Previously on Forever Skies’ developments, the game had seen new footage all the way back in March 2022, at the Future Games Show Spring 2022. The game follows a scientist who searches for answers following an ecological disaster; The surface of the planet has been completely desolated, and players will explore these dust-coated wastelands.
Originally, players would be able to see Forever Skies in Early Access on Steam sometime this year, but that won’t be a reality anymore, unfortunately. Forever Skies’ Early Access has been delayed to a rather nebulous “first half of 2023”. Various reasons were cited for this delay, which we’ll break down.
The game’s general feedback process is one of the reasons behind the game's delay. To quote the Far from Home team on this, the report they submitted earlier today says, “83 percent of respondents rated the demo as 8 out of 10 or above. But when we looked deeper, we started seeing things that many players said they missed.
We’re now looking at a much larger influx of players picking up the game during Early Access than originally predicted. So we want to lay down better foundations for more of our core mechanics so everyone can get a much clearer idea of what else to expect from the future of Forever Skies.”
Other points behind the delay include the expansion of various features within the game. First off, the game’s fundamentals for Earth’s surface were initially planned to be added when they should have been in the game from the jump. The risk/reward systems, mechanics, and other features for the toxic surface will be expanded upon, with the team “strongly considering” public playtesting.
Secondly, more variety in the game’s locations was slated to be added, with procedural generation creating unique maps for each player. Previously, two locations were activated, and feedback pointed the game toward giving players more reasons to actually explore these areas outside of adding more to explore.
Content relating to Airships is another such point of contention. Damage and repair systems involving the player’s Airship were entirely left out of Early Access builds; the ravaged Earth is meant to be hazardous, though the team admits the system needs work. Also, Forever Skies’ customization relating to airships is planned to be expanded upon.
Overall, the project is slated to enter Early Access sometime between January and June of 2023, with a full release at an undisclosed date. We’ll continue to provide information on Forever Skies’ updates as they’re released. Forever Skies is slated to enter Steam Early Access in the first half of 2023.
