Playful state - Luden.io's ongoing projects and plans
Hi everyone, Georgii from Luden here!
Normally, this newsletter is about one of our two games in development. This time however, we decided it's time to give you a broader picture. Luden.io is still a small team of 10 people, only by 2024 those people are working on a total of 4 games: while True: learn()'s team is busy with Learning Factory, Craftomation 101 is being made by a newer, experimental team, and Warnament… well, that's a whole different story! More on that below.
Some interesting things have been going on recently, which was a good enough excuse for us to take a breath and make a quick recap of what we're working on right now.
while True: learn() - now available everywhere
Our classic machine learning-themed puzzle experience will celebrate its sixth birthday in a couple of weeks, but in a certain way, it's still making first steps. For example, just a couple of days ago while True: learn() finally got released on the Microsoft Store, which means it's available on Xbox, too!
So, to summarize: PC, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS, PlayStation, Switch, and now Xbox, too… Did we miss anything? Some brilliant folks reportedly managed to launch Doom on E. Coli bacteria, so that's a challenge! Probably, one for much much later though. As for now, we've got other exciting stuff to do!
What was the first platform you played while True: learn() on? Let us know!
Learning Factory - now with demo
Our hardcozy factory-building games were released in simpler times and went straight from free alpha to Early Access. Since then we rethought our strategy, so our games are now accompanied by demos right away. In fact, we think demos are so cool, that we decided Learning Factory deserves one, too!
If you haven't played it yet, but would like some chill factory-building gameplay, head straight to the Steam page and try the demo now! If you already own the game, maybe you know someone who might enjoy it, too? Don't hesitate to send them a link!
By the way, we're very serious about releasing v1.0 this year. The plans are on the table, our minds are focused, and our bodies are ready - see you at the finish line!
Craftomation 101 - soon in Early Access
You probably know this already, but: Steam Early Access, February 19 - you're invited to check out Craftomation 101 in less than three weeks! And if you need a taste of it, there's always a free demo for you to check out! Don't forget to add Craftomation to your wishlist on that same page, while the demo is loading!
Warnament - a side step into a new genre
We love experimenting at Luden.io, and this game is one of the most prominent examples. You see, we're not really making Warnament - this quick-to-learn-hard-to-master grand strategy is almost entirely developed by one man, Denis Makhortov: he's responsible for the concept, coding, gameplay, and managing his very vivid community, most of which gathered around Cold Path - a previous game by Denis, also a grand strategy, that made quite a splash on mobile platforms.
As for us, we saw potential in Warnament, because grand strategies are a powerful tool for starting a conversation about history and global politics, encouraging the players to learn how the world works, experiment with different behavior models, and effectively go beyond the game context - which is exactly what we aim for with our games!
We're helping Denis from time to time, mostly with art, marketing, and a piece of friendly advice. But at its heart, Warnament is a true indie game, contemplated orchestrated by a single and very dedicated author!
Warnament has its own blog, too - subscribe to it and see Warnament's story unravel in real-time.
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Get your minds in a playful state, because we've got lots of awesome gameplay coming your way in 2024.
As always, if you have questions, ideas, suggestions, or just up to discuss games - find us on our Discord server for a friendly chat.
Until we meet again!