Red Rising

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• Announcements·23 Aug 2026Official

  Dev Diary IV – Rising to the Demo

  Howlers!Another solid development stretch here. We’ve moved from menu and lobby work into the core systems of the game. Card interactions, AI, objectives, multiplayer flow, and a lot of the glue that holds everything together. Here’s some highlights:Stack InspectionOne of the more important quality-of-life features is now in.When a Deploy ability requires the player to choose between multiple cards (for example, looking at the top of a location or selecting from a set of options), the game now filters and clearly displays only the valid choices. This removes a lot of the mental overhead figuring out what you’re actually allowed to pick.It’s a small system on the surface, but it makes abilities that involve choice feel much cleaner and easier to use. It’s also helped give us a foundation for several card effects and we will expand it as more abilities are worked on.Tutorial Logic & ToolsThis is more internal, but we’ve built a tool that lets us rapidly iterate on the tutorial.The goal remains the same as last time: a “less is more” approach. We want to teach the two core actions (Lead and Scout) clearly, then get out of the way so players can learn by playing.Card Mechanics & Deploy AbilitiesThis has been a major focus.Around 30 cards are now fully implemented with working abilities. This includes a mix of straightforward effects and more involved ones. We’re planning to have at least 40 cards ready for the demo, and an update in October that will include another batch of cards. Event Hooks for UI & VFXWe’ve continued to update the UI and visual effects in-game, with a recent focus on gameplay events.This means things like card deploys, ability resolutions, and location bonuses are now triggering new animations, sounds, and fx. We love working on this stuff as it really helps the game feel responsive and satisfying to playAI SystemThe AI behavior has taken a meaningful step forward.We’re still early but the foundation is in place. The AI can already participate in fu...
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• Announcements·20 Jul 2026Official

  Dev Diary III - Menus. Matchmaking & More 🎮

  Howlers!There’s too much to share for us to wait until the end of the month, let’s get to it!House Selection ScreenThis menu has received a major polish pass. It is still a work-in-progress, but players can now clearly see each House, and its unique ability, before they make their choice.Loading ScreenInstead of a static image, it now has a fully animated version. We found it pretty mesmerizing to begin with, and we stared at it for 60 minutes straight to verify we would never get bored of it.Lobby & MatchmakingWe’ve completed a functional lobby prototype so you're able to play online with friends, and also includes bot support. This may look a little rough right now, but it’s a big step for our team. We’re building the framework for both private games and public matchmaking. Host controls, house management, and the basic lobby flow are all under active development. Menu ArtAnother month, and another brand new piece of original environment art for one of our menu backgrounds. We're having a lot of fun bringing the Red Rising universe to life.Results MenuThe Results (Final Score) screen is now fully functional from a systems standpoint. Players can see the full breakdown of scoring after a game ends. It still needs its an art pass and visual polish, but the data and layout logic are working correctly. LocalizationThe ability to support multiple languages is now fully implemented. This was an important feature for us, as we want Red Rising to be accessible to as many players as possible when we launch. Controller SupportFor all you console gamers out there, support has been added. The game can now be played entirely by joystick and buttons, including menu navigation, card selection, and placement. We’re still refining the feel and button prompts, but the foundation is solid.A really productive 3 weeks here, and we’re aiming to have a playable demo for folks at the end of August, look for an official announcement there soon. We’re excited to share more of the gameplay ...
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• Announcements·29 Jun 2026Official

  Dev Diary II - Forged in fire 🔥

  Howlers! Huge month for us with lots of exciting updates to share. We’re working hard to build something best-in-class that lives up to the standard that both the tabletop and book series have set.Card AnimationsWe’re really happy with how the animations are progressing. We have successfully rigged the original card art, and have begun animating them to bring some life to the characters. And if you’re wondering what that rigging actually looks like, here’s a peek behind the scene. Look at all the controls our animator has available. Big props to our animator, tech artist and fx artist here. Only 108 more cards to go!Card EffectsNo card is complete without a SHADER to make it feel like a real object in your hands, and our FX artist has done a great job creating this effect for all the different borders. Players will be able to handle cards in-game and have them react in this stunning fashion. Menu ArtVery excited to show off our first piece of ORIGINAL environment art for one of our menus. This is from one of our talented artists here and will appear in the background of our UI. Have a first gander of Mars.The Meat & PotatoesThe core game itself continues to evolve. These are captured from engine (so visuals are rough) but you can notice a few things. Multiple opponents are now activeLocation bonuses are workingCards are able to be placed in lanesHand shuffling to start the gameTurns are alternating correctly Sovereign token being properly assigned & more That’s it for now! If you have any questions about the development, feel free to email me directly at dday@emeraldcitygames.ca. Also, join our Discord and Newsletter if you enjoy exclusive updates about the game. Derek DayFounder, Emerald City GamesQuick Links:Join the Discord → https://discord.gg/RWRRQp46HM Read Darrow’s Digest (Newsletter) → redrisingnews.beehiiv.com
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• Announcements·3 Jun 2026Official

  2,000 Wishlists

  One Reddit post later.It took one post about the Main Menu in the Red Rising subreddit to send us crashing through the next wishlist milestone.Even more exciting was our Discord exploded from 8 to 180 in less than 24 hours!If you have any questions about the development, feel free to reach out in the comments or on Discord. Cheers!--- Quick Links:Read Darrow’s Digest (Newsletter) → redrisingnews.beehiiv.comJoin the Discord → https://discord.gg/RWRRQp46HM
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• Announcements·2 Jun 2026Official

  DEV DIARY I

  The first bits of actual gameplay are starting to make it into the engine. Our team has made good progress on the UI/UX design, and we have the majority of the menus at a first pass. Next step is to start integrating them into the game itself.The Main AttractionAka, the Main Menu. The gif doesn't quite do it justice, but you can already get a sense of the feeling we're going for here. Regal, refined, cinematic and colourful. First StepsWhat you're seeing here is the very first playable version of the game. The cards are all quite complex, so the initial iterations will work on establishing very core mechanics, such as scouting, placing and drawing. Next we'll get the columns working (Jupiter, Mars, Luna, Institute) and from there we'll start working on the cards themselves. What's Next?More UI implementation. Card art and effects. Basic gameplay. If you have any questions about the development, feel free to reach out in the comments or on Discord. Cheers!--- Quick Links:Read Darrow’s Digest (Newsletter) → redrisingnews.beehiiv.comJoin the Discord → https://discord.gg/RWRRQp46HM
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