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Community Update: Fresh Faces, New Merch, and a Halloween Recap

[h2]Greetings Kenshi crew,[/h2][p]Work on Kenshi 2 is keeping us plenty busy, but we wanted to take a moment to share a few updates from around the studio: new faces, new merch, and a quick look back at something you might’ve missed over Halloween.
[/p][h2]Fresh Lo-Fi Faces[/h2][p]We’ve recently welcomed a few new members to the Lo-Fi team to support Kenshi and the ongoing development of Kenshi 2. Johnny is our new Publishing Director. As you might expect based on his title, Johnny directs all things publishing - marketing, community, partnerships, and the general business of getting our games out into the world.
[/p][p]On the development side, Lee has joined as our Lead Level Designer. He splits his time between FCS and Unreal, building out the towns, regions, and characters of Kenshi 2. Right now, he’s focused on making our world-streaming system feel smooth and properly vast.
[/p][p]Outside the game engine, Bryony has come aboard as Office Coordinator. They’re the one keeping the day-to-day operations of the studio running smoothly, so the rest of the team can stay focused on our games.
[/p][p]Finally, there’s me, Josh, your new Community Manager. I’ve spent the past decade working in community development and player-facing comms across both AAA and indie games. You’ll see me popping up across our socials, blogs, Discord, and anywhere else Kenshi lives online. [/p][p][/p][h2]New Kenshi Merch[/h2][p]We’ve also been working on a few things outside the game, including some new Kenshi merch with our friends at RobaRoba. [/p][p]First up: a stunning new desk mat inspired by early Ashlands concept art from 2013. The original illustration was lost years ago in a hard-drive failure, so this piece has been rebuilt from scratch by renowned artist, Sergei Musin. We’ve also updated our sticker lineup. The whole range is now available on sturdier vinyl, and there’s a new 80’s-style Shek design in the mix. Good for laptops, bottles, or any flat surface that would benefit from some Kenshi vibes.[/p][p]Plus, we’re running a merch discount from now through December 31. Save up to 20% on select items, including the fan-favourite Kenshi knitted sweater.
[/p][h2]Halloween Recap[/h2][p]In case you missed it over Halloween, we shared a short video of Chris talking about his time working as an overnight security guard, back when Kenshi was just getting off the ground. It’s an eerie story about long shifts, an empty warehouse, and a confusing array of dead pigeons. [/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]That’s all for now. Between new faces at the studio, a few fresh merch items, and the usual Kenshi 2 work feverishly ticking along in the background, things are progressing steadily over here at Lo-Fi. We’ll have more to share when the time is right, but in the meantime you can always find us on Discord, our socials, or in the comments below.
[/p][p]Oh - and did we mention that Kenshi is currently on sale?[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]Thanks for reading, and remember: never ask what’s in the meatwrap.[/p][p][/p][p][/p]

Lo-Fi Games know you've spent a billion hours with Kenshi, so they're working on making the sequel's discoveries even less predictable

I'm a month late on this, but since we don't appear to have written about Kenshi for about six years, I figured this was worth highlighting. Chris Hunt and Natalie Mikkelson of Lo-Fi Games recently put out a video chatting about Kenshi 2, their approach to design and, uh, their shared hatred for fondue. It's a lovely, unadorned look at game development, with Hunt and Mikkelson talking through how they basically learned to do everything on the fly, from Kenshi's beginnings to Lo-Fi Games's current size of 30 people.


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'Too many games let their players succeed' says developer of notoriously tough survival RPG Kenshi, and 'that's mind-numbingly boring to me'




Open world survival RPG Kenshi can be cruel, especially in the early hours. As our reviewer put it back in 2018, "basic survival plans can be easily derailed by a city guard who plants drugs on you then demands money you don’t have, or by finding yourself deep in a region inhabited by vicious alien giraffes."..
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Community Update: Kenshi - Meet the Makers (video)

Hey Kenshi crew,

We’ve just released a new video: Kenshi: Meet the Makers. It's an informal look behind the scenes with Chris Hunt - creator of Kenshi and founder of Lo-Fi Games, and Nat Mikkelson - Lo-Fi’s Managing Director and Lead Writer on Kenshi 1 and Kenshi 2.

Simply put: the video is a short conversation to give you a little insight on our thinking, and a glimpse into the creators’ minds while Kenshi 2’s development continues behind the scenes.

You’ll find some chatter from Chris and Nat on how Lo-Fi Games began, where the ideas for Kenshi came from, and what it’ll mean for Kenshi 2 players to experience a game set 1000 years before the first one.

There’s some talk on who Kenshi is really for (and why you might need a twisted sense of humour to enjoy it), why Kenshi doesn’t make you the chosen one, and why we’re still keeping our cards close to our chest when it comes to Kenshi 2 details. There’s loads more in there, but it’s best if you just give it a watch.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]Subtitles in 12 languages[/h2]

We’ve translated subtitles to the video in the following languages:
  • French
  • German
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Polish
  • Portuguese (Brazilian)
  • Russian
  • Simplified Chinese
  • Spanish
  • Turkish

English subtitles are also available!

[h2]Why are we sharing this now?[/h2]

It felt like the right time to check in; to reflect on where Kenshi came from and what sort of world we’re building next. 

It’s also a rare chance to hear directly from Chris and Nat themselves. Their dynamic and shared vision is at the heart of everything we do at Lo-Fi Games, and this is the first time we’ve put them in front of the camera together.

If you’ve been with us since Kenshi 1, or if you’ve only just discovered the game, this video is a small glimpse into the mindset that’s shaped the world of Kenshi; from its humble beginnings to the many-legged monster it’s become. 

[h2]A big ol’ Kenshi sale[/h2]

If you’ve not yet had the chance to play the first game, we’re currently on sale at 70% off on Steam, so it’s not a bad time to pick it up.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/233860/Kenshi/

Cheers for reading and watching. As always - a massive thank you to the Kenshi community, we’ll have a new Spotlight video for you soon. Remember to catch us in our Discord, follow us on the socials and sign up to our newsletter.

Catch you next time!



Community Spotlight #19

Well then sandblown strangers, how fares your journey? Here’s to hoping you find a rare pause to down your tools and take stock; a fleeting breath between berserker screams and the gnashing of cannibal teeth to ponder another year’s end. Perhaps you’ll hunker down by the fire’s crackle, cook up a cut of gutter meat, open a can of grog and lean into the warmth of your loyal bonedog’s embrace. But don’t linger too long - out here, peace is just a mirage, danger always rides the horizon and the only thing coming down the chimney is trouble.

Preposterous post-apocalyptic prose aside, we mean it - whether you’re “casual” Kenshi crew (is that a thing?), a hardcore wasteland warrior or a cherished member of the masterful modding movement, maybe it’s time to marinate in a little more delightfully difficult Kenshi-flavoured danger this December. And we would love a peek at your adventures…

[h2]Community Spotlight #19[/h2]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Welp, you lot have done it again - you’ve gone and graced us with a veritable smorgasbord of delicious Kenshi delights. We’ve compiled a bunch of our favourite bits seen across the socials and Discord in our latest Community Spotlight video, so sit back and enjoy. 

With thanks, as always, to the creators behind the content:

[h3]Mod of the Week[/h3]

[h3]Fanart Friday[/h3]

[h3]Screenshot Saturday[/h3]

[h2]Kenshi on Bluesky - @lofigames.com[/h2]


If you’ve mosied on over to Bluesky then make sure you come find us: our handle is @lofigames.com. We’ve been squatting a profile for a little while and waiting for just the right moment to start posting, so give us a holler and tune in ready for a little Kenshi 2 info in the not-too-distant future.

[h2]Last chance to grab a Kenshi knitted sweater at 20% off[/h2]


You have until the end of the year to bag yourself a Kenshi sweater at 20% off at RobaRoba, so make sure you take advantage of the offer if you’ve not yet had the chance. 

[h3]Grab a Kenshi sweater at RobaRoba[/h3]

[h2]Kenshi is 60% off in the Steam Winter Sale[/h2]


It wouldn’t be winter without the loving embrace of Steam’s Winter Sale, and this year is, of course, no exception. Whether you’re a Kenshi fanatic and fancy gifting a Christmas copy to a friend, or if you just haven’t made the dip just yet, what better time than now?

https://store.steampowered.com/app/233860/Kenshi/

[h2]Wrapping up[/h2]
Well then, that just about draws us to a close. Don’t forget - if you send us your finest Kenshi content you might just find yourself in the next Community Spotlight. And do please give your Steam screenshots a name if you get a moment, it’s fun to do and helps us out!

Until next time, and remember: Sometimes you eat the Beak Thing, and sometimes, well, they eat you.