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News & Trailer

October 23, 2013 | Dukus | 171 Comments

Over the last few months I've gotten a lot of questions as to how the game is going to be distributed - and today I'll make that announcement. Banished is going to be available for purchase on Steam and also available for purchase directly from Shining Rock Software.

I know everyone wants to hear a firm release date, but I'm not giving one out today. I should have a definite date to share soon. I'm no longer adding new content to the game. From here on out it's all testing features, fixing bugs, and smoothing out the gameplay experience.

Oh, there is also a new game trailer. Enjoy.

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171 comments on “News & Trailer”

  3. Excellent distribution choices. I am coming at the bit waiting for your game. You have really done a fantastic job of this and this game will be a hit!

  6. Congrats on the launch Luke !

    I was really happy to see Banished will be released directly on Steam, not having to go through the Greenlight process.

    I hope you'll meet the success you desirve, and I can't wait to buy (and play) your game.

  7. I am so looking forward to this game.

    Quick question that may have been answered already (I don't follow the comments much),

    Will there be facade improvements? So like in AOE for example when you gained an age the buildings looked more modern. Is that the same for Banished or is it certain structures like churches, town halls etc.
    that will have brick facades with the houses staying wooden.

  8. Awesome work mate, I've been watching the develop from the start and I cant wait to play it! Great work getting it on steam as well!

  13. Great news! Can't wait to get my hands on this game. Can you tell if, after release on steam/website, there will be focus on releasing the game on OS X/Linux? If not I need to go to the shady corners of the interwebs 😉

  14. I have been following the development of this game for a while now. (as well as many others) And it really seems like a perfect blend of Dwarf Fortress, Stronghold and ancient builder games (Ceasar, Zeus, etc) I am extremely excited for the game, and just wish that there was some sort of preorder so we could start paying this amazing man!

  15. I'm gonna guess this will be released somewhere between November 10-20. CAN'T WAIT!!! So pumped for this game!

  16. There is no longer support for Linux? On Steam I can see only Windows requirements. I hope that there will be version for Linux as well. Thanks! Can't wait!

  18. I'm not sure how steam works, but would you make more money if we purchase directly from you? Of course, steam gives exposure to an enormous crowd... But for us who already know about it and want to support you as much as possible =)

  20. Looks awesome, can't wait for it to come out. One thing I noticed in that trailer - when the buildings were on fire, someone was just walking next to them, as if they weren't aware of the fire.

  21. I wish i could afford to throw money into your pocket with force of a thousand suns. But you can expect me to buy it from either steam or SRS, this games deserves it.

  22. I'm also interested on an eventual release on OS X/Linux, specialy Linux/debian because i use Ubuntu as my ONLY OS, Wine might be a solution but nothing sure about that.

    Sincerely.

  23. Quick question how is multi-monitor support my guess if it would look epic on 5760x1080.
    just wondering if you were able to test it?

    Shut up take my money already

  24. This makes me so happy.
    If we buy directly from you, do we get a Steam code? If so, is giving out Steam codes better financially then just getting it from Steam?

  26. I'll echo Viderian - if we buy directly from you, do we get a STeam code? I'd rather all my money goes straight to you, but if I can add the game to Steam to get automatic downloads and such, I would really like that. Or will the game have an update feature in the client?

  27. I know some game developers prefer people buy their games on Steam, so it may reach more people, but there are others who prefer to have it bought directly. Is there one purchase method you would prefer over the other so you can SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY ALREADY?

  28. I also think Steam is a good way. Simpler for everyone I think.

    You are not bound to sell through Steam? You could sell it on your page if you want?

    You should add a support button on your homepage 🙂

  29. OHMANOHMANOHMANOHMANOHMAN!!!! :DD yesyesyes! It is getting so close now! OM MY GODNES I can't wait!

  30. Great news! Can't wait to be playing even though it'll come at the worst possible time since I'm so busy IRL, I'll manage though! 😀

    Nav

  31. Fantastic man, I have been wanting to playing this for a long time.
    I think being on steam is great, easy for rolling out patches or additional content as well as steam workshop if you ever go that path.

    Would love to play something like this with the new steam controller sitting on my couch.

    Of course the "shit up and take my money"..

    Cheers

  32. Great! Good to hear and can't wait to get into the game. Will purchase directly from Shining Rock as Steam you can't play some of their products unless you're online.
    Keep up the good work and anxiously awaiting the release date.

  33. You are awesome, what a great programmer you are, how only 1 person made this great game. Fantastic. Congratulations for your creation.

  36. Thanks, that's awesome.
    I'll throw money at you with the force of 100 suns only, so that your pocket may not implode under impact.

  37. Not to be a sourpuss, but those trees really need a better falling animation.

    Also, the refraction animation on the river seems to render above the boat.

    Other than that, really nice trailer, and I can't wait for release!

  38. Wonderful!

    One quick bit of feedback, could you extend the life of the smoke particles a bit and have them fade out, so the effect of them disappearing isn't so jarring?

  41. Good job at getting it this far. I know for you that is a major accomplishment. Steam is a great place to sale it, lots of gamers there. I will spread the word of it's forthcoming. Late 2013 is a good date as it is not that far! 😉

  43. This was a great way to start the day! I'm thrilled to see Steam availability, and I respect the fact that you are holding off on a firm release date. I still hope it's coming soon! Can't wait to play this, you've really set the hook.

  45. The email you sent out has a malformed url for the video: http:///
    The video on the main page incorrectly shows the follow video. The video on this page works properly.

  47. Finally, an RTS that I can enjoy. Will be a day-1 purchase for me.

    Thank you for all the hard work. I'm going to be playing the crap out of this.

  48. First off, Can't wait to see the post saying the game is now for sale, and going "Shut up and take my money!"

    This game looks amazing, i hope my computer can run 😀

  49. I don't know how you did it, but I think it's very cool, that you didn't kickstart the game, that you did not make it an "early access" game, that you even did not have to go through steam greenlight.

    I also appreciate that you keep the release date flexible (because that simply makes sense to take yourself time) and that the decription of the game on steam really IS a description of the game and not a pile of "awesome, epic, bestest game evar" - marketing blah.

    That is so refreshing!
    Now earn millions and have a nice life!

  50. Great directly on Steam without greenlight thats awsome. I hope the game wil develop further after the realese. The Trailer is Top 🙂

  52. It's great this will be available on Steam. But one question I have is will buying directly through Shining Rock give you more of the proceeds? Or do you get the same amount either way?

  53. great work, looking forward to release. You have already deserved whatever I'll have to pay for it.

  54. Would have preferred Humble Store (since you get Steam free build and Steam build in one purchase) but it's nice that you at least have an option not tied to Steam. Question though, will you have some kind of launcher/patcher or at least notifications of new version? As much of a pain as Steam is it is nice not to have to manually look for patches...

    @Jomo
    Unless he prices it significantly lower here than on steam he'll get more out of it on the site. Valve takes a cut out of what you pay, that's how they make money of Steam.

  55. Great to see it will be available direct an through Steam. Of course that begs the question - will there be Steam achievements? 🙂

  56. I'm among those hoping for an OS X port. The game looks great, and I'd love to play it, but me no gusta Windows.

    I also noticed the water refraction affecting the boat object. Hopefully that's an easy fix.

  57. Very much looking forward to the release. It's been fun to watch this project grow and mature through your posts and videos. In a world of forced online / multiplayer games, low quality freemium apps, violent first person shooters, and over-focus on graphics at the expense of game depth and mechanics, I've high hopes for your village sim. It appears to be a smooth, pretty game with good depth and replay potential.

  60. Awesome 🙂 I so cannot wait for this to be released.

    I just saw that audio and Interface is just english (of course). If you want it to be translated, I could do this. For free!

    Greetings:)

  65. So cannot wait to play it 🙂
    And I'm so happy that I can get it through Steam, it makes playing it so much more convenient 🙂

  66. According to Steam, some of the achievements have already been completed by players. You couldn't come up with a better way to tease non-beta players, could you? >:|

  67. Awesome, can't wait for it. A friend of mine and me are waiting for the release ever since we heard about this game. And if you need a (free and homemade) translation to Dutch, just mail me 🙂

  68. Yay!
    Happy bug hunting, once it is released you can bask in the glory of the rain of money that will surely head your way!

  74. I hope, that game purchased from your website won't require Steam. DRM-free option is always welcome.

  75. Your game is so much win, i will tell all mah friends bout it, and if its cheap, i guess i will just buy it for all of em ^^

  76. Thank you !

    to 10gb, steam requirement doesn't necessarily mean with drm, some game can be launch without steam even if steam is a need to download and install the game

  77. Bonjour de France et merci pour ce super jeu qui je suis sur et espere aura un tres grand succes

  79. To Lionel,

    For some gamers, Steam is a DRM since that you need the software at least once.

    If Banished will be a game that can be run without Steam once it is installed, I'd rather have a full drm-free version on the official website

  80. Steam is good, but is there an option to give all our money to you and still get a steam key?

  81. If you look to achievements at Steam, I think 160 players already play the Banished!

    If I buy it directly from your website, will you get same money as from Steam?

  82. I think if he using steam drm it would be fine. steam isn't bad and he should try to protect his hard work.

  83. Heartfelt congratulations. Throughout this development, you've shown constant calm confidence in your vision, engaged with a growing community, provided thorough and inspiring insight into the development process, and remained open, honest, and modest throughout.

    I think it's extremely telling that such a positive and mature audience has already formed around this game, without any efforts to promote it, or even early access/beta builds to play.

    The quality of the game is clear and plain for all to see. As cynical and jaded a gamer as I am, it's rare indeed for me to consider preordering or buying a game ahead of reading a single review, but I certainly intend to on this occasion.

    I'm aware that putting this game on a pedestal would be silly. I've no doubt that it won't be perfect from day one, nor would I in any way expect it to be, but I know from the dedication, craft, and attention to detail you've shown, that it will still be remarkable, and that future developments and updates will be handled well.

    You've been an absolute inspiration, and I wish you all the success you deserve.
    I can't wait to play it!

  84. Great news. How did you get on Steam without using greenlight or a publisher?

    did you know a guy who knows a guy?

  85. I've been following this game through 2013 and can't wait for the release. 🙂 Since this announcement I have already put it on my wishlist on steam and it will tell me when you have a release. Can't wait, awesome game and excellent work.

    I'm so glad the zombie version of your original idea didn't work, lol, because Banished is the type of game I live to play.

  86. Great news! Can't wait to play it. Already on my wishlist in Steam. Realy looking forward to play your game.

  89. Thinking about buying two copies, one on steam and one from the shining rock site, as a gesture of support to an incredibly inspiring one-man company.

  90. Wonderful. Waiting as patiently as I can for the purchase option to unlock. So nice to see the Steam page all set up however.

  91. Looking forward to this game.

    Too bad you never went with the crowd-sourcing route; not necessarily through Kickstarter. Heck, Chris Roberts made 90% of his $24M for Star Citizen by crowd-sourcing through his own site.

    Would have provided a nice early revenue stream and provided a gauge of interest.

  92. I am so excited. You have no idea how excited I am. I am very, very excited. This looks like an advanced form of Settlers, which makes me wet.

  94. I just had a quick look at the Steam Achievements. Now naturally I don't know how hard the game will be, but you need to have 10 or so that are easy to achieve. People get motivation to keep going from getting some quickly at the start!

  96. For those asking about a Mac/Linux release, Luke has previous said:
    If the game does well I have ideas for expansions, and I could probably be convinced to extend the engine for multi-platform support. I know that no one likes a later release date for their platform of choice. Sorry.

    Info is available on the wiki.

    Nav

  98. I've been following the progress of your project with awe and much excitement - this looks like a beautiful game and I'll be in the queue to get hold of this at the earliest opportunity. Congrats on getting to this stage and thanks for your ongoing sharing of the process as you've developed the game.

  100. Love the way this game is continuing to grow, mature and evolve - great work here.

    I can't wait - but I will - and OK, take your time, do not release it until it is ready.

  101. Glad to read that the launch is near,and i'm waiting to see if the game is so good than it seems.Still waiting like a lot of people here but i'll certainly be one of your game's purchaser.

    Ara

  102. Absolutely love it. You are a huge inspiration.

    Would love any more technical posts you can throw up. For instance, you mentioned your GUI is completely described through text files as well. Would love to learn some more about how things work in the background.

  103. The fire around 0:55 looks weird somehow, like it's too weak or some such thing. You might want to update it.
    All else looks good to me.

  105. I have been following the game development for more than a year now and it's finally gonna be released at last. Great work so far.

    I was just wondering if the game translation is planned for other languages. If you need someone to translate the game in french I can do it, just keep in mind the multilanguage support with the appropriate resource files.

    A little interface or clear formatted resource file (such as XML) would do it without the need of having the game itself. The only thing regarding interface would be to check if the text fits and to have international support for fonts.

  106. If I buy the game off of this website, do I also get a steam key? I am guessing if I buy it off this website, I get a non Steam version of the game. If that is the case I will buy two copy - one DRM free and one Steam support for easy updating. -P.S. I really want to play your game this coming winter. And a french translated version will be greatly appreciated.

  107. Will I have to have a Steam account to play Banished, even if I buy it through Shining Rock Software?

  108. Venger => No, the Steam version just add a DRM above the game itself but allows you to re-install your game anywhere you are and the saved games are uploaded on the cloud.

    If you buy it directly from the website you should have a standalone copy totally unrelated to Steam

  109. Very happy to hear it will be available on steam, exactly what I was hoping for. Buying it first day its available

  110. Been following this awhile and can't wait! Been dying to play a game like this again for years.

  111. Will this game be availeble for mac as well? Please say it will! I think it looks amazing and would really want to be able to play it!

  112. I am very very happy to hear that you will be offering another solution besides steam. I really want to play this game, but not from any place where I cannot control it in the future.

  113. This game looks beautiful and charming and I can't wait to buy it. Even $40 I would gladly pay. I've been wanting to play a medieval-ish sim city game for the longest time. I echo the sentiments of wanting brick and stone building upgrades.

  114. Two more things - I didn't like how the fire was on the snow covered house. That didn't look so great. Also, I don't like the boulders everywhere. Anyway to delete or remove those? my ONLY complaints.

  116. Looks like an awesome game, you guys say you will buy it, i want to, how much do you guys think it will be?

  117. Lurking for months now, and I can barely wait for this game to come out and ruin my social life.

    Being somewhat of a typography enthusiast, I have a small remark considering the logo at the end of the trailer. I like the font and overall style, but the kerning of the letters struck me as somewhat unbalanced. The h, e and d at the and seem crammed a bit too closely, while the i, s and h would benefit from a little less space between them.

    Here is a quick and dirty example of what I mean. The adjustments are very subtle, and maybe you're not even sticking with this particular logo, but seeing the devotion you show to the tiniest detail, I figured you'd appreciate these remarks.

    Keep up the excellent work! Especially in defying the urge to rush production because of impatient naggers like me:)

  121. Wouldn't it be more efficient to release the game as early access and let other people beta test it? I would. 🙂

  124. Wow, very nice RTS. Looking forward to it.
    Respect for your work!

    If you need some help, I can C# and im good in doing videos, trailers etc. 🙂

  128. Hey folks, steam still has an offline mode and you can play it offline if you please.

    I do it with Torchlight 2 and it's completely fine. If the game does not require a connecting, you can still play it through steam off-line mode.

  129. I love the fact that the houses are not all identical. That is one thing that really bugs me about Tropico 4, an otherwise outstanding game.

    Also, as a pluviophile, I have to say that the rainy days in Banished look exquisite. They give me the same peaceful sense of calm that I get when I look out the window on a rainy day.

    You've really made a work of art!

  130. Indie games like this and KSP give me hope for the future of gaming. The gaming big companies care more for money than game play....

    I hope you wind up having more money than pockets from this project!

    To all the impatient viewers out there, remember the proverb:

    “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”
    ― Aristotle

  133. @kaz81 damn....I hoped before...however, are you sure? this polish is really impossible to understand 😀

  134. @dada I am not sure but I posted what I've found - I also hoped it 'll be earlier.
    Regarding the polish - yes it's one of the hardest languages to learn.

  135. I ran it through Google Translate and that's what it looks like it says :

    December 10, 2013 (world premiere)
    currently no plans to release (in Poland)
    December 10, 2013 (premiere in the U.S.)

  136. damn I translated too....december 10, 2013
    it's not so late....
    now our anxiety could have a break....
    but, however, it's a very bad f..k news! 🙁

  137. Bonjour de France ,
    j'espere auusi qu il sortira avant après tout sur Steam il parle de prelive ,j'imagine donc une beta ?

  138. Bananq on Reddit/r/Banished says

    "I'm from Poland and I know this site. They usually do the same thing amazon does - they put random dates that seem probable but aren't confirmed. I wouldn't get my hopes up."

    Just FYI

  139. Yes it seems unlikely that a site/webshop would (accidentally) leak this information since only Steam and Shining Rock Software are going to sell it. Luke would more likely post an announcement about a date and the pricing here on this site.

    Anyway, looking forward to any information that may come to us. I like reading these blogs. ^^

  140. Just from the language, I'd presume this is a false rumour. "World premiere" and "Premiere in the U.S." - I highly doubt there are plans for localised releases with their own specific release dates. That's the kind of thing a major dev or publisher does for large-scale marketing purposes.

    It seems far more likely that when Banished is released, it'll be a single release available to all.

  141. Even though the release date could be fake, it is a good date to go on. It's realistic, it's in the time frame specified by the actual company/developer, and it's really late. It's better for a game to come earlier than expected than later.

  144. Really looking forward for this title! I'm finding myself checking up with this site every few hours, hoping to see a new message giving me a release date ^^

  148. I can't believe how many good comments about your game. Your game looks incredible and gives true and casually gamers something special.

  150. Bonjour de france aussi 😉

    J'espère qu'il sortira bientôt ! J'espère aussi plus tard une traduction 🙂

    Good job 😉

    J'ai hate

  151. Still checking this site and the forum 3 times a day. xD
    Looking very very much forward to play this while throwing my money at the screen.

  153. Hey man, this looks like a really fun and interesting game that i am looking forward to. i have introduced this game to some of my friends, but unfortunately this game is only for pc and not mac, i realy hope this will come out for mac.

  154. Hey, I've been following the development of your game for quite a while now and I was wondering if you will integrate alternative ways to maximize the potencial of your activities like Bee keeping to make agriculture more efficient.

  156. Awesome looking game! While steam is convenient for most (and an awesome nod to your game's credibility and general awesomeness) I appreciate not having to go through steam. Thank you for for that!

    I can't wait to play a game with such in-depth realism, like having to plan for winter with food supply. It's the little details that draw you into a game. Well done!

  158. That's a very interesting article SkySkimmer, thanks for sharing.
    And I have to admit with what Zeus said: Thanks Luke for making it possible to buy the game without Steam. A huge plus.

  159. Bonsoir de France
    Alors des nouvelles de la sortie du jeu ?
    Je suis comme un fou à passer toutes les 3 heures sur le site pour espérer la moindre info pouvant rendre ma journée magnifique.
    Merci pour le jeu j ai tres tres hate et j espere vraiment qu il arrive tres tres tres bientot allez tides moi qu il sort demain plzz!!

  162. i'm looking for a decent(or better) community builder for a long time but i think i don't have to look further anymore!
    buy trough steam....mhhh...i'd rather buy directly from here,if possible boxed 😉

  163. Got to say love the sound of this game, kind of reminds me of a more complex version of settlers with high res graphics.

    To be fair i have been waiting for a game like this for a long time plus with the thought of illness and diseases i can really see diseases building up if the sanitary conditions are poor or fires from too many wooden buildings close together like the fire of London that destroyed london.

    Well so much potential, plus throw in the ability to have a militia, turn your village into a town and defend yourself from enemies !! or even zombies lol.

    Looks like a fantastic game can't wait for it come out great work !

  164. That's it, I've reached the point of getting excessively hyped waiting for release info! There just better be some new information soon, or I shall be forced to... wait patiently!

  165. I have been worried for a while that this game would end up being a Steam only release. I'm not a fan & I've missed out on a lot of recent games due to it. This news is excellent & I'm delighted 🙂

  169. Man! It looks absolutly amazing. I am working like code writer and must say, that your one man project is really big deal. People need to see that hard work worth! You ll be Rich and u deserve it. Good luck with bug catching.

  171. This is THE GAME.

    I love the music,
    I love the quality of the game
    I love the styles of the game.

    Hope everything goes well on you sir, and
    good luck on what you are working on.

    I can't wait to experience this for myself!
    Cheers. 😀

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