Hey folks, So, we have some news. We’ve decided to move the Steam Early Access launch of Stampede: Racing Royale back from November 2. We’re now aiming to begin this in the first half of 2024. We know this sucks. We were mega excited to permanently open the game to the world and enjoy Stampede with you all. We've had fantastic feedback from both the Steam Playtests and conventions, but after long chats with the team, we've decided we need a little more time to ensure we're delivering the game you want to see, without affecting our team’s health (no crunch! Crunch is bad!). Nobody is more disappointed than us to share this info, but it means you'll get to play an even better game – just a little later. Okay, that’s the headline news, but we want to be as open as possible on why this decision has been made. So, here are some answers to questions you may have. [h2][b]Why is this change being made? [/b][/h2] Firstly, we're making this change to bring you a game that we feel aligns with what you want to see. Many additions and improvements that are key to Early Access are in development right now, and some of it isn’t quite at the level we want it to be, or you folks deserve. Our team has put so much love into Stampede, and we see how excited you are for it. We'd hate to have it fall short of what's needed and expected from all of us. Secondly, this is the best decision for our team. We are a studio that seriously cares about the wellbeing of our people. We will not force anyone to work in an unhealthy way to hit targets and deadlines. Shifting Early Access ensures our amazing team remain healthy and supported, to do what they do best. This change means there will be even more to enjoy in Stampede when we go live – and after hearing your feedback from EGX and Steam Playtest 3, we know it's stuff you'll be excited for! [h2][b]When is the new Early Access launch date? [/b][/h2] We’re now aiming for Early Access to launch in the first half of 2024 – so that’s between January and June. We know that’s vague. We’ll share a specific date as soon as this is locked in. We confirmed previously that console versions of the game are planned for 2024, featuring cross-play capability. This news does not change that, and we plan to provide more updates on this next year. [h2][b]What will be going on between now and Early Access? [/b][/h2] As more work is completed, we’ll share content that gives you a closer look at how Stampede is transforming for Early Access. We’ll get into the nitty-gritty details on new stuff like Special Events, deeper kart progression, Seasons and Challenges, so you can feed back with thoughts and ideas for our team. We’ll continue to chat with the community and gather your thoughts via our channels, keep updating our [url=https://trello.com/b/araUgO5r/stampede-racing-royale-community-hot-topics]Trello board[/url] with the status of known hot topics, and keep providing Dev Logs, so you’re up to speed on what we’re doing. The official Discord server will be live closer to Early Access, too. Regarding additional playtests, we will keep looking at opportunities to run these, whilst also ensuring we don’t take focus away from creating the best game possible for Early Access. A [b]MASSIVE[/b] thank you to our growing Stampede community, who have already provided us with so much support and guidance. We apologise for the change in plans, but can’t wait to continue building (and playing) this game with you. We’ll be back in touch later this year with more game deets. <3