Blue Dot Games has announced that following its Next Fest demo, ’83’s early access will now be releasing in 2026 and not this year as originally planned. The extra time will allow Blue Dot Games to address the issues raised by the players when playing the ’83 demo, including the UI, gunplay, and movement amongst features that will be addressed.
In a blog post, Blue Dot Games wrote, “Following overwhelming feedback on the Steam Next Fest demo, we’ve made the decision to shift our Early Access release of ’83 out of 2025 and into early 2026. We believe in ‘83 and are committed to doing what’s best for both the project and our community. We’re using this additional development time to focus on key areas the community told us matter most:
- Gunplay and feel
- Optimisation and performance
- Graphical fidelity and visual polish
- Overhaul of the UI
- Movement and animations
- General stability and bug fixes
The demo gave us a vital snapshot of how ’83 plays in the hands of a broad range of players, and we’re taking all of that data and feedback seriously. Our goal is to deliver an Early Access experience that reflects the ambition of the project, but more importantly, something you genuinely enjoy playing and want to return to. On top of the key areas listed above, we are also working hard to correct and improve our models for weapons, uniforms, gear and vehicles where the need for improvements has been identified. Thank you again for your patience, enthusiasm, and for holding us to the highest standard. We’re listening, and we’ll be back with more updates as we continue building ’83.”
’83 is a 40v40 squad based first person shooter set during an alternate history where the Cold War erupted into full on conflict, with NATO and the USSR battling across Europe. Players can choose which side to play on as they battle in matches that will last 30 to 40 minutes, while players who take the Commander role will have an overview to help guide their sides.
Source: Steam
