Forever Skies has delayed the launch of its airships into 2023

Post-apocalyptic survival sim Forever Skies has floated its release date straight out of this year and into the first half of 2023, developers Far From Home have announced. Their reasons for the delay have been detailed in a lengthy Steam post, but it's mainly good news: after receiving tons of feedback from their recent demo, the devs are now looking to expand the game's scope and spend more time working on its futuristic dirigibles and such. They also released a new teaser trailer showing some customisable airships from the game, too.

First revealed back in January, Forever Skies was originally meant to launch into early access before the end of the year. However, the team said they've been inundated with feedback following the game's October Steam Next Fest demo, which reached more than 80,000 players. "We’re now looking at a much larger influx of players picking up the game during Early Access than originally predicted," they said. "So we want to lay down better foundations for more of our core mechanics so everyone can get a much clearer idea of what else to expect from the future of Forever Skies". And to do that, the devs need more time. Plain and simple.

This includes adding sections on the Earth’s surface, which exists below its toxic dusts clouds and was originally intended to be added later as a major update. Far From Home are also hoping to work on other features ahead of the game’s new launch date, such as more fleshed-out airship customisation, as you can see in the trailer above, and airship damage and repair systems that were missing from the demo. The devs are also aiming to include more variety in Forever Skies locations, along with a “scientific approach to survival” that revolves around finding and researching the game’s viruses. You’ll be able to cure these, or muck about with them to give your character boosts to their abilities.

Katharine took Forever Skies’ demo for a whirl last month during Steam Next Fest, and was intrigued by the potential for the game’s story to be told across its sky-high open world. "It looks stunning," she said. "Its green haze and enormous tumbleweeds of harvestable materials floating in the wind create an evocative atmosphere when you're trundling along in your little airship. The ever-changing weather made me feel lonely and vulnerable, like I really didn't want to biff this up being the last surviving human and everything."

Forever Skies is now due out in early access sometime in the first half of 2023, and you can check out the game on Steam ahead of launch.