Frostpunk 2 Given Warm Release Date

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, and this pillar of fire is so delightful, I hope the children keep digging me coal, let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! Anyway, enough about my winter, let’s talk Frostpunk 2. Yes, the franchise (now) that hardly saw the drunk concept of morality from across the bar and continued to ignore her, as you fill out Granddad stew with sawdust. When we first saw it last year during the godawful PC Gaming Show (never again!) it wasn’t even a showcase of gameplay, it was a sizzle reel for industrialists to join in the revolution.

Yesterday as part of the Xbox Partner Showcase, we got a further look at the new Frostpunk 2 and a surprising release date. “Diving even deeper into the post-apocalyptic abyss, Frostpunk 2 builds upon the foundations that made its predecessor a triumph, ” the press release notes. “It thrusts players into a world of unyielding realities and complex social dilemmas within an ever-expanding city. With a broader scope and expansion in every aspect of the gameplay mechanics, Frostpunk 2 escalates the tension as you steer the City and its inhabitants into an uncertain future.”

Continuing on, the press release says: “Much of that tension comes from introducing different factions within the City walls vying for allegiance among its citizens. Will you bend your decisions to the survivalist nature of the Icebloods, advocates of adaptation over development? Or will you side with the methodical Technocrats, champions of technological progress? Perhaps, you might even side with one of the more radicalized groups you’ll meet in-game. It’s up to you – the City’s Steward.” At least if you go with the Technocrats, you’ll have Scooter to listen to.

As seen in the trailer, we’ve shifted away from the early Industrial Revolution and moved into a much more sci-fi twist with suggestions of vehicles in the streets and with a brutalist idea to the architecture. At least the latter is something I interpret from the showcase of the two already mentioned factions being shown in the trailer, in what looks to be a parliament. It’s quite interesting, especially only a couple of months from release.

Set to release on July 25th for PC, the purpose of being featured in the Xbox Partner showcase was the fact that Frostpunk 2 will be on PC Game Pass from day one. However, that wasn’t the only announcement. Beyond pre-orders available now, the Digital Deluxe edition will include a seven-day beta access to the sandbox mode sometime in April, three post-release DLCs, 72-hours early access to the story mode around the 25th of July, digital artwork and soundtrack, and the “Warm Flesh” digital novella, an excerpt from the upcoming Frostpunk anthology book. I’m sure that book will be wholesome.