Longdue has announced that Hopetown, its upcoming narrative-driven cRPG featuring several developers behind Disco Elysium, will receive a pre-alpha playable build within 90 days of its Kickstarter campaign ending. The early version will offer approximately five hours of gameplay, more than 300,000 words of dialogue, and an introduction to the game’s investigative mechanics.
The playable will include the prologue, Chapter 1 of the main story, 10 side quests, eight interior locations, part of an explorable town, two recruitable companions, and 40 NPCs.
Existing Kickstarter backers at the Builder and Visionary tiers as of October 15, 2026, are scheduled to receive access by December 1. New qualifying backers will receive the build within 90 days of the campaign ending, with a latest expected launch of January 2027. The pre-alpha will be available for a limited time so players can provide feedback on gameplay systems, including publishing, interviewing, and evidence collection.
Two new Kickstarter tiers are also available until November 1. The Quicksilver Edition, limited to 500 backers, includes early access, Builder-tier rewards, an exclusive in-game outfit, and a backer credit in an in-game newspaper. The Quicksilver Art Patron tier is limited to 15 backers and adds a custom hand-drawn portrait created by the game’s art team.
Hopetown Commits to Human-Created Content
Longdue has also introduced an anti-generative AI policy, committing to keep generative AI out of the game’s art production. The policy outlines the studio’s approach to creating artwork, writing, and music, including documentation that records how creative assets evolve through the development process.
The studio calls this system the Certificate of Human Creation (CHC). Longdue plans to release its certification template and processes for other developers to use, while encouraging the industry to establish an independent board to oversee the system.
What Is Hopetown?
Set on the fictional mining island of Eastern Entre, Hopetown takes place decades after a catastrophic event called The Flare destroyed electronic devices and communications worldwide. The discovery of a substance called Quicksilver offers humanity a way to reconnect, but a storm disrupting mining operations sets a new series of events in motion.
Players take on the role of Zola, a graduate journalist investigating the island’s secrets. Three distinct journalistic approaches shape the experience: Correspondent, Columnist, and Gonzo. Players’ reporting choices influence relationships, faction standings, and the unfolding narrative.
The development team includes Martin Luiga, a ZA/UM founder and Disco Elysium writer; writer and editor Olga Moskvina; former Disco Elysium software developer Veljo Hagu; and narrator Lenval Brown.