The Bornless News

[p][/p][h3]Seekers… the Ritual draws to a close on 2025. [/h3][p]This year has been one of transformation. Of Storms that reshaped the island, demons that crossed through the veil, and a community whose devotion continues to carry The Bornless further than ever before. [/p][p]Below is our full 2025 wrap-up, a chronicle of your victories, our milestones, and the unholy work still underway.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3][/h3][h3]OUR FIRST PLAYTEST OF 2025 [/h3][p]A Storm Is Coming Playtest: March[/p][p]We opened the year by unleashing our first major test of the Storm mechanic, changing the very nature of the Ritual endgame. Seekers joined us for a wild weekend of chaos that surfaced critical bugs, performance bottlenecks, and gameplay quirks that defined much of our development roadmap for the rest of the year. [/p][p]We also shared our playtest trailer on IGN, which quickly became our best-performing video to date. Your excitement set the tone for everything that followed.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]BREAKING LANGUAGE BARRIERS [/h3][p]Localization Overhaul: April[/p][p]2025 marked our largest step toward global accessibility. [/p][p]We pushed a massive localization update that opened Farmouth Island to more languages than ever before. New communities joined the Ritual, new voices echoed through the fog, and our Discord grew with Seekers from every corner of the world.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]NEW CHARACTERS, NEW DEMONS AND MORE IN OUR SECOND PLAYTEST [/h3][p]Closed Playtest: June [/p][p]Our next public test, Fractured Souls, brought another surge of players, another wave of feedback, and another refining pass on Ritual Mode. The 48-hour weekend was a huge success and rolled directly into our largest event of the year…[/p][p][/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][h3]STEAM NEXT FEST[/h3][p]A Week of Unholy Momentum: June [/p][p]Steam Next Fest was a defining moment for The Bornless. [/p][p]This build featured: [/p]

• [p]A refined Storm endgame[/p]
• [p]Expanded localization[/p]
• [p]The new Discord Shepherd duo-finding system[/p]
• [p]Updated human character models, including Sarah and Milton[/p]
• [p]And most notably…A new playable Demon: Phenex, the Marquis of Fire. A terrifying force of burning branches, childlike melodies, and devastating abilities. [/p]

[p]Your support during Next Fest pushed us to new heights, including massive wishlist growth, thousands of demo downloads, and a tidal wave of community content.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]OUR BIGGEST PRIZE POOL (SO FAR)! [/h3][p]Pre-Registration Event: August[/p][p]To keep the momentum burning, we launched a pre-registration campaign offering a brand-new NVIDIA 50-series GPU as the grand prize. [/p][p]The response was overwhelming — the ritual surged past 400,000 wishlists, a huge milestone for our small studio and a testament to your belief in what we’re building.[/p][p] [/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]EXPANDING AND DEVELOPING FARMOUTH ISLAND [/h3][p]Farmouth Town Reborn: September [/p][p]Behind the scenes, our environment team spent months reshaping the island, culminating in the creation of an entirely rebuilt Farmouth Town. [/p][p]Just in time for Steam Scream Fest, the new town became the foundation for a broader evolution of the map’s tone, density, and visual fidelity. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][h3]STEAM SCREAM FEST [/h3][p]A New Era of Features: October [/p][p]Our final public playtest of the year introduced the largest set of improvements we’ve ever released in a single update: [/p]

• [p]New Safehouse building system[/p]
• [p]Radio Tower POI at the heart of the island[/p]
• [p]Brand new housing across Farmouth[/p]
• [p]New enemies: the Stillborn, Brains, Tentacles, Growths, and Watchers[/p]
• [p]Complete melee overhaul[/p]
• [p]Gunplay improvements based on your Next Fest feedback[/p]
• [p]Upgrade to Unreal Engine 5.6[/p]
• [p]And more... [/p]

[p]It was a chaotic week that helped us identify crucial next steps for 2026.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]AND NOW… [/h3][p]The Ritual Continues: December and beyond... [/p][p]While we have been quieter since Scream Fest, the team has been buried deep in: [/p]

• [p]Performance optimization[/p]
• [p]Server stability improvements[/p]
• [p]Core gameplay refinements[/p]
• [p]Preparing the next wave of updates [/p]

[p]The work is ongoing. The island grows stronger.[/p][p]While we were hoping to launch the game very soon, the issues faced with servers and stability during Scream Fest were noteworthy so it will take some time to fix. We do not currently have anything concrete to tell you in terms of Early Access, but… we’re hoping to share news about future playtests in the new year.[/p][p]We see you. We hear you. And we’re deeply grateful for your patience and passion as we continue shaping The Bornless alongside our unholy community.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]UNTIL 2026… [/h3][p]Thank you for an unforgettable year, Seekers.[/p][p]The whole team here at Cathedral Studios wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We'll be on Christmas break from the 19th December and will be back in the New Year, so response times from the team may be slower than normal![/p][p]Stay watchful. Stay hungry. And above all…[/p][p]#StayUnholy
- The Bornless Team 🖤

[/p][h3]Want to be among the first ones who will experience the true horrors of Farmouth? Add The Bornless to your wishlist.[/h3][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p][/p][p]Seekers, The Ritual rewards have been claimed, and we’re thrilled to announce the winners of The Bornless Pre-Registration Event. [/p][p][/p][p]@hexbyte — Winner of an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 GPU [/p][p][/p][p]@webkinny, Ahmed Z, and Kenny K — Winners of The Bornless Collector Boxes [/p][p][/p][p]Nikitas and John — Winners of Official The Bornless Merch [/p][p][/p][p]All winners have already been contacted and have claimed their prizes.[/p][p][/p][p]But this celebration belongs to the entire community, because of your dedication and support, we’ve officially surpassed 400,000 wishlists on Steam - unlocking in-game rewards for everyone at Early Access: [/p]

• [p]Common & Rare Enigma Boxes,[/p]
• [p]Player Banner & Avatar,[/p]
• [p]50 Obsidian,[/p]

[p]Your support continues to shape the ritual. The campaign isn’t over - another competition will rise as we draw closer to Early Access.[/p][p][/p][p]Keep spreading the word, Seeker. [/p][p][/p][p]Every wishlist strengthens the ritual and ensures these rewards await you at launch. [/p][p][/p][p]Until then… [/p][p][/p][p]#StayUnholy
- The Bornless Team 🖤

[/p][h3]Want to be among the first ones who will experience the true horrors of Farmouth? Add The Bornless to your wishlist.[/h3][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]The fog is beginning to thin… and the Ritual is almost complete.[/p][p][/p][p]There are only two days left to take part in The Bornless Playtest before the Gates close and Farmouth Island falls silent once more.[/p][p][/p][p]It’s been incredible seeing so many of you return to the island - summoning Demons, testing new systems, and sharing your chaos across Twitch, X, and Discord. Every clip and every scream brings us closer to shaping the next phase of The Bornless.[/p][p] [/p][h3]HOW TO JOIN[/h3][p]1️⃣ Request a key through our Discord community or Download if you already have access.[/p][p]2️⃣ Once you have your key, launch The Bornless Playtest through your Steam Library [/p][p]3️⃣ Continue your fight for survival on Farmouth Island [/p][p][/p][p]Remember, if you're already playing you can invite your friends directly through Steam and face the darkness together![/p][p][/p][p]Whether you’re lighting the incense, exploring the island, or summoning something far worse… this is your final chance to experience The Bornless before the fog rolls back in.[/p][p][/p][p]Step into the ritual. Face what waits in the dark.[/p][p][/p][p]The playtest will be available from now → November 3rd![/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink] [/p][h3]FIND A DUO[/h3][p]
Want to experience The Bornless in its purest form but don’t have a buddy to play with?

No problem. Simply put a call out in our Discord! Find your duo partner, make a new friend, and complete the ritual knowing you have someone watching your back…

[/p][h3]SHEPHERD PROGRAM[/h3][p]
Worried about getting lost on Farmouth Island? We got you.

If you’re new to the game and looking for someone to help you through your first few matches, you can join the Discord server and request a Shepherd to guide you through the ritual at your pace. These are experienced players of The Bornless who’ve volunteered to perform this role.

[/p][h3]LOCALIZATION[/h3][p]
A reminder that the demo has been translated into the following languages:

Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Polish, Serbian, Spanish, and Turkish—alongside the native English support.

If you encounter any issues, or would like to request additional localization support, please reach out to us on Discord.[/p][p][/p][h3]PATCH NOTES[/h3][p][/p][p]You can find the patch notes for this build here.[/p][p][/p][p]#StayUnholy
- The Bornless Team 🖤

[/p][h3]Want to be among the first ones who will experience the true horrors of Farmouth? Add The Bornless to your wishlist.[/h3][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]The darkness spreads across Steam Scream Fest: Twitch Drops are now LIVE! [/p][p][/p][p]From October 29th to November 3rd, you can earn exclusive in-game rewards by watching The Bornless on Twitch. Each Drop you collect will be saved and delivered once account linking becomes available in Early Access. [/p][p][/p][p]But that’s not all... [/p][p][/p][p]Take part in our Pre-Registration Event to be in with a chance of winning a brand new NVIDIA GPU, exclusive The Bornless merch and more. Plus the more wishlists we achieve the more rewards will be unlocked at launch for all Seekers, including rare cosmetics and Enigma Boxes! [/p][p][/p][h3]JOIN THE RITUAL[/h3][p][/p][p]Find out more about the Drops. [/p][p][/p][p]Find out more about the Pre-Register Event.[/p][p][/p][p]Watch Streams on Twitch.[/p][p][/p][p]Earn your Drops. Complete your pre-registration. Prepare for what comes next.[/p][p][/p][p]Until then… Watch. Wait. Survive.[/p][p][/p][p]#StayUnholy
- The Bornless Team 🖤

[/p][h3]Want to be among the first ones who will experience the true horrors of Farmouth? Add The Bornless to your wishlist.[/h3][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]

[p]The fog has shifted. [/p][p][/p][p]As part of our Steam Scream Fest participation, we’ve made the decision to transition The Bornless from its public demo to a Playtest build. This change allows us to take greater control of our Halloween campaign, gather more targeted feedback, and reward our most dedicated Seekers directly. [/p][p][/p][p]This means access will now be handled through the Playtest system - you’ll need a key to enter the ritual.[/p][p] [/p][h3]HOW TO JOIN,[/h3][p]1️⃣ Request a key through our Discord community.[/p][p]2️⃣ Once you have your key, launch The Bornless Playtest through your Steam Library [/p][p]3️⃣ Continue your fight for survival on Farmouth Island [/p][p][/p][p]This strategic shift ensures we can better coordinate updates, events, and rewards during the Halloween period. [/p][p][/p][p]We want to thank everyone who’s taken part so far - your clips, your feedback, and your screams have been incredible. We're proud to be a part of Scream Fest, and we’re just getting started.[/p][p][/p][p]If you haven’t yet entered the ritual, now is the perfect time. Claim your key, light the incense, and prepare to face what lurks in the fog. Request your Playtest key now.[/p][p][/p][p]The island awaits, Seeker.
[/p][p]Remember, the playtest will be available from now → November 3rd![/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink] [/p][h3]FIND A DUO[/h3][p]
Want to experience The Bornless in its purest form but don’t have a buddy to play with?

No problem. Simply put a call out in our Discord! Find your duo partner, make a new friend, and complete the ritual knowing you have someone watching your back…

[/p][h3]SHEPHERD PROGRAM[/h3][p]
Worried about getting lost on Farmouth Island? We got you.

If you’re new to the game and looking for someone to help you through your first few matches, you can join the Discord server and request a Shepherd to guide you through the ritual at your pace. These are experienced players of The Bornless who’ve volunteered to perform this role.

[/p][h3]LOCALIZATION[/h3][p]
A reminder that the demo has been translated into the following languages:

Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Polish, Serbian, Spanish, and Turkish—alongside the native English support.

If you encounter any issues, or would like to request additional localization support, please reach out to us on Discord.[/p][p][/p][h3]PATCH NOTES[/h3][p][/p][p]You can find the patch notes for this build here.[/p][p][/p][p]#StayUnholy
- The Bornless Team 🖤

[/p][h3]Want to be among the first ones who will experience the true horrors of Farmouth? Add The Bornless to your wishlist.[/h3][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]