I strapped on my crampons for an initial peek at Abiotic Factor's Cold Fusion update back in April, but at the time it wasn't wholly clear how it would tie into the run up to the game's 1.0 launch. Now though, developer Deep Field Games has stated explicitly that Cold Fusion is the 1.0 launch, and that the new area the update adds—the Residence Sector—will represent the final chapter of Deep Field's survivalist tribute to Half-Life.
Alongside clarifying this detail, Deep Field's second Steam update about Cold Fusion provides more information about what players can expect from this last chunk of Abiotic Factor.
We already know that the Residence Sector is heavily inspired by Half-Life's 'Office Complex' chapter, but Abiotic Factor takes its representation of administrative life several steps further than Valve's classic FPS. For starters, the Residence Sector includes a sub-area called The Praetorium, which appears to be a spooky archive area prowled by monkish "Clericum".
Moreover, Cold Fusion will let you build your own slice of bureaucratic paradise, introducing buildable office cubicles empowered by atomically accurate grid-snapping. Rigid object alignment will apparently be exclusive to cubicles for the time being, but Deep Field says that "maybe other things" will become snappable in the future.
Elsewhere, Cold Fusion will allow players to source sustenance from the Taco Mine. Unfortunately, this is merely the name of the Residence Sector's taco stall, and is not an actual mining complex for the extraction of fossilised Mexican food. That said, this is Abiotic Factor we're talking about, so I wouldn't rule out the possibility that the Taco Mine runs deeper than is initially apparent.
Other new features include a craftable decontamination unit called the R.A.I.N. shower, which will wash off the blood, grime, and anomalous substances your lab coat accrues as you explore. Finally, the Cold Fusion update will add two new storage options. As the name implies, the compact crate will help you cram more loot into a smaller volume, while the void chest provides access to a pocket dimension you can store things in, then access from any location where another void chest is crafted.
Abiotic Factor still doesn't have a precise release date, but it's still targeting summer of this year. Which, given that it basically is summer, means it should arrive pronto. It's also worth noting that the 1.0 release won't necessarily represent the end of your journey through the G.A.T.E. research facility, as Deep Field is already teasing a 1.1 update coming later in 2025.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
