February 14, 2023 - Hooded Horse is delighted to announce that it has partnered with Balancing Monkey Games, creators of the critically acclaimed city-building game Before We Leave, to assist the studio in publishing their next title, Beyond These Stars.
Driven to explore the mysteries of the cosmos, the denizens of Beyond These Stars risk everything to settle on the back of Kewa, a majestic creature who travels the stars. Players will have limited room and materials with which to build their civilization, and the main question this spacefaring city builder asks is, how will players use this second chance they’ve been given?
Beyond These Stars is not just about developing the city and its resources, but also about developing a relationship with Kewa. Will players exploit Kewa’s resources for gain, no matter the cost? Will they try to live in harmony with Kewa? Players can also try and influence where they go, but using too much force comes with its own consequences.
Building an entire civilization cannot solely be achieved on the back of one Space Whale, however. As Kewa travels through a procedurally generated cosmos, they will pass other planets that could hold vital resources. Establishing outposts on these worlds will help further meet the needs of the citizens, provided Kewa can be persuaded to stick around long enough to extract them. And Kewa isn’t the only majestic creature travelling the depths of space - who else will you encounter, and what will you do when you meet them?
“I'm really excited to be partnering with Hooded Horse to publish our next game,” says Anna Barham, Managing Director at Balancing Monkey Games. “They're a small team, but incredibly responsive, transparent, and passionate about what they do and about taking care of their developers. They already have a stable of successful games in our preferred genre so we're confident that they're the right people to bring Beyond These Stars to the world."
“We’re huge fans of Sam, Anna, and the whole team at Balancing Monkey Games,” says Tim Bender, Hooded Horse’s CEO. “Their vision of a non-violent city builder with a scope spanning the stars is extremely exciting, and it’s an honor to be working together on Beyond These Stars.”
Beyond These Stars will release in early access for PC via Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store. A press kit is available.
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About Balancing Monkey Games™
Balancing Monkey Games is an independent game developer based in New Zealand (Aotearoa), that specializes in non-violent games that aim to relax and entertain players. It is the studio’s mission to build a positive and thoughtful community, as well as create peaceful, accessible, and culturally relevant experiences that enable the team to support their local community in Dunedin (Ōtepoti).
About Hooded Horse™
Hooded Horse Inc. is a publisher of strategy, simulation, and role-playing games based in Dallas, Texas with people and partners across the world. Starting in 2019 with a single title, Hooded Horse’s portfolio has grown to 20 games and counting. Our goal is to empower and support developers in doing what they love. From the distant past of Manor Lords, to the depths of space in Terra Invicta, Hooded Horse is the new name in deep, strategic experiences.
You can find out more about us on our Steam publisher page, as well as our social channels; Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Discord, and website.