Ahoy mateys! Here we are fast approaching the end of 2023. The last few months of development have seen some high and low points, as well as illnesses popping up throughout the officepart of why there was no November update, sorry. As for this update, were deviating from the original planned topic, which should come as no surprise. Instead, wed like to offer an update on development, how this year shaped up, and to offer some loose plans for 2024. To start with the lows, in early November we had our latest milestone build rejected by our publisher. These things can happen in development, but it was the first time this had happened in a year and it was honestly a bit of a blow. The short reasoning being that they felt the experience wasnt living up to the promise of Orphan Age, and that it simply wasnt an overall enjoyable experience. Definitely a real kick, but it also led us to reevaluate and as a team to take a deeper look at our cohesive narrative and gameplay experience. Going back to the drawing board led us to completely overhaul how our maps are built and laid out, we revamped the entire expedition systempreviously it all happened off camera with an orphan disappearing for a chunk of time, but now its entirely playablewe changed how the narrative is fed to the players, and honestly Id have to write up a full patch notes to even explain all of the changes, which for a game few have seen in its last form would be a bit incoherent. Suffice to say, its gooooood and were happy with this shift.
A look at our latest starting map iteration In addition, weve hired an external studio to help revise Orphan Ages art assets, in particular focusing on the UI & UX experience. Our plan is that well share what this looks like early in 2024, as well as sharing who were working with. (Theyre an awesome team and deserve some attention as well.) Now, rounding out the game news is an answer to the question we have no doubt well be asked: When is Orphan Age releasing? Right now we dont have the exact info, but I can say that internally we have a window defined that were aiming for and we feel fairly confident about it. Theres still some matters to finalize both with internal plans as well as plans with our partners, but our 100% intent is to release Orphan Age in Early Access in 2024. There you go, all the Orphan Age news thats there to be read. If youve made it this far, I thought wed do something to celebrate the end of 2023 and our current stage of development. Here are a few members of our team sharing what they like about Orphan Age, and their thoughts on the project as we move into 2024:

What We Like About Orphan Age

Captain Blandine - Executive Producer Orphan Age is about finding sparks of joy even in the darkest times; I cant find better words to describe the adventure of developing this game with the Black Flag crew! Even after our world almost collapsed, we're still here and giving all we have to make Orphan Age the best possible game; we're crafting better everyday, learning together, and facing challenges so the adventure in itself is fulfilling. I wish I could take a peek into the future to see what my favourite bunch of pirates will accomplish and the Orphan Age we will be able to share with you all.
Ydris - Apprentice Programmer Orphan Age is about a world in which society as we know it has collapsed, and at a time not far from our own. On the surface, we're playing orphans trying to survive, not only because subsistence has become an ordeal, but also because the other survivors, the adults, are turning the surrounding area into a hostile space. Their situation resonates strongly with the rest of the society in which they live: a lost world with no role models. Unlike the adults, these children are not the product of the past, and although they are metaphorically a reflection of their macrocosm, they are an optimistic reflection of it, devoid of the old cynicism, and with no choice but to hope for their future. In the end, this staging brings us face to face with the question of the role of hope in our representations in a violent world where everything pushes us to despair. What lessons can these orphans teach us? Personally I'd like to think that they remind us that fantasy and hope don't rhyme with banter and naivety, that freedom is certainly about acting with lucidity, but it's also about daring to believe and seeing the beautiful, the good and the possible where they seem to have disappeared. Yes, I like this game a lot and I think it has enormous potential. Its my sincere hope that we'll be able to do justice to the narrative-entertainment issues it tackles. Captain Maxime - Technical Director Orphan Age is a project I've been working on for over 8 years, and I want it to see the light because I've always loved the setup and the subjects it tackles: Children left to fend for themselves in a war, up against adults. It feels like a modern-day David versus Goliath, with a pinch of revolutionary spirit. Also in terms of gameplay: a kind of This War Of Mine, more narrative and poetic than dark and cold. That, in a nutshell, is why I love Orphan Age.
Captain Lylia - UX Designer It's been more than 2 years that I've been working on Orphan Age, and what I can say is that everything about the project is unique! The game we are making, with children at the center of it and its universe, the team I am working with, and the overall experience around the project. I watched children's interviews on youtube for so looong just to get how exactly they are speaking and interacting... xD And I know that the future will bring new unique experiences, especially with such a motivated team! That's exactly why I love working on the game! Each day brings new ideas, surprises, and improvements to the game and I can't wait to get the game in players hands! Pierre - Senior Level Designer Orphan Age is a complicated game to design mostly because, well, it talks about orphaned children! It's a sensitive topic that instantly brings a lot of different things in people's mind. This creates a struggle to make that an actual gameplay experience, one that can fulfill all expectations in terms of lore and fantasy while being enjoyable. But I'm sure the crew will succeed in encompassing an interesting vision of it and make players feel part of that original experience: leading a group of children to survive in a devastated world.
Finally, thank you all once again for being a part of our community in 2023 and anyone who has stuck with us through the regrettable multiyear communication blackout. Opening the doors a bit wider the last six months has been a real boost to the team with getting to share our progress with you all. Our aim in 2024 is to only expand upon that openness and to really build towards a wonderful launch for Orphan Age. Thank you and happy holidays (if youre celebrating) from the entire Studio Black Flag team! Before we close for the holiday break, here's a present we hope you enjoy: the screenshots I captured for this post that didnt fit neat and pretty in the update. (Reminder: UI and art is not finalized.)