

The next Bash will be something a little bit different (which I'm very excited for...!). And it will be a bit less serious... so if you're enthusiastic about a team you put together for this Bash and you want to push it further, then Bring the Heat is definitely there for you.

(This post reflects our current plans as of January 2026)


In response to demand for PvP content, we fully developed an in-game matchmaking event system (The Bigmoon Bash!) and subsequently ran 16 events throughout 2025 which each saw thousands of players play many more thousands of matches.



Then, from June to December 2025 we shipped 4 major updates. In that time we went from 18 fully-animated animated Beasties to 50. We expanded the game with a ton of new story content and added Rank Defense (a totally original and exciting challenge mode - on top of the 3 that were already there)! And we added public lobbies, allowing players to easily join PvP outside of events.

As can be expected, there have been unanticipated slowdowns and delays along the way getting here. Part of that is just the chaos of development. But we've also been fairly flexible with our plans up until now - a lot of the biggest features we shipped (including Bigmoon Bashes, Rank Defense and Public Lobbies) weren't in our plans when we first came to Early Access in November 2024. It's been an honest joy following the community's excitement and building awesome things for you this past year.

And even so, all of this is just a tiiiiny slice of everything we shipped in the last year. Reception has been overwhelmingly positive with 98+% positive reviews and playtime statistics that are well above average for titles on Steam. A huge thank you to players for your support and cheerleading - we couldn't make a game this amazing without your help!


This year we're firmly setting our sights on wrapping up everything and moving towards 1.0. Up to now we've been talking about 10 planned milestone updates, but with the extra updates we've put out and combining some things, we've condensed the plan down to 9 milestone updates total - or, 6 more milestone updates remaining.

We've settled into a stable cadence of production and releases, and we can now better forecast how long it'll take to finish everything else. That said, I want to be clear this is indeed a forecast, not a guarantee.



We're targeting full release in early 2027! To some players, this time might still seem far away; but for us on the team, who were toiling away at this game for years before anyone even knew about it, it's incredible to have a date so close and tangible ahead of us. Nobody is more excited to see this game finished than we are!

In the meantime: we're excited to bring you tons of PvP events, updates, story content and more this year on our way to the big 1.0!


[h3]What's the current state of the game in Early Access?[/h3]
You can play the story from beginning to end credits, recruit every Beastie, and participate in tons of optional endless challenges, not to mention PvP matchmaking and regular timed events. What we called our initial "Early Access" release is what many games would call their full release. For anybody excited about Beastieball, we think the game already fully delivers on its promise. But we have been ever ambitious with our plans and have continued to grow and expand the game during its Early Access period.

The move to 1.0 is mostly going to be marked by all Beasties being animated and all character side stories being completable, along with other bonus content and features.

[h3]What features are coming in each update? Is feature X planned?[/h3]
For specific feature requests and specific dates, we ask that you wait and see! Our plans are always shifting, and as we saw in 2025, some of the biggest things we ship this year may be ideas we haven't yet planned for (...I can already say some of the biggest things coming in the next update were NOT in my initial plans for the game...).

[h3]What other platform(s) are you planning for 1.0?[/h3]
We'll make announcements about this - and more specific timing - when we get closer to the finish line! It's still far too soon to make any promises.

[h3]Any plans after 1.0?[/h3]
We're working on an additional expansion called The Far Out which will release sometime after 1.0. We have a solid plan for everything in that expansion and will be actively developing it in 2026 alongside finishing the base content for 1.0. Don't expect any further information or details about this expansion until after we've released 1.0.

Another BIGMOON BASH is beginning soon in Beastieball! During Bigmoon Bashes, coaches can challenge each other in open matchmaking for a limited time.

When: Friday, January 16, 2026 04:00 PST to Sunday, January 18, 2026 04:00 PST
Theme: NONE! All Beasties are allowed!

During the event you'll have a Bash Rank, which will improve based on your performance. After it's over, you'll receive in-game rewards based on your participation, such as Social Battery and Sports Points.

Players of all skill level are invited! All you need to do to participate is to play the game on that day and join the Bash on SportNet! SportNet is typically unlocked within the first 2 hours of your adventure, after beating your first Ranked boss. And if you aren't confident in your own Beastie team, you can use a randomly generated one instead - just go to Team Setup and set "Random Team" as your current team.

[h3]Official Game Rules:[/h3]
First to 2 Points wins
Standard time limit on move selection
No Undos allowed
No duplicate Beastie species allowed
Relationship Combos are disabled
All Beasties are set to Level 50

This weekend we held a BIGMOON BASH - the final one of 2025! This Bash was a contest between 4 Beasties who won previous Bashes in 2025. Without further ado, here are the final results!
[h2]🏆 Final Results![/h2]

As always, Bongus fans came out in full force! Bongus is 2025's Bash Champion!

Hopra held the popularity lead by an impressive margin throughout the Bash. Not only is Hopra a popular Beastie, but with their well-rounded offense and support options, they're easy to fit onto many teams, making them an easy choice for players to build with. But Bongus wound up being the more reliable on the field! Not by a ton, but by just enough to clutch out the overall high score.

It was always going to be a tough match for Fetcham and Albrax to compete with popular starter Beasties. But they put up a valiant effort!

Now let's take a look at the coaches who scored highest this time around!
[h2]👑 Top-Scoring Players[/h2]

1. Bolimar (The Crimson Angels) | Bash Score: 2952
2. Vega (The Dancing Dragons) | Bash Score: 2896
3. WebBowser (The Questing Beasts) | Bash Score: 2796
4. Arcwell (The Sad Cats) | Bash Score: 2780
5. Score (The Jamming Ballers) | Bash Score: 2768
6. Boolerex (The Crimson Angels) | Bash Score: 2760
7. Boris (The Rutile Lights) | Bash Score: 2744
8. Wavewhyse* (The Stellar Tides) | Bash Score: 2740
9. HP (The Jolly Jokers) | Bash Score: 2736
10. Darc Tech (The Arcane Robots) | Bash Score: 2732
11. Reimi (The Mist) | Bash Score: 2712
12. Arc Tech (The Arcane Machines) | Bash Score: 2680
13. AirMan121 (The Bugs) | Bash Score: 2672
14. Dino (The Fighting Spirits) | Bash Score: 2664
15. Zonk (The Violet Enigmas) | Bash Score: 2660
16. Mabel (The Clashing Roses) | Bash Score: 2652
17. GFZA (The Fun Pizzas) | Bash Score: 2608
18. Phoenix (The Flaming Birds) | Bash Score: 2584
19. Cheatsaline (The Wacky Jokers) | Bash Score: 2568
20. • Juninha (The Valiant Hearts) | Bash Score: 2560
    • P3Rcarus (The Roaring Echoes) | Bash Score: 2560

The median Bash Score this time was 1966. The skill ceiling in this game just keeps growing - we're seeing more and more diversity in player strategies, and a growing range of skill levels from new adopters jumping into Bashes for the first time to seasoned vets that have top-ranked in double-digits numbers of Bashes at this point. It's a treat to see!

A big congratulations to all the top-scoring players!

[h2]📊 Beastie Usage Stats![/h2]
As has become tradition, we've collected a ton of data on Beastie usage during this event and we're happy to share that data with you for further investigation!
[h3]> Check out the STATS here![/h3]

In addition to these usage stats, here's a look at the most common pairings in each guild this Bash!

Hopra

1. Mascurry - 18.4%
   
2. Plumask - 18.3%
   
3. Illugus - 17.5%
   
4. Tortanchor - 16.4%
   
5. Cherrily - 16.0%

A wide array of teammates to reflect a huge range in playstyle! Hopra fits in with Drum-focused teams, Rally-focused teams, slow bulky teams and fast offensive teams. You can see echos of all those options here.

Bongus

1. Boldlur - 30.9%
   
2. Trat - 22.3%
   
3. Daredillo - 20.8%
   
4. Tortanchor - 19.8%
   
5. Hydrolm - 19.4%

Bongus has a much clearer "type," with bulky defensive Beasties rounding out their partners! Between their healing Welcoming trait and their propensity for setting Rhythm, Bongus paired great with Beasties like Hydrolm, Tortanchor and Boldlur that can tank big hits and rely on slow steady healing to keep momentum. Daredillo can combo with Bongus' excellent pivoting ability to tag in and out and get the most of their Acrobat trait. And Trat... well, who knows what they're up to at any given time. It's exciting to see past-neglected Beasties like Boldlur and Hydrolm get their chance in the spotlight!

Fetcham

1. Cherrily - 32.0%
   
2. Froofulks - 22.4%
   
3. Zefyre - 18.0%
   
4. Goofsder - 16.6%
   
5. Tortanchor - 16.3%

Tortanchor really seems to be a common glue for many teams, doesn't it? With Fetcham we're seeing overall more offensive pairings that take advantage of Fetcham's ability to guard their ally with Watchtower. Froofulks is a particularly great pairing with Fetcham, letting Fetcham take hits while powering up via their Protector trait. This time around we also saw more effective use than ever of Fetcham's Fetch trait, turning them into an attacker that punishes the opponent for daring to hit into them.

Albrax

1. (Tie!) Servace & Skiffrig - 18.9%
   
2. Platypulse - 16.7%
   
3. Mistic - 16.4%
   
4. Noizard - 16.0%

And finally, Albrax is here with a group of minmaxxed oddballs. Platypulse and Noizard both can redirect attacks, keeping Albrax alive for long enough to corner the opponent with Tractor Beam. Servace and Skiffrig both can rush the net for a quick and risky finisher on a Tractor-Beamed opponent. And Mistic is here to cause trouble, disrupting the opponent and delaying their offense further. Overall, a trickier gameplan that takes careful planning and big brainpower to pull off.

[h2]🙇 Thank you!!![/h2]
It's amazing to look back on how far this game and its competitive meta have come in 2025. I'm very, very grateful to the players who dove into the game this year and enriched its PvP scene with their own character, knowledge and skills. We want to continue fostering a lively meta that can see a wide variety of Beasties succeed without compromising their diversity and sense of fun... an ambitious dream for sure, but one we believe in! We'll keep working hard in 2026!

-Greg & the Wishes team