Mount&Blade 2: Bannerlord has been in development for 8 years and still no sign of a release date

Trice · Mar 3, 2019

What is actually going on? As someone who has put hundreds of hours into Warband, the long dev cycle makes me somewhat happy that the game will probably be at its best when it releases but surely 8 years is a bit too much? I don't really care about graphics in video games if the gameplay is great but when/if it comes out it will be viewed as outdated and possibly lose a lot of money because of it. Fans of the series will stick with it because we know how good the immersion and the gameplay is but that can't be said for the general gaming public.

Bannerlord when? has become a meme akin to HL3 and the M&B community is slowly losing its mind. We had promises of open beta back in 2016, fucking 2016!

Rygar 8Bit · Mar 3, 2019

Don't worry we'll get 1 more video followed by another year of silence soon.
That 2016 Steam page got my hopes up. Now it's just forget it til it's out.

Deleted member 5129 · Mar 3, 2019

Well, at least they're still constantly releasing new info and videos. Or at least I see some new Bannerlord stuff every couple months lol

Lashley · Mar 3, 2019

Late 2019, early 2020. Book it.

JahIthBer · Mar 3, 2019

It's coming with Final Fantasy 7 Remake, but yeah, i dunno what's taking them so long to release this.

alosarjos · Mar 3, 2019

Saganator · Mar 3, 2019

Every couple years or so Bannerlord pops into my head, I assume I missed the release, check the Steam store page, and am surprised that it's STILL under development.

Trice · Mar 3, 2019

May said:
Well, at least they're still constantly releasing new info and videos. Or at least I see some new Bannerlord stuff every couple months lol

They're on the road to release a dev blog about the janitor and his quirky ideas that influenced how the horse dump particles affect the soldier morale.

But at least they're talking to us.....it's torture.

Deleted member 5129 · Mar 3, 2019

Trice said:
They're on the road to release a dev blog about the janitor and his quirky ideas that influenced how the horse dump particles affect the soldier morale.

But at least they're talking to us.....it's torture.

Holy shit haha, you're not wrong

saenima · Mar 3, 2019

At least it wasn't crowdfunded.

LewieP · Mar 3, 2019

They should add Battle royale.

Rickenslacker · Mar 3, 2019

alosarjos said:

I only recently learned that the game pitch this gif was taken from was canceled. :(

zon · Mar 3, 2019

If they're able to keep it in development for so long, where are they getting the money from? Are they making other games at the same time or something?

Hella · Mar 3, 2019

2019 release date pls.

zon said:
If they're able to keep it in development for so long, where are they getting the money from? Are they making other games at the same time or something?

Mount&Blade did very well for them. They even went independant after partnering with Paradox for a time, too, IIRC.

Blizzcut · Mar 3, 2019

It's sad really. I mean I know it's a super small studio that's working on this game and all but this can't be normal. Its reeking of vaporware at this point.

johancruijff · Mar 3, 2019

why would you do that?

on a Sunday?

AcademicSaucer · Mar 3, 2019

You just now that when it finally releases it will have bad optimization and bugs .

CountAntonio · Mar 3, 2019

Yeah....They are communicating a lot but they sure are taking their sweet time.

Trice · Mar 3, 2019

AcademicSaucer said:
You just now that when it finally releases it will have bad optimization and bugs .

After all this I want a polished game, no alphas, no betas, no early access shit. Just gimme the finished game, take my money and fuck off.

Deleted member 2840 · Mar 3, 2019

johancruijff said:
why would you do that?

on a Sunday?

This. I was having a great day, now I'm thinking about Bannerlord.
For shame, OP.

zon · Mar 3, 2019

Hella said:
2019 release date pls.

Mount&Blade did very well for them. They even went independant after partnering with Paradox for a time, too, IIRC.

But enough to pay everyones salaries for 8 years and all their other expenses? It seems impossible for one smallish game to keep a company going for that long. 😕

Trice · Mar 3, 2019

saci said:
This. I was having a great day, now I'm thinking about Bannerlord.
For shame, OP.

I don't even know which day of the week it is. Bannerlord has broken me.

My apologies.

Phantom Head Shaver · Mar 3, 2019

zon said:
If they're able to keep it in development for so long, where are they getting the money from? Are they making other games at the same time or something?

Blizzcut said:
It's sad really. I mean I know it's a super small studio that's working on this game and all but this can't be normal. Its reeking of vaporware at this point.

Isn't this game funded by the Turkish government? Might explain the current situation.

Hella · Mar 3, 2019

Phantom Head Shaver said:
Isn't this game funded by the Turkish government? Might explain the current situation.

Huh, had no idea about this. I just figured from how well the Mount&Blade games have sold that a Turkey-based dev would be set for quite a while.

Rygar 8Bit · Mar 3, 2019

Just surprised more games haven't cloned it's gameplay yet. We got War of the Roses and Chivalry, but where are all the fantasy games at? A Warhammer game that played like M&B would sell a ton.

mutantmagnet · Mar 3, 2019

It's clear the devs have bit off more then they can chew. Still is odd though to take 8 years to develop this with very little to show for it.

Kyougar · Mar 3, 2019

Rygar 8Bit said:
Just surprised more games haven't cloned it's gameplay yet. We got War of the Roses and Chivalry, but where are all the fantasy games at? A Warhammer game that played like M&B would sell a ton.

That's why the whole "the gaming market is overcrowded we need curation and fewer devs releasing games" argument is bullshit.
Where are the clones to:
- M&B
- X4
- Rimworld/Dwarf Fortress
- Stardew Valley
- Aurora 4X
- Transport Tycoon Deluxe
- Factorio
- Civilization
- the whole Paradox 4X division
- Supreme Ruler
- Anno

Those are all games that sold Millions or have dedicated Fanbase's decades into the lifetime of the game.
But no, most devs just want to release yet another 2d Platformer (with a twist!) and moan about the market afterward.

Enduin · Mar 3, 2019

Yeah it's crazy. I'm there every Thursday for the dev blogs hoping for something. I mean they are making progress and the game looks really good and they're clearing putting a ton of thought into everything they do and the modding capabilities and potential seems unreal, but the wait and their avoidance of release talk hurts my soul.

Phantom Head Shaver said:
Isn't this game funded by the Turkish government? Might explain the current situation.

Pretty sure the money they get from that doesn't come close to covering all their costs. I think they just made, and continue to make, a decent chunk of money from M&B and various expansions sales and due to much of the revenue being made out of country combined with the much lower wages in Turkey they can afford to stay in development for so long.

Necrocorpse · Mar 3, 2019

Game is most certainly in some kind of a development hell. Who knows, maybe they have rewritten the game once or twice already and/or have financial issues given the political issues going on there. I hope for the best though.

flyinj · Mar 3, 2019

Rygar 8Bit said:
Just surprised more games haven't cloned it's gameplay yet. We got War of the Roses and Chivalry, but where are all the fantasy games at? A Warhammer game that played like M&B would sell a ton.

Freeman is basically mount and blade but in a modern setting with guns instead of swords.

It is also fantastic, I recommend it if you are into M&B:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/773951/Freeman_Guerrilla_Warfare/

Nuclearaddict · Mar 3, 2019

8 years seems long, but maybe it's because they announced it the moment they began work on it. You know, other games take nearly 10 years to make, but they also announce it's existence about a year before it's ready to be released.

I don't mind waiting. Plenty of other games to play in the meantime, such as Warband haha. I was gonna say stuff like hope they take their time to make the best game they can, but they seem to already be on that path.

flyinj said:
Freeman is basically mount and blade but in a modern setting with guns instead of swords.

It is also fantastic, I recommend it if you are into M&B:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/773951/Freeman_Guerrilla_Warfare/

I do not recommend this game. I tried it for hours and eventually gave up on it. It's not very fun.

LewieP · Mar 3, 2019

Kyougar said:
That's why the whole "the gaming market is overcrowded we need curation and fewer devs releasing games" argument is bullshit.
Where are the clones to:
- M&B
- X4
- Rimworld/Dwarf Fortress
- Stardew Valley
- Aurora 4X
- Transport Tycoon Deluxe
- Factorio
- Civilization
- the whole Paradox 4X division
- Supreme Ruler
- Anno

Those are all games that sold Millions or have dedicated Fanbase's decades into the lifetime of the game.
But no, most devs just want to release yet another 2d Platformer (with a twist!) and moan about the market afterward.

Satisfactory?

I agree with the broad thrust of your point, just wanted to highlight a similar game in case you were looking for one.

Commodore64 · Mar 3, 2019

Nuclearaddict said:
do not recommend this game. I tried it for hours and eventually gave up on it. It's not very fun.

for anyone wishing to try Freeman keep in mind that it's very early in development. But they recently expanded their team and are releasing a update very soon.

ProstatePuncher · Mar 3, 2019

I'm happy playing M&B forever until Bannerlord comes out. They can take all the time in the universe as long as the game is a complete and tasty package. I've got their back, day 1.

Steel · Mar 3, 2019

This has been my most anticipated game for years. I need it.

I get the impression that they've been increasing the scale of the game from the dev logs. There was also an engine switch IIRC. Better to release a great game in 8-9 years than an Anthem in 7, anyway.

TyrantGuardian · Mar 3, 2019

What if it's really good though? *drool*

Kyougar · Mar 3, 2019

LewieP said:
Satisfactory?

I agree with the broad thrust of your point, just wanted to highlight a similar game in case you were looking for one.

I know of Satisfactory, it was an instant buy previously, just to support those type of games.
But, you know, Epic exclusivity and THQ... It is on hold for me. It must be a smash hit in the gameplay department to get into my conscious again.

Shodan14 · Mar 3, 2019

flyinj said:
Freeman is basically mount and blade but in a modern setting with guns instead of swords.

It is also fantastic, I recommend it if you are into M&B:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/773951/Freeman_Guerrilla_Warfare/

It is surprisingly fun. As is Starsector.

SweetNicole · Mar 3, 2019

It's never coming out.

Steel · Mar 3, 2019

If they need funds, they can do a kickstarter and I'll insta-back them.

60EffPeeEss said:
I'm happy playing M&B forever until Bannerlord comes out. They can take all the time in the universe as long as the game is a complete and tasty package. I've got their back, day 1.

The problem is they don't have all the money in the universe, so the longer it takes the greater the probability that we never see a final product.

Herlaking · Mar 3, 2019

From what I've heard the Turkish government has university students intern at Taleworlds to build a development "scene".
If that's true, they're in no rush.

Still, I believe in September.

Sloane · Mar 3, 2019

Feels like there's definitely some feature creep / increasing in scale happening but they've shown quite a bit last year if I remember correctly. Bet it comes out either late this year or early next.

TheRuralJuror · Mar 3, 2019

Kyougar said:
That's why the whole "the gaming market is overcrowded we need curation and fewer devs releasing games" argument is bullshit.
Where are the clones to:
- M&B
- X4
- Rimworld/Dwarf Fortress
- Stardew Valley
- Aurora 4X
- Transport Tycoon Deluxe
- Factorio
- Civilization
- the whole Paradox 4X division
- Supreme Ruler
- Anno

Those are all games that sold Millions or have dedicated Fanbase's decades into the lifetime of the game.
But no, most devs just want to release yet another 2d Platformer (with a twist!) and moan about the market afterward.

Amen, I really thought a larger dev would have tried the mount and blade formula by now.

Masterspeed · Mar 3, 2019

I feel for the devs. From what I've seen and heard from devs around the world, they hate being stuck to a single project for so long. 8 years is insane, most get tired after 5 and want something new to experience.

cognizant · Mar 3, 2019

Thanks for reminding me I need to play M&B. Thread was good for something.

Inyourprime · Mar 3, 2019

I ain't trippin'... warband is still great. I have a handful of mods I still want to try.

Airbar · Mar 3, 2019

Masterspeed said:
I feel for the devs. From what I've seen and heard from devs around the world, they hate being stuck to a single project for so long. 8 years is insane, most get tired after 5 and want something new to experience.

From what I've read on business networks project management at Taleworlds is seemingly busted. Their lead engine dev left like 3 years ago and one of his reasons was something along the lines of a "visionless management".

Enduin · Mar 3, 2019

TaleWorlds and the M&B franchise rise is pretty fascinating. Basically started out just Husband & Wife making the original game as a hobby, found huge success with it and slowly brought on a few more people to help with the Warband sequel which then saw even greater success and multiple stand alone expansions. And now they're well over 100 people working on Bannerlord.

Which I think explains a lot about the huge development time for Bannerlord. They scaled up a ton in personnel and project scope but don't have the commensurate experience required to manage it all efficiently. Or at least didn't for some time. I'm sure they've learned a lot over ~8 years so hopefully they've been more on track now and have a better handle on things. The tone and some comments by them have made it seems like they're in the latter stages of development rather than still lost in the weeds. But it has been quite some time still.

JDSN · Mar 3, 2019

It's already my GOTY of the year it releases.

Stixitnu · Mar 3, 2019

Don't think we'll ever play it

Mount&Blade 2: Bannerlord has been in development for 8 years and still no sign of a release date

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