Slay the Spire 2 dev rejects the concept of deadlines: 'I don't want Sloppy Spire 2'

Art for the Ironclad in Slay the Spire 2 — (Image credit: Mega Crit)

Slay the Spire 2 has quietly been one of the most-played games on Steam since it launched in March. Even in early access, it's a bigger game than the original (both in terms of popularity and content), but it's far from done. Among the incoming additions teased in developer Mega Crit's latest update are:

Alternate versions of Acts 2 and 3 (the first act already has two forms, Overgrowth and Underdocks)
Steam Workshop support
"Experimental game modes"
A new character
New "cards, events, relics, and potions"
And, eventually, "true victory" and "everything that comes with it"

"You might see this and think, but where are the dates! Why can't you promise dates??" writes Mega Crit co-founder Casey Yano. "My response is: It's not what works for us.

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"Mega Crit is a small team where each member understands their responsibilities, knows everyone else, and I try my best to ensure that we work at a healthy pace. We evaluate our tasks each week and work on what feels most impactful. It's not the most organized method, but this allows spontaneous experimentation like the dialogues you have with the Ancients or the existence of a Room Full of Cheese. We won't massively expand the size of the studio to finish the game faster. Exacting deadlines produce sloppy uninspired work and I don't want Sloppy Spire 2, I want Slay the Spire 2."

I also don't want Sloppy Spire 2, so I will patiently wait for Slay the Spire 2. Yano notes, however, that players can opt into the game's beta branch to try out experimental changes early and provide feedback—something they got a lot of recently after some controversial balance changes.

Regarding when those currently-in-beta changes will make their way into the main version of the game, Yano says in a player Q&A section that it'll happen after those balance patches "feel stable in the beta branch." That's probably as close to a date as we're getting.

In that Q&A section, Yano also reveals the one thing Slay The Spire 2's developers refuse to compromise on above all: "There must be whimsy." You can read the full newsletter on Steam.

Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the '80s and '90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that's right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.

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