September Dev Diary

[Admin]

Hello Survivors,

The team’s been very busy since we released Part Three of TALES, and all the subsequent hotfixes. We have lots to talk about so I’m going to dive right in!
 

QUALITY OF LIFE UPDATE

Between all the work splitting the game, working on TALES content, and the free updates to Survival over the past year and more, we’ve gotten behind in our bug maintenance, and we just weren’t happy to see some long-standing issues still lingering, along with newly introduced bugs. 

The team has spent the past several weeks working through a big list of issues, and they are just putting the finishing touches on a Quality of Life Update which will fix over 150 bugs in the game, across Story, Survival, and TALES. We’re going to keep chipping away at our bug list over time, but hopefully somewhere in this list of 150+ fixes, we manage to hit at least a few of the bugs you’ve personally been struggling with in the game.

The QoL Update is now locked, and the Test team needs a couple of weeks to finalize and verify the bug fixes show up correctly in the release branch, so we’re currently targeting a QoL update launch near the end of the month. For the full list of fixes, keep an eye on Steam, the official forums, or our social channels to be notified when the QoL Update goes live.

And as always, if you encounter a bug and want to report it, please use our Support Portal. Bugs reported there are reviewed, vetted, and then find their way into the main database where the Test and Dev teams can review, evaluate, prioritize, and fix.

 

TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY, PART FOUR

The new Mine region, coming in TALES, Part Four

As with the other parts of TALES (our paid DLC for Survival Mode), Part Four will come with a free update to Survival, and the team is packing in a range of content and gameplay features targeting release by the end of the year. We’ll get more precise with the release date and feature list as we get closer to launch, but to give you a sense of what’s being added, you’ll find:

• the new MINE region, showcasing some new hazards and a new gear item
• the second TALE, following up on Signal Void from Part Two
• several new gameplay tools and mechanics, including the Travois and some new clothing
• and great free updates to Survival, including -- wait for it -- proper coverings for first-person hands!

We’ll release a full list of items taken from the TALES roadmap and more information about what’s being included in the free Survival update as we get closer to launch. It’s a big update and will be a great way to finish the year!

 

HINTERLAND MERCH STORE VIRTUAL “POP-UP”

Many (so many!) of you have been asking us when we’ll re-open the Merch store. We’re in the middle of redoing the Hinterland website in anticipation of all the new things we’re making, and our plan is to launch a whole new store with new items when that’s done.

In the meantime, by your request, we’re going to clear out some of our existing merch in time for some holiday gifts, as the new store won’t be online before the international mailing cut-off for this year’s holiday season. You’ll be able to grab from a series of legacy items including posters, hoodies, hatchets, and mugs. This will likely be the last time they are available before the new store goes live, so if you like these legacy items, grab them when the Pop-Up goes live (exact timing TBA). 

Once we open the pop-up store we’ll announce the sale on Steam, our official forums, social channels, and our mailing list. If you want to be notified of the sale and grab a discount code, sign up for the Hinterland mailing list. We don’t have a firm date yet, but we’ll announce the details ASAP. 

 

NEW PROJECTS?

Many of you have been asking us about what we’re working on “next”. Obviously, we’re working on Episode Five, and the completion of TALES, both targeting finalization in 2024. But part of the team has also been hard at work on new things. Why? Because it takes years to create and develop new ideas and new games, and we need to have something new ready by the time THE LONG DARK is finished next year. This is critical to our continued existence as an independent game studio. 

This is especially true now as we can see how tough the games business has become, with independent studios shutting down all over the place, growing pressure on the business models we’ve come to depend on, and other macro shifts in the global markets. Hinterland and our projects exist within this broader context, and part of my role as head of the studio is to make good decisions for our long-term survival. Managing portfolio and growth is a big part of that.

We’re not quite ready to take the lid off our secret internal projects yet, but I will say that there are three in development, all original and Hinterland conceived, funded, and with plans to self-publish, as we’ve done with THE LONG DARK. Two of them are ambitious, large-scale projects that will set the foundation for Hinterland’s future beyond THE LONG DARK. One of them is a smaller project that started out as an incubation with a small external team, and grew to the point where we brought the team and the project in-house so we could support them better and guide development in a more hands-on fashion according to Hinterland creative values and culture. We’ll have more to share about this smaller Hinterland project within the next six months or so. What I will say is it’s a thoughtful, beautiful, linear sci-fi game that is very very different from THE LONG DARK, and being made by a small team. And with this team having come in from outside Hinterland, the development has not impacted progress on THE LONG DARK; it’s just been something that’s been done alongside our other work. 

As for the other bigger projects, we won’t be saying much about them until Episode Five is closer to launch.

 

SPEAKING OF EPISODE FIVE...

Yes, it’s still in development. No, we aren’t saying much about it yet. It’ll ship in 2024, and I will tell you more about it before the end of the year, including sharing a title and key art reveal, as well as a bit more information about the plot (but no spoilers!). As you can imagine, we have a lot of story to wrap up in Episode Five, and a lot of groundwork to lay for the future of THE LONG DARK IP in how we complete the WINTERMUTE storyline, for games and other projects, so Episode Five will be our biggest yet. I know you’ve waited a long time for this, and I can’t wait to tell you more about it when the time is right. It should be a fitting end to what we hope will come to be seen as a survival epic for the ages. 

 

THAT’S ALL...

Stay tuned for more info about TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY, Part Four, in the coming months, and keep your eyes open for the release announcement for the Quality of Life Update, and the Merch Store Pop-Up. Again, if you haven’t already done so, we recommend you sign up for the Hinterland mailing list, since due to the current social media apocalypse, we’ll be using it more and more to stay in touch with our fans. If you'd like to discuss this dev diary with other Hinterland fans, we encourage you to jump into the Official Forums.

Thanks for reading, and see you soon!

- Raphael

 

[xanna]

Woo-hoo!

[yollarbenibekler]

This is the news I've been waiting for some time. Great work Hinterland. My favourite Studio!

[dahemac]

My gods I am interested in seeing the list of fixes.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[rush247]

So what's happening with Switch?  Also any word on the Epic Games problem?

 

 

[Smellyfries]

I'm so excited!!!

Also looking at those examples of proper hand coverings, it appears as though whatever outer layer you are wearing will appear on your arms as well! 

Also, are those new reload animations!?!?

I'm almost jumping out of my seat!

Thank you for the dev diary Hinterland! Cannot wait to see what's in store in the future!

[Enigmaecho]

5 hours ago, Admin said:

Hello Survivors,

The team’s been very busy since we released Part Three of TALES, and all the subsequent hotfixes. We have lots to talk about so I’m going to dive right in!
 

QUALITY OF LIFE UPDATE

Between all the work splitting the game, working on TALES content, and the free updates to Survival over the past year and more, we’ve gotten behind in our bug maintenance, and we just weren’t happy to see some long-standing issues still lingering, along with newly introduced bugs. 

The team has spent the past several weeks working through a big list of issues, and they are just putting the finishing touches on a Quality of Life Update which will fix over 150 bugs in the game, across Story, Survival, and TALES. We’re going to keep chipping away at our bug list over time, but hopefully somewhere in this list of 150+ fixes, we manage to hit at least a few of the bugs you’ve personally been struggling with in the game.

The QoL Update is now locked, and the Test team needs a couple of weeks to finalize and verify the bug fixes show up correctly in the release branch, so we’re currently targeting a QoL update launch near the end of the month. For the full list of fixes, keep an eye on Steam, the official forums, or our social channels to be notified when the QoL Update goes live.

And as always, if you encounter a bug and want to report it, please use our Support Portal. Bugs reported there are reviewed, vetted, and then find their way into the main database where the Test and Dev teams can review, evaluate, prioritize, and fix.

 

TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY, PART FOUR

The new Mine region, coming in TALES, Part Four

As with the other parts of TALES (our paid DLC for Survival Mode), Part Four will come with a free update to Survival, and the team is packing in a range of content and gameplay features targeting release by the end of the year. We’ll get more precise with the release date and feature list as we get closer to launch, but to give you a sense of what’s being added, you’ll find:

• the new MINE region, showcasing some new hazards and a new gear item
• the second TALE, following up on Signal Void from Part Two
• several new gameplay tools and mechanics, including the Travois and some new clothing
• and great free updates to Survival, including -- wait for it -- proper coverings for first-person hands!

We’ll release a full list of items taken from the TALES roadmap and more information about what’s being included in the free Survival update as we get closer to launch. It’s a big update and will be a great way to finish the year!

 

HINTERLAND MERCH STORE VIRTUAL “POP-UP”

Many (so many!) of you have been asking us when we’ll re-open the Merch store. We’re in the middle of redoing the Hinterland website in anticipation of all the new things we’re making, and our plan is to launch a whole new store with new items when that’s done.

In the meantime, by your request, we’re going to clear out some of our existing merch in time for some holiday gifts, as the new store won’t be online before the international mailing cut-off for this year’s holiday season. You’ll be able to grab from a series of legacy items including posters, hoodies, hatchets, and mugs. This will likely be the last time they are available before the new store goes live, so if you like these legacy items, grab them when the Pop-Up goes live (exact timing TBA). 

Once we open the pop-up store we’ll announce the sale on Steam, our official forums, social channels, and our mailing list. If you want to be notified of the sale and grab a discount code, sign up for the Hinterland mailing list. We don’t have a firm date yet, but we’ll announce the details ASAP. 

 

NEW PROJECTS?

Many of you have been asking us about what we’re working on “next”. Obviously, we’re working on Episode Five, and the completion of TALES, both targeting finalization in 2024. But part of the team has also been hard at work on new things. Why? Because it takes years to create and develop new ideas and new games, and we need to have something new ready by the time THE LONG DARK is finished next year. This is critical to our continued existence as an independent game studio. 

This is especially true now as we can see how tough the games business has become, with independent studios shutting down all over the place, growing pressure on the business models we’ve come to depend on, and other macro shifts in the global markets. Hinterland and our projects exist within this broader context, and part of my role as head of the studio is to make good decisions for our long-term survival. Managing portfolio and growth is a big part of that.

We’re not quite ready to take the lid off our secret internal projects yet, but I will say that there are three in development, all original and Hinterland conceived, funded, and with plans to self-publish, as we’ve done with THE LONG DARK. Two of them are ambitious, large-scale projects that will set the foundation for Hinterland’s future beyond THE LONG DARK. One of them is a smaller project that started out as an incubation with a small external team, and grew to the point where we brought the team and the project in-house so we could support them better and guide development in a more hands-on fashion according to Hinterland creative values and culture. We’ll have more to share about this smaller Hinterland project within the next six months or so. What I will say is it’s a thoughtful, beautiful, linear sci-fi game that is very very different from THE LONG DARK, and being made by a small team. And with this team having come in from outside Hinterland, the development has not impacted progress on THE LONG DARK; it’s just been something that’s been done alongside our other work. 

As for the other bigger projects, we won’t be saying much about them until Episode Five is closer to launch.

 

SPEAKING OF EPISODE FIVE...

Yes, it’s still in development. No, we aren’t saying much about it yet. It’ll ship in 2024, and I will tell you more about it before the end of the year, including sharing a title and key art reveal, as well as a bit more information about the plot (but no spoilers!). As you can imagine, we have a lot of story to wrap up in Episode Five, and a lot of groundwork to lay for the future of THE LONG DARK IP in how we complete the WINTERMUTE storyline, for games and other projects, so Episode Five will be our biggest yet. I know you’ve waited a long time for this, and I can’t wait to tell you more about it when the time is right. It should be a fitting end to what we hope will come to be seen as a survival epic for the ages. 

 

THAT’S ALL...

Stay tuned for more info about TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY, Part Four, in the coming months, and keep your eyes open for the release announcement for the Quality of Life Update, and the Merch Store Pop-Up. Again, if you haven’t already done so, we recommend you sign up for the Hinterland mailing list, since due to the current social media apocalypse, we’ll be using it more and more to stay in touch with our fans. If you'd like to discuss this dev diary with other Hinterland fans, we encourage you to jump into the Official Forums.

Thanks for reading, and see you soon!

- Raphael

 

“By the time The Long Dark is finished” is the saddest words I’ll ever see written from you Raph. I don’t want it to end 😔

[FreshYoMama]

episode 5 lets gooooo

[Mistral]

Thank you for the bug fixes.

As for the schedule. Somehow I have hard time believing 2024 is going to "finish" TLD. That is, finish both the remaining portions of the DLC (with the final new region and seemingly still all of the most complex promises like custom safehouses, cougar, better graphics) AND Episode 5 (including likely another new region and costly animations/voiceovers), PLUS simultaneously designing these new title(s??!).. I mean, even right now we have half a year wait between DLC part 3 and DLC part 4, even though we haven't had new region since last year. We of course also have the historic context of EP4 pushbacks. Just saying, I'm keeping the timeframe realistic. It's safer to just aim for 2025... or even 2026... then the new projects. In fact, the new projects should only become the focus after we have the launch for final portions of TLD.

At least we seem to have the "traditional December package" again.

Edited September 14, 2023 by Mistral

[Leeanda]

Thank you for all your hard work and keeping us informed . I'm looking forward to the updates and the store opening soon..

Yay☺️👍

[PilgrimReaper]

Very excited about all of this, and eager to explore a new region! 

Is my understanding correct that we'll have to wait for (probably) December for Tales pt. 4?

[Vinceofpyrenees]

3 hours ago, Enigmaecho said:

“By the time The Long Dark is finished” is the saddest words I’ll ever see written from you Raph. I don’t want it to end 😔

I don't want to read these words again. 🫣 Sadest line of words I have ever read.

I imagined that a second DLC could raise after the completion of this one, ensuring economic foundations for Hinterland, and a prolonged life for The Long Dark.

[Valuable Hunting Knife]

1 hour ago, Vinceofpyrenees said:

I don't want to read these words again. 🫣 Sadest line of words I have ever read.

I imagined that a second DLC could raise after the completion of this one, ensuring economic foundations for Hinterland, and a prolonged life for The Long Dark.

'a lot of groundwork to lay for the future of THE LONG DARK IP in how we complete the WINTERMUTE storyline, for games and other projects'

I'm hoping this is 'dev-speak' for 'we're gonna do a TLD2.  And a film.  And a comic book. And a board game. And a cartoon kids show.  And a musical.' 😉

[James Hickok]

As much as i understand the need to adress bugs first i was hoping for part 4 to release in 4 to max 8 weeks from now. W8ting for the end of they year will be painfull...but what can you do right? 

Also i really like the graphic of the mine and the part with the melted snow - a bit of green  Maybe we can plant carrots there lol. Why is it not covered in snow? Geotermal? The orange patch in the noth-east part of the graphic is it lava ? Fire? Im so excited to visit that region. 

[Edsel]

11 hours ago, Admin said:

Hello Survivors,

The team’s been very busy since we released Part Three of TALES, and all the subsequent hotfixes. We have lots to talk about so I’m going to dive right in!
 

QUALITY OF LIFE UPDATE

Between all the work splitting the game, working on TALES content, and the free updates to Survival over the past year and more, we’ve gotten behind in our bug maintenance, and we just weren’t happy to see some long-standing issues still lingering, along with newly introduced bugs. 

The team has spent the past several weeks working through a big list of issues, and they are just putting the finishing touches on a Quality of Life Update which will fix over 150 bugs in the game, across Story, Survival, and TALES. We’re going to keep chipping away at our bug list over time, but hopefully somewhere in this list of 150+ fixes, we manage to hit at least a few of the bugs you’ve personally been struggling with in the game.

The QoL Update is now locked, and the Test team needs a couple of weeks to finalize and verify the bug fixes show up correctly in the release branch, so we’re currently targeting a QoL update launch near the end of the month. For the full list of fixes, keep an eye on Steam, the official forums, or our social channels to be notified when the QoL Update goes live.

And as always, if you encounter a bug and want to report it, please use our Support Portal. Bugs reported there are reviewed, vetted, and then find their way into the main database where the Test and Dev teams can review, evaluate, prioritize, and fix.

 

TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY, PART FOUR

The new Mine region, coming in TALES, Part Four

As with the other parts of TALES (our paid DLC for Survival Mode), Part Four will come with a free update to Survival, and the team is packing in a range of content and gameplay features targeting release by the end of the year. We’ll get more precise with the release date and feature list as we get closer to launch, but to give you a sense of what’s being added, you’ll find:

• the new MINE region, showcasing some new hazards and a new gear item
• the second TALE, following up on Signal Void from Part Two
• several new gameplay tools and mechanics, including the Travois and some new clothing
• and great free updates to Survival, including -- wait for it -- proper coverings for first-person hands!

We’ll release a full list of items taken from the TALES roadmap and more information about what’s being included in the free Survival update as we get closer to launch. It’s a big update and will be a great way to finish the year!

 

HINTERLAND MERCH STORE VIRTUAL “POP-UP”

Many (so many!) of you have been asking us when we’ll re-open the Merch store. We’re in the middle of redoing the Hinterland website in anticipation of all the new things we’re making, and our plan is to launch a whole new store with new items when that’s done.

In the meantime, by your request, we’re going to clear out some of our existing merch in time for some holiday gifts, as the new store won’t be online before the international mailing cut-off for this year’s holiday season. You’ll be able to grab from a series of legacy items including posters, hoodies, hatchets, and mugs. This will likely be the last time they are available before the new store goes live, so if you like these legacy items, grab them when the Pop-Up goes live (exact timing TBA). 

Once we open the pop-up store we’ll announce the sale on Steam, our official forums, social channels, and our mailing list. If you want to be notified of the sale and grab a discount code, sign up for the Hinterland mailing list. We don’t have a firm date yet, but we’ll announce the details ASAP. 

 

NEW PROJECTS?

Many of you have been asking us about what we’re working on “next”. Obviously, we’re working on Episode Five, and the completion of TALES, both targeting finalization in 2024. But part of the team has also been hard at work on new things. Why? Because it takes years to create and develop new ideas and new games, and we need to have something new ready by the time THE LONG DARK is finished next year. This is critical to our continued existence as an independent game studio. 

This is especially true now as we can see how tough the games business has become, with independent studios shutting down all over the place, growing pressure on the business models we’ve come to depend on, and other macro shifts in the global markets. Hinterland and our projects exist within this broader context, and part of my role as head of the studio is to make good decisions for our long-term survival. Managing portfolio and growth is a big part of that.

We’re not quite ready to take the lid off our secret internal projects yet, but I will say that there are three in development, all original and Hinterland conceived, funded, and with plans to self-publish, as we’ve done with THE LONG DARK. Two of them are ambitious, large-scale projects that will set the foundation for Hinterland’s future beyond THE LONG DARK. One of them is a smaller project that started out as an incubation with a small external team, and grew to the point where we brought the team and the project in-house so we could support them better and guide development in a more hands-on fashion according to Hinterland creative values and culture. We’ll have more to share about this smaller Hinterland project within the next six months or so. What I will say is it’s a thoughtful, beautiful, linear sci-fi game that is very very different from THE LONG DARK, and being made by a small team. And with this team having come in from outside Hinterland, the development has not impacted progress on THE LONG DARK; it’s just been something that’s been done alongside our other work. 

As for the other bigger projects, we won’t be saying much about them until Episode Five is closer to launch.

 

SPEAKING OF EPISODE FIVE...

Yes, it’s still in development. No, we aren’t saying much about it yet. It’ll ship in 2024, and I will tell you more about it before the end of the year, including sharing a title and key art reveal, as well as a bit more information about the plot (but no spoilers!). As you can imagine, we have a lot of story to wrap up in Episode Five, and a lot of groundwork to lay for the future of THE LONG DARK IP in how we complete the WINTERMUTE storyline, for games and other projects, so Episode Five will be our biggest yet. I know you’ve waited a long time for this, and I can’t wait to tell you more about it when the time is right. It should be a fitting end to what we hope will come to be seen as a survival epic for the ages. 

 

THAT’S ALL...

Stay tuned for more info about TALES FROM THE FAR TERRITORY, Part Four, in the coming months, and keep your eyes open for the release announcement for the Quality of Life Update, and the Merch Store Pop-Up. Again, if you haven’t already done so, we recommend you sign up for the Hinterland mailing list, since due to the current social media apocalypse, we’ll be using it more and more to stay in touch with our fans. If you'd like to discuss this dev diary with other Hinterland fans, we encourage you to jump into the Official Forums.

Thanks for reading, and see you soon!

- Raphael

 

Any news with the switch update please

[bysinda]

Amazing artwork!!! 

HANDS!! FINALLY I'LL GET TO SEE DIFFERENT HANDS!! HAAAAAANDS!!

So much stuff!! I can't take it !!

[ManicManiac]

[Semple Fi]

1 hour ago, James Hickok said:

As much as i understand the need to adress bugs first i was hoping for part 4 to release in 4 to max 8 weeks from now. W8ting for the end of they year will be painfull...but what can you do right? 

Also i really like the graphic of the mine and the part with the melted snow - a bit of green  Maybe we can plant carrots there lol. Why is it not covered in snow? Geotermal? The orange patch in the noth-east part of the graphic is it lava ? Fire? Im so excited to visit that region. 

I’m thinking the green is toxic sludge from the mining.  Which hints at the new hazards as well. 
 

That or it’s just the reflection of the sky 🙃

[Glflegolas]

I think by "The Long Dark is finished" what is meant is that: Episode 5 of Wintermute is released.

As long as the game remains popular, there's no reason for Hinterland to not release another DLC. This can occur as the studio is developing new games which I'm sure will be very enjoyable too!

[NoPogo]

Exciting news 🙂

[Pencil]

This looks epic!!

[Serenity]

There still seems to be room left for another update beyond that. There is the Mountain Pass regions. The site mentions a hidden remote installation, so maybe that ties into Episode 5.

Then there is stuff like safehouse customization, The Hunted Part 3, the trader, or camera mode. And I'm really looking forward to graphical improvements. Would love some anti-aliasing, more draw distance and getting rid of flickering plants for example.

More bug fixing is great. Animal behavior for example has become a bit screwy over time. I've seen teleporting bears for example and timberwolves are also weird in some areas.

Edited September 14, 2023 by Serenity

[Sherri]

Magnifique!!

So much cool stuff!

- Tons of bug fixes!

- New region & gear!

- Hand coverings!

- Episode 5 hints!

- New games in the works!

- A second TALE?!?

I confess I thought Signal Void was going to be the only Tale in this DLC & I would have been content with that. A second one is very exciting!

Good stuff HL - this is awesome.

[James Hickok]

39 minutes ago, Semple Fi said:

I’m thinking the green is toxic sludge from the mining.  Which hints at the new hazards as well. 
 

That or it’s just the reflection of the sky 🙃

Yeah i was thinking about it for a brief time and now it makes sense. Maybe they used Cyanide to mine gold. Now when you mentioned it i bet thats the case. 

[hozz1235]

9 hours ago, Enigmaecho said:

“By the time The Long Dark is finished” is the saddest words I’ll ever see written from you Raph. I don’t want it to end 😔

I am guessing(hoping) he means Ep5.  I am encouraged by the words, "...and a lot of groundwork to lay for the future of THE LONG DARK IP..."

While I am SUPER excited for the new regions/part 4, I have to admit I'm also a little disappointed that we may need to wait up to 3 months for it   I'll get over it!

At the same time, I'm also very glad HL has taken the time to recognize that bugs are starting to get out of control, and to get a handle on them.

Thank you Raph and the HL Team!!

Edited September 14, 2023 by hozz1235