Image: Supergiant Games
Supergiant Games’ highly-anticipated roguelike Hades 2 will launch in early access next year.
Supergiant Games has finally broken its silence on the release window of Hades 2, the highly-anticipated follow-up to its Greek mythology-inspired roguelike Hades. The sequel will now launch in early access on Steam and the Epic Games Store in Q2 2024, which covers April to June. The game was originally announced during the 2022 Game Awards, and now seems to be following the same early access roadmap as its predecessor.
This is the first update Supergiant has shared on the sequel’s development since its announcement, but it looks like it’s still too early for players to get their hands on the game. The developer notes that Hades 2’s early access launch, “will have at least as much content from day one,” as the original game did when it came out on Steam in early access. That means no early access launch this year, so the team can, “make sure Hades II is worth your while as soon as you can play it in any capacity.”
The first game’s early access period lasted two years, as the developer added new weapons, gameplay mechanics and story content to the game while preparing for a full release. The studio’s Q2 2024 release window is what it believes to be, “the "sweet spot" where the game is far enough along that player feedback won't mostly consist of stuff we already know isn't there yet, but isn't so far along that it's too late in development for us to act on the feedback we receive.”
Much like the original’s early access period, Hades 2 will get several major updates to add the rest of its core content and act on player feedback over time. Supergiant says that, “the story will expand with each update, as we introduce more characters, and deepen relationships with existing ones.” The full 1.0 launch will eventually give players the story’s conclusion. Right now, the studio is working on fundamental gameplay content like weapons, environments, story events, boons, music and more as it ramps up for the early access launch.
Before that however, Supergiant will be holding a technical test to fix any technical or compatibility issues that might still exist in the game before early access. The studio didn’t share details on how players can join this test however, saying that an announcement will come along later. Much like the first game, Hades 2 will be a roguelike that has players advance through increasingly difficult levels filled with monsters using a range of weapons and abilities provided by Greek gods. There will be companion-like characters players will also be able to deepen their relationships with, once death sends them right back to where they started.
Hades 2 will launch on Steam and the Epic Games Store in 2024.