BetaDwarf’s Minion Masters has become the latest thing to get delayed, joining the ever-growing ranks of delayed projects in 2020. They’ve released their routine Thursday update and outlined their reasons for doing so:
“We’ve chosen to push back the release date of Version 1.10 and Saving Jadespark Jungle by one week, to the 5th of March,” they write. “Much like before, this comes as a result of us trying to ensure we can have the optimal promotional window to attract new players to Minion Masters. For example, making the schedule work with a certain big streamer ;)”
BetaDwarf’s cheeky wink at the end of their comment makes one wonder what name they have lined up. Minion Masters certainly doesn’t pull the same numbers on streaming platforms as more popular titles do, so it’ll be interesting to see what the indie developers have managed to arrange.
It's Minion Masters Thursday! Read about an update to the Expansion Release Date, and check out some Behind the Scenes footage of Enter the Guild! https://t.co/qImY64OukB pic.twitter.com/tcn3CQcpRk
— BetaDwarf | Working on Project F4E (@BetaDwarf) February 6, 2020
They also mention that, moving forward, future expansion dates could be changed closer to the time of release to emphasize big updates. BetaDwarf expresses a desire to stay flexible while still being able to confirm dates when needed. Much of this is done to focus on growing the player base of the game, rather than being focused on content control.
On one hand, this is pretty great to see as a fan of the game. BetaDwarf putting so much emphasis on building the player base could end up being one of the driving forces behind them getting the proper interest (and funding) needed to continue adding to and developing their title. It also, of course, could help to cut down on queue times and expand the esports scene appropriately.
But on the other, it’s pretty obnoxious as an average player of the game to have the expansion you’ve been looking forward to pushed back a week just so that the developers can sign off on a streaming deal. The promotional period is important, and definitely integral for bringing in new players – but does the average player really care that much about something like that? If you’re being forced to wait to play the game you want to play so that some streamer can advertise it adequately, you probably aren’t going to be too happy about it.
Again, it all ends up for the best as far as the game is concerned. Pushing it back potentially means more awareness, more players, more funding, more content, and more of what you as an average player would be interested in. While it’s certainly a bummer to have Saving Jadespark Jungle shoved back to advertise, it could end up being the type of move that helps the game blossom.
