The Frostpunk universe is a cold, grim place, and 11 Bit Studios just announced a new entry in the franchise: Frostpunk 1886, a reimagined, rebuilt version of the original game made in Unreal Engine. Now in development, Frostpunk 1886 is scheduled for a 2027 release that will add a lot more content to the original city-management game, including mod support.
11 Bit Studios says Frostpunk 1886 was born out of a desire to continue supporting the original, even though the studio’s proprietary Liquid Engine is no longer in development. Their response was to shift the first game to Unreal Engine and take the chance to add new mechanics, new laws, and a new Purpose Path that will present a fresh experience for even the most experienced players.
The existing Purpose Paths (Order and Faith) emphasize different aspects of a playthrough and can have a big impact on the way a campaign plays out. For example, Order tends to focus on keeping morale high enough that the city can keep pushing forward, while Faith focuses on keeping the populace hopeful that the freezing days will one day come to an end.
The short teaser trailer doesn’t reveal much, but the narrator’s panicked shouts do a good job of setting the tone. Frostpunk 1886 isn’t a feel-good cozy game, but one that will force the player to decide how best to forge ahead when the only choices available are terrible ones. Every decision is like Sophie’s choice.
Support and development will continue for Frostpunk 2, as well. The sequel has a major content update planned, as well as a console launch and DLCs. 11 Bit Studios told us they won’t be saying much more about Frostpunk 1886 for a while, but that they started working on the project earlier this year and will keep us updated as it progresses.
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