One Of Steam’s Top Wishlisted Games Hit With Indefinite Delay Days Before Release

On October 3, 2025, just five days before its scheduled release, Redemption Road Games announced that Kingmakers would be delayed indefinitely. In a heartfelt message to the community, the studio apologized for the sudden change but provided a transparent and compelling explanation. The core reason? The game’s sheer ambition.

“In short it’s an incredibly ambitious, uncompromising game, and we don’t want to cut any planned features, for the sake of getting it out the door earlier,” the developer stated. “Our goal, from the start, has been to create something that’s nothing like anything else on the market, in terms of gameplay, scale, scope, and interactivity.”

This wasn’t a case of a game being broken or development going sour. Instead, Redemption Road Games, an engineering-heavy team, explained that they are pushing the limits of what is possible with Unreal Engine 4. They chose to delay the release to ensure that every feature is polished and optimized, rather than delivering a compromised version of their vision. This commitment to quality over speed was a difficult decision, but one that points to a developer dedicated to creating a truly special experience.

What Makes Kingmakers So Special?

The hype surrounding Kingmakers isn’t just about the wild premise of bringing an AK-47 to a sword fight. The game is a complex and innovative blend of genres, promising features that are rarely seen together in a single title. Redemption Road Games offered a glimpse into the incredible technical feats they are working to perfect.

Unprecedented Scale and AI

At the heart of Kingmakers are its massive, real-time battles. The developers revealed they currently have “tens of thousands of soldiers, each with AI and pathfinding that rivals what you’d expect from a AAA third-person shooter.” This isn’t just a visual spectacle; every soldier on the battlefield is an individual entity. When you leave a battle, it continues to play out in the background without any smoke and mirrors. This level of simulation is a monumental technical challenge and a key reason for the delay.

A Fully Interactive and Destructible World

The game world is designed to be more than just a backdrop for the action. Redemption Road is building a world with a level of interactivity that is truly next-generation. They described “giant 6 story castles where every room can be entered and every wall, floor, and ceiling destroyed.” This means sieges will be dynamic and unpredictable. Furthermore, when you build structures like a Lumbermill, it’s not just a menu icon; it’s a physical location that can be explored or become a combat arena during an invasion.

Advanced Physics and Emergent Gameplay

The physics system in Kingmakers aims to create moments of unscripted chaos. The developers gave an example: “When you drive a car into a tree, you’re ejected through the windshield, the tree breaks from its stump, and then rolls over whatever hapless soldiers are along its path.” This level of emergent gameplay, where the systems interact to create unique and often hilarious outcomes, is a huge part of the game’s appeal.

Seamless Co-op Multiplayer

All of these ambitious features are being built with full drop-in/drop-out cooperative multiplayer support from the ground up. Each player on the server can explore the massive maps and command their own personal army of thousands, creating the potential for truly epic co-op campaigns and large-scale strategic battles with friends.

Why Fans Are Still Excited Despite the Delay

In an industry often criticized for releasing unfinished games, the news of a delay can be a death knell for hype. However, the community’s reaction to the Kingmakers game delay has been overwhelmingly positive. The developer’s transparency and commitment to their vision have resonated strongly with players.

Fans are excited because the delay isn’t about fixing a broken game; it’s about polishing a groundbreaking one. The features described by Redemption Road Games sound like a dream come true for fans of both strategy and action games. The promise of massive, simulated battles, fully destructible environments, and seamless co-op is more than enough to keep the anticipation high.

Moreover, the studio’s focus on optimization is a massive point of encouragement. Their goal to provide “true 60 frames per second to midrange PCs, without the need for fake frames” is a refreshing commitment in an era where poor PC performance at launch has become all too common. Players are willing to wait for a game that not only delivers on its ambitious promises but also runs well on their hardware.

The Wait Continues

While the indefinite delay is disappointing for those who were eager to jump into medieval battlefields with modern firepower, it’s a move that ultimately respects the player. Redemption Road Games has chosen the difficult path of prioritizing quality and polish over a quick launch. They are not cutting corners, and they are not willing to charge money for a product that doesn’t meet their own high standards.

The studio has promised to share a half-hour deep dive into Kingmakers’ gameplay soon, which will give fans a more comprehensive look at what they’ve been working on. Until then, the anticipation will continue to build. The Kingmakers game delay is a reminder that sometimes, the most ambitious visions just need a little more time to become a reality. And for a game that promises to be unlike anything else on the market, the wait will likely be worth it.