Why Early Access?

“Shadows of Doubt has been in development for many years, so we didn’t take the decision to launch into Early Access lightly. Being open and transparent, we’ve had a lot of serious discussions about how and when to launch the game. Given the massive scope of the game and the nature of its AI systems, launching in Early Access first allows us to identify any unusual edge case issues that may be discovered and react to them during a non-final version of the game, rather than have players discover them in what is considered to be a ‘final’ release. We’ll also be adding additional content, along with further technical optimisations and balancing improvements that player feedback will help us shape.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“We are now looking at extending early access through to 2024 after the game's successful launch and after all the feedback we have received for what people want to see in the game. Check the roadmap on the store page to see what is planned!”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“The full version of Shadows of Doubt will include additional content and optimisations that will be introduced throughout Early Access. We are currently planning to add new content such as new and improved cases, new locations and new citizen interaction options, along with a more rounded and polished game experience.

You can see the roadmap on the Steam page below!”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

“The game is in a very advanced state of development and functionally complete with a full suite of features, cases, content and a complete Sandbox Mode, beyond what you may usually expect from an Early Access title.

However, given the massive scope of the game and nature of its systems, we expect some bugs and unusual edge cases to be encountered for the first time at the launch of Early Access. Launching in Early Access allows us to identify any of these unusual issues and react to them, rather than have players discover them in what is considered to be a ‘final’ release.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“The game may be priced differently for the 1.0 release depending on development updates throughout Early Access.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“We’d love to get as much feedback from the community as possible to help shape the continued development of the game. We encourage everyone who would like to be part of the game’s community to join our Discord and leave their thoughts in the Steam forums. Receiving critical and constructive feedback from players during active development will really help us as we work towards full launch.”