Windrose News

[p]Windrose is back, and this time with great news![/p][p]Have you always wanted to try Windrose but never had the chance? Now’s the perfect moment. We’re participating in Steam Next Fest with a demo available to everyone right now.[/p][p]What’s in the demo? Take a look at the brand-new trailer to find out:[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]This demo offers a focused early slice of Windrose, featuring approximately 4–6 hours of gameplay, and more if you prefer a slower, more relaxed pace. Also, there’s no playtime limit for the demo, so you can progress at your own pace.[/p][p]ATTENTION: We are currently experiencing connectivity issues. Some players may encounter disconnects and other problems when attempting to play in co-op. We are investigating the issue and intend to resolve it as soon as possible. In the meantime, we apologize for the inconvenience.[/p][p]You will experience:[/p]

• [p]The first three islands of the Archipelago[/p]
• [p]Early quests and your first ship, including naval combat and boarding[/p]
• [p]Core gameplay systems, featuring a selection of weapons, enemies, and survival mechanics[/p]

[p]Demo limitations:[/p]

• [p]Co-op is available via player-hosted sessions (up to four players)[/p]
• [p]Dedicated servers are not supported in the demo and will arrive with Early Access[/p]
• [p]Progress from the demo does not carry over to Early Access[/p]

[p]To make this even more exciting, we’re offering a reward — simply launch the demo to receive a decorative spyglass to make your pirate base even cooler when Early Access begins![/p][p][/p][p]What should we call it? Seafarer’s Navigational Favorite? Share your ideas in the comments below.[/p][p]As always, thank you for your passion and dedication to our project, and for all the comments and support Windrose continues to receive. Don’t forget to leave a Steam review for the demo when you play it, we appreciate it a lot![/p][p]Expect more exciting news throughout the year. It’s going to be a special one for Windrose — and, hopefully, for you as well.[/p][p]Yours truly,
Windrose Crew[/p]

[p]Hey everyone! [/p][p]As we’re sailing toward the new year, we’re lucky enough to be a part of another great event — PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted. And showing up empty-handed? We figured we could do better than that.[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]We’ve prepared a brief video update showcasing recent progress, featuring:[/p]

• [p]A greatsword — a heavy two-handed cleaver with far more impact and crowd control potential. We’re excited to see the builds you’ll create around it.[/p]
• [p]A blunderbuss — sometimes getting close & loud is the fastest path to survival, especially when a greatsword isn’t quick enough to turn the tide.[/p]
• [p]A new enemy type: the grenadier — you didn’t think danger wouldn’t evolve, did you? More firepower in your hands means more explosive threats in your way — sometimes literally.[/p]
• [p]Interface improvements, including an updated map — cleaner visuals, richer detail, and a look more fitting for explorers. Place markers, chart routes, and plan like adventurers who leave no shore uncharted.[/p]

[carousel][/carousel][p]And as the holiday season approaches, we want to wish you fair winds and following seas. It may be early to sum up the year, but for us it has been demanding and rewarding in equal measure. We launched Windrose publicly, held our first Steam Playtest, and, most importantly, reworked the project in a new direction — one that required difficult decisions, patience, and time to rebuild. Throughout this journey, we shared updates, stories and progress with you, and none of it would have been possible without your support and attention.[/p][p]No one knows what 2026 will bring, and we’re no exception. We can’t promise that everything will be easy, flawless, or predictable, but we can promise that we will keep working, keep improving, and keep pushing even when the wind is against us. We’ll move forward with care and persistence, one step at a time, and your presence alongside us means more than you know.[/p][p]Take care, and may the warmth of the holidays lift your dreams and lead them to shine like gold.[/p][p]Always yours,
Windrose Crew[/p]

[h2]Crosswind is now Windrose[/h2][p]Ahoy, mateys![/p][p]A while ago we announced our shift from free-to-play live service Survival MMO to a buy-to-play Survival Adventure. [/p][p]We thank you for your understanding and patience, even though this change is heavy and it narrows down the scope of the game quite a lot. The game has become something very different from what we initially planned, but our excitement for the journey ahead is the same. To set this in stone, we decided to rename the game, and from now on, it will sail under the new name: Windrose.[/p][p]We believe this change reflects the new direction we’ve chosen: it’s more about exploration, adventure, treasure hunting and having a good time with your friends as opposed to power struggle, PvP, intense live service schedule and massively multiplayer experience. [/p][p]While this—practically—new game is far less ambitious in scope, it comes with some benefits not possible before, like dedicated servers, offline play, and classic buy-it-once experience that keeps things simple and lets you play whenever you want. And, what’s more important, our passion for the Age of Piracy is not going anywhere: we are still very, very YARRRR![/p][p]In the following days, our various social media pages and descriptions will be changing accordingly—don’t be surprised and bear with us. We will work hard so that this journey is still worth it on the new course.

Yours,
Windrose Crew[/p][p]
[/p]

[h2]Crosswind x Galaxies Showcase[/h2][p]Ahoy, mateys![/p][p]If you’re new here: welcome aboard! Crosswind is a pirate-themed PvE co-op survival game in active development. Some of you may have seen footage from our summer Steam Playtest and the following Gamescom Demo; if not, this new trailer charts what we’ve been working on and where we’re headed.[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][hr][/hr][h2]What’s in the trailer?[/h2][p]Old-World estate building set & interiors. Inspired by Spanish and British mansions of the era, it’s been reimagined to fit Crosswind’s tone. It’s not a strict reenactment, but it’s close in spirit. And yes, the mansion you see was built entirely with in-game systems and tools.

Looking ahead, we plan for each building set to reflect its biome, so your outposts across the Archipelago feel naturally rooted in their surroundings. Once unlocked, however, you’ll be free to use any building set wherever you like.[/p][carousel][/carousel][p]Who says living at the edge of discovery can’t also mean living in comfort? Have both.[/p][hr][/hr][p]New ships are in the works, with the Brig leading the line. Alongside the rest of the game, all ships (both those available during the Playtest and brand-new ones) are moving forward, getting updates and small reworks along the way.

As for the Brig, we’ve begun shaping its gameplay formula to make it stand out from the rest, so everything is still very much a work in progress.

Whenever you change something, you’ve got to make sure everything else fits together, so it’s a never-ending voyage. Take a peek at what it looks like now:[/p][carousel][/carousel][p]The Brig under construction — a glimpse at early shaping and design work.[/p][hr][/hr][p]Smarter, livelier deck crew. Deckhands now head below decks, sleep in hammocks, and follow improved day-night routines and behaviours. Those who live by the sea learn to respect its ways. We’re iterating on animations and interactions to make your ship feel properly alive.[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]Sometimes, to go up in the world, you have to go down first.[/p][hr][/hr][p]Corrupted enemies and new threats. Expect fresh variants across the archipelago, from up-close bruisers to ranged attackers, meant to pressure different builds and party compositions as you push deeper. We’ve got more enemies in the works, too. Corrupted crabs? You got it. Dark, slimy, pungent magic? Right on the tab.[/p][p]So yeah, sometimes, to uncover the Archipelago’s secrets, you’ve got to get your hands dirty. And in those moments, new armor sets (and a trusty “don’t-get-too-close” halberd) will come in handy.[/p][p]Long gone are the days when crabs were harmless creatures…[/p][hr][/hr][p]This is only a small part of what’s cooking, but we wanted to share a slice of the journey so far. We’ve been doing our best to bring our vision to life, trying to address concerns found during the summer playtest. There’s still plenty ahead, and we’ll keep showing you more as things take shape.[/p][p]Fair winds and following seas, and keep your nose to the wind![/p][p]— Crosswind Crew[/p]

[p]Ahoy, mateys![/p][p]Since the Alpha ended, it may have seemed quiet on the surface, but behind the scenes we’ve been hard at work. During this time, we reviewed player feedback, analyzed playtest data, and reassessed our priorities. Today, we are ready to share important updates on the direction of the project.[/p][p]Before we dive in, here’s our little summer progress teaser:[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]This short preview offers a glimpse of what we’ve been working on:[/p]

• [p]Among the highlights is the Ashlands — a scorched, dangerous biome, with new secrets and treasures buried under volcanic ash. It is filled with new quests, challenging enemies, expansive dungeons, and more.[/p]
• [p]The seas are also becoming livelier, with visible crew on deck, complete with new animations and recruitment mechanics. Water physics and behaviour are also being updated to make naval part of the game more dynamic and immersive.[/p]
• [p]Tortuga has been completely reimagined — now a besieged outpost, where the living hold defense against the dead.[/p]
• [p]…and there is much more to come — we’ll share additional details in future devblogs![/p]

[p][/p][h2]Winds of change[/h2][p]Let’s get to the key points before we dive in to elaborate on each one.[/p]

1. [p]We are changing the genre focus of the game to a more traditional survival game with PvE co-op as the main multiplayer component.[/p]
2. [p]We are changing the distribution model from free-to-play to a traditional buy-to-play game.[/p]
3. [p]Our goal now is to bring Crosswind to Early Access on Steam somewhere in 2026 as a solid, enjoyable survival game which we can support with content and feature updates on its way to 1.0 and hopefully, beyond.[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Moving to classic co-op experience[/h2][p]When Crosswind first took shape, our core vision was a survival game built around progression through distinct biomes and bosses, enhanced by MMO-lite elements.[/p][p]Players would have their own worlds to control, with PvE gameplay entirely in their hands, but could also venture into shared zones featuring both PvE and PvP encounters. It was an ambitious blend, and in the early days we even referred to it as a “survival MMO.”[/p][p]The Alpha Test highlighted several factors that made us change our vision.[/p]

• [p]We faced some hard truths about the technical challenges of this original approach. Supporting the kind of infrastructure needed for a true MMO (even if it’s MMO-lite) experience is a major undertaking, especially while aiming for the level of polish and quality we expect of ourselves. Providing stable, global server coverage and seamless large-scale multiplayer is a significant challenge for a studio of our size. [/p]
• [p]At the same time, many players told us they were perfectly satisfied playing Crosswind solo or with a group of friends, enjoying the traditional survival gameplay without requiring a large-scale online environment.[/p]
• [p]Another important observation was that the majority of our players came from a traditional survival gaming background. Their feedback made it clear they valued the depth, pacing, and atmosphere of that style over the structure of an MMO.[/p]

[p]Taking both this feedback and our own limitations into account, we have decided to focus Crosswind’s multiplayer on PvE co-op rather than MMO-lite.[/p][p]This means you will be able to play offline, host your own sessions, run dedicated servers, and — in the future — play with mods (and even if not supported, mods will at least be technically feasible). [/p][p]PvP is not entirely off the table, but it will be a much, much lower priority for now. Implementing it properly would require a lot of effort that is currently needed to complete the core of the game. We remain open to exploring PvP in the future, but no commitments can be made at this point.[/p][p]In summation, Crosswind will move forward as a classic survival game with PvE co-op at its core, rather than an MMO-lite survival. We understand that this is a big change, but we believe it is the right step to develop Crosswind to be a fun, enjoyable game for you, while offline play, self hosting and dedicated servers will provide additional flexibility that was not feasible technically in the old concept.[/p][p][/p][h2]Buy-to-play instead of free-to-play[/h2][p]Another topic that frequently comes up in community discussions is monetization. For a long time, we imagined that Crosswind could be free-to-play. However, we have always maintained that our priority is to first create a game worth supporting, and only then decide how players might support it. Now, we believe the time has come to make that decision.[/p][p]After moving to a classic PvE co-op approach and reviewing Alpha feedback, it became clear that most of our audience prefers a one-time purchase model. A free-to-play version would require monetizing multiple aspects of the game — which could be controversial unless limited strictly to cosmetics — and would also require a constant flow of monetized content. We came to another hard truth: as a small team, sustaining Crosswind as a “live service” game would take resources away from developing new features, expanding the world, and improving the core experience.[/p][p]In addition, the buy-to-play model has long been a staple of the survival genre. As fans of survival games ourselves, after getting the full picture with the genre shift and your feedback, the choice felt natural. This way, we can dedicate our time and energy to where it matters most: building richer gameplay, expanding the world, and improving overall quality.[/p][p][/p][h2]Our next big step — Early Access [/h2][p]Since the Alpha, one of the most common questions has been whether we will move directly into Early Access. The short answer is no — not yet. While the Alpha was a significant milestone, it did not reach the level of completeness we believe an Early Access release should have. [/p][p]Thanks to you, we received a large amount of feedback covering mechanics, balance, stability, and quality-of-life features. We believe addressing these points are a must-have for Early Access launch. For us, Early Access is the next major milestone, and we want it to feel substantial — polished, content-rich, and worth investing your time in.[/p][p]Not everything teased in the trailer is necessarily scheduled for Early Access launch, but you can expect more features and quality-of-life improvements compared to the Alpha. The Early Access version will be larger than the playtest, and we will continue to expand it, while taking your feedback on board along the way.[/p][p]We are currently aiming for Early Access in 2026, and the exact release window will be announced in a future update.[/p][p][/p][h2]Looking ahead — together[/h2][p]We understand that these changes may raise questions, and we will be happy to address them. For now, our focus is on building a strong foundation that reflects what players value most in Crosswind and what we as a team can bring to life in the best quality possible. With your feedback and support, we are confident in creating a game worth your time.[/p][p]Thank you for following our progress.[/p][p]Yours truly,
The Crosswind Crew
[/p]