Vancouver-based developer Hinterland is celebrating five years of The Long Dark and announced the release date of Episode Three: Crossroads Elegy. Crossroads Elegy is set to launch on October 22nd for free on PC, Xbox One and PS4. Hinterland also announced that a major Survival mode update is coming in December, and that more details would be available at a later time. Additionally, more details about the October 22nd release of Crossroads Elegy will come soon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJlcrz7x8Hk
The third part of The Long Dark's Wintermute story mode was originally slated to release late last year, but was delayed due to the release of Wintermute Redux, a remaster of the first two story episodes. Hinterland's extraordinary step to retool the first two major story releases means the rest of the first season of Wintermute has been pushed back considerably. Still, Crossroads Elegy is the "culmination of the foundational work [Hinterland] did in Redux," and continues the story of Dr. Astrid Greenwood. As Redux focused primarily on improving mission structure, dialogue, and other introductory mechanics to improve player experience, hopefully Crossroads Elegy lives up to its legacy.
Additionally, in celebration of five years of The Long Dark, Hinterland is offering a look back at previous Steam builds. Described as a "Time Capsule," it's a way for players to step back and play The Long Dark through the major updates it's gone through over the years. Limited only to Steam owners, the fifteen playable builds offer a unique look at the consistent evolution of a game in Early Access; and how such titles continue to evolve after the release milestone is hit. No support is offered for any build other than the most current one, so play through the iterations at your own risk.
Furthermore, as part of Hinterland's retrospective on The Long Dark itself, Founder and Creative Director Raphael van Lierop posted a lengthy introspective letter on what the studio and their game mean to him. With over 3.3 million players from 190 unique countries trying (and failing) to survive the Canadian wilderness, Hinterland's humble beginnings have lead to considerable success for the indie team. We'll see the fruits of their labor when Crossroads Elegy releases on October 22nd.
