Storebound News

[p]Hello shoppers![/p][p]Steam achievements have been added to Storebound. The latest patch has enabled achievements so make sure you are fully updated to start earning them.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Last week we also put out a patch to help address networking issues when concerning microphone and lobby matchmaking. [/p][p]Read those patch notes here.[/p][p]If you are still having issues with your microphone, joining lobbies, or hosting lobbies- please leave us a comment about the issues that are still occurring so we can continue to improve our networking.[/p][p]Happy holidays to all of our dedicated shoppers![/p][p]We are hard at work on Episode 3 and Episode 4, which will release in Q1 next year.[/p][p]We'll see you next year![/p][p]Nikko
Community Manager @Embers[/p]

[p]Hello shoppers!

A new patch is live that hopes to address networking issues some players are having.[/p]

• [p]Microphone & Voice Chat: We have added in a fix that should address this for players who were experiencing voice chat issues. This issue would occur when you could not hear your teammates or they could not hear you despite microphone settings being correct.[/p]
• [p]Joining and Hosting Lobbies: Some players were experiencing an issue where they could not join or host lobbies. Sometimes an error would occur that would state: "The match you are trying to join is running an incompatible version of the game." We have added a fix so players who were running into the issue should be able to join and host lobbies correctly now.[/p]

[p]If you are still having any networking issues after the patch, here is a list of things to check:[/p]

• [p]Check Antivirus and/or Windows Defender and make sure to whitelist the game.[/p]
• [p]Be sure to run the game .exe as administrator.[/p]
• [p]Check the no other program is using port 7777.[/p]
• [p]Disable your VPN (we notice this can be an issue for some players in non-US countries).[/p]

[p]If our patch today did not fix your networking issues and none of the above did either, please let us know so we can work on a fix for you ASAP! You can leave a comment here, in the Steam discussions board, or join the Discord and report them to us directly there![/p][p]We know networking issues can hamper the shopping experience, so we'll continue to monitor and work to resolve any issues that your report![/p][p]Nikko
Community Manager @Embers[/p]

[h2]Hello shoppers![/h2][p][/p][p]While we’re deep into development on Episodes 3 & 4, we’re also actively monitoring your feedback on Steam and Discord to keep improving the game. This update focuses on stability fixes and resolving several progression blockers reported by players.[/p][p][/p][h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed an issue in Episode 1 where TVs would sometimes fail to display the backshop after completing the puzzle.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a potential soft lock in Episode 2 during the end sequence.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a potential soft lock in Episode 2 at the start of the episode.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a potential lock when multiple players tried to enter the same vent simultaneously.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a progression lock that could occur when playing solo in the maze.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a soft lock if a player was standing behind a door as it opened.[/p]
• [p]Fixed animation issues when picking up and dropping items.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue causing powers to behave incorrectly when dropped multiple times in the hub.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a death effect that could remain visible even after being revived.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where enemies sometimes were unable to move.[/p]
• [p]Fixed various translation typos.[/p]
• [p]Fixed crashes that could occur when trying to find servers.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Known Issues (Under Investigation)[/h3]

• [p]Mic or Voice Chat issues - while we are still investigating this problem, we noticed some players had issues while using a VPN or a software like Ban. If you are playing with a VPN or similar software active, try deactivating it, as it may block your microphone or other players'. Be sure to check your input device in the settings in the game as well. [/p]

[p][/p][p]Thanks again for all your reports — they’re incredibly helpful as we build the next episodes and continue to polish Storebound. As indicated in our roadmap, we're working towards having Steam achievements unlockable in a new patch next month, so stay tuned! [/p][p][/p][p]The Embers team[/p]

[p]Hello shoppers![/p][p]Today we have a Development Roadmap just for you to share our plans for what's to come for Storebound. Check it out![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Let's talk about every milestone that's coming up:[/p]

• [p]Major Bug Fix Patch - November 2025: We've already gotten our first patch up, but we are continuing to read reports and fix issues with Episode 1 and Episode 2. Another big patch is coming to address more issues and that patch will be live before November ends.[/p]
• [p]Steam Achievements - December 2025: Shopping at Present is a great achievement in itself, but we wanted to reward you with just a bit more. Steam Achievements will be live in a patch coming in December this year.[/p]
• [p]Episodes 3 & 4 - Q1 2026: Episode 3 and 4 are currently in development and we will launch them in Q1 of 2026. This will be the first content added to Storebound so we hope you are excited for new shopping experiences inside Present.[/p]
• [p]TBD: We are still working out more of our plans for 2026 in terms of what and when will be added to the game later in 2026. We will keep you updated as our plans develop![/p]
• [p]1.0 Launch - 2026: We plan to launch Storebound into 1.0 by the end of 2026. We're still not sure what content will be out during the rest of 2026 and what we'll keep for our 1.0 launch, but you can expect more content with 1.0.[/p]

[p]We hope that gives you a good idea of how we'll be releasing content for Storebound. [/p][p]If you haven't already, please leave us a review here on Steam! It really does make all the difference in getting us seen and growing our audience to support future content development.[/p][p][/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p][p]Thank you to everyone who filled out the feedback form! We'll be using your feedback to make Episode 3 and 4 the best experiences they can be.[/p][p]We'll see you in the aisles... [/p][p]Nikko Community Manager @Embers[/p]

[h3]Hello shoppers![/h3][p]Our first patch to Storebound is live now! Thank you to everyone who reported bugs and provided feedback. Seeing everyone experience the game has been amazing, but we also know some issues were found while playing. This is our first patch to fix both bugs and some gameplay moments. [/p][p]We'll continue to patch the game with fixes and we'll be back soon with a roadmap going over future content and episodes that will be added to Storebound![/p][h3][/h3][h3]Gameplay Updates[/h3][p]Episode 1[/p]

• [p]Finding the Back Shop has been made easier.[/p]
• [p]The TV puzzle at the start of Episode 1 has been improved.[/p]
  • [p]The number of TVs in the puzzle has been reduced from 5 to 3.[/p]
  • [p]The images on the TV screens were made clearer to avoid confusion.[/p]
  • [p]While playing alone in single player, the remotes are now with the TVs[/p]

[p]Episode 2[/p]

• [p]The Fake Outdoor area has been improved.[/p]
  • [p]The number of TVs to check has been reducded from 10 TVs to 7.[/p]
  • [p]Two houses have been removed from the area to make navigating the zone easier.[/p]
• [p]The Mall Area before the CUTS shop has been improved.[/p]
  • [p]Additional fuses will be guaranteed to spawn in the area.[/p]
  • [p]Two more circuit breakers have been added to the area.[/p]
  • [p]More lighting queues and signs have been added to improve guidance through the zone.[/p]
  • [p]A carboard ramp has been added to create a one way shortcut around the shopping cart puzzle.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Bug Fixes[/h3]

• [p]Fixed an issue where players couldn't change the voice volume of other players.[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue causing an infinite black screen after loading a scenario.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a bug where some players couldn’t drop items from their hands.[/p]
• [p]Fixed various enemy pathfinding problems.[/p]
• [p]Fixed items falling under cables and becoming unreachable. This occurred often when attempting to build a door during the final section of Episode 1.[/p]
• [p]Fixed several UI display glitches.[/p]
• [p]The game will no longer crash during the transition between the main menu and the game.[/p]
• [p]Many minor audio issues have been fixed.[/p]
• [p]While respawning, players will no longer spawn on incorrect spawn points.[/p]
• [p]Fixed key-rebinding issues that prevented certain actions from being remapped.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a soft-lock at the end of Episode 2.[/p]
• [p]Fixed a potential soft-lock when playing Episode 2 solo.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Known Issues (Under Investigation)[/h3]

• [p] Some players are experiencing problems with in-game voice chat. We did some improvements here but a few niche crashes remain. We’re actively tracking and fixing them.[/p][p][/p]

[p][/p]