Empires of the Undergrowth, the captivating ant-themed Real-Time Strategy game, recently made waves at this year’s Antcon, a UK-based convention for ant enthusiasts in Carmarthen, Wales. The team behind the game, Slug Disco Studios, came forward with an enlightening presentation covering the origins, development, and the future trajectory of the game. The presentation was delivered by Co-founder and Studio Director Liam Comerford.
Antcon attendees were presented with an exciting new roadmap known as “Road to 1.0,” an outline of upcoming updates and enhancements. The roadmap extends from the recently introduced “The Culling 2” scenario to all the summer updates planned for 2023. Key areas of the game targeted for enhancement include campaign balance changes, art overhauls for the Beach level, and the introduction of new Ant models including the formidable Black Ant Queen.
Other planned improvements encompass Freeplay AI enhancements, the addition of new Freeplay landmarks, the introduction of “uber creatures”, new game modes, and achievements. More detailed information on the roadmap, post-1.0 ideas, and other recent happenings at Slug Disco can be found in their May newsletter.
Hooded Horse, the publisher of Empires of the Undergrowth, is known for its portfolio of strategic and tactical games and is one of my favourite publishers with an impressive catalogue of 21 games including Old World since its inception in 2019.
Slug Disco Studios, the UK-based developer behind Empires of the Undergrowth, was founded by three childhood friends with a shared dream of creating a video game centred around ants. Their debut title was brought to life thanks to freelance contracts, a Kickstarter campaign, and a grant from Creative England. Since then, the studio has continued to explore game experiences themed around the natural world.
What do you think of the new developments in Empires of the Undergrowth? Do the new Ant models and game improvements excite you? We want to hear your thoughts! Share your views in the comments below or join the conversation in the Gaming.Buzz Community Discord.
Where To Buy Empires of the Undergrowth
Empires of the Undergrowth is currently available in early access on PC via multiple platforms including Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store at an MSRP of £17.99, though the Epic Game Store, CDKeys and Humble Store has an MSRP of £15.99 listed at the time of writing the article. All deals were correct at the time of writing on June 1, 2023 at 1pm BST.
CD Keys Store | Steam PC & Mac Version * (25% off MSRP)
Epic Store | Epic PC & Mac Version (10% off MSRP)
GOG Store | GOG PC, Mac & Linux Version *
Humble Store | Steam PC & Mac Version * (15% off MSRP for Humble Choice Members)
Imaflankers Nexus Store | Steam PC & Mac Version *
Voidu Store | Steam PC & Mac Version *
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