Fateless: One Year In – A Look Back at the Journey

The first year of Fateless has been an exhilarating ride, filled with unexpected challenges, major milestones, and an unwavering commitment to creating a groundbreaking game. In a recent episode of the Fateless Discussion Podcast, Simon, Dan, Sham, and Brad sat down to reflect on the past year. They shared insights into the project’s inception, the hurdles they’ve faced, and what the future holds for Fateless.

The journey of Fateless began as a running joke among the HH Gaming team. With a successful gaming platform, an optimizer tool, and a thriving community, people frequently asked, “When is HH Gaming going to make its own game?” At first, it was laughed off. But in a pivotal meeting about a year ago, Simon posed the question seriously: “What’s actually stopping us?”

The realization that they had the infrastructure, development expertise, and—most importantly—a passionate community led to the decision to pursue the project. It wasn’t long before the team dove headfirst into the gaming industry, learning the ropes of game development from scratch.

Initially, the team considered developing Fateless in-house, leveraging their existing resources. However, they quickly realized that game development required an entirely different level of expertise. After months of research and discussions, they partnered with Magic Media, a well-established development studio with hundreds of professionals ready to bring their vision to life.

One of the biggest early debates was whether to develop an original IP or license an existing one. The team spent months negotiating with major intellectual property holders, exploring potential collaborations. However, they eventually decided that creating their own unique world would provide them with far greater creative freedom and long-term benefits.

Dan emphasized that working with an external IP often comes with significant restrictions. Licensing an IP means the original owners still dictate creative decisions, take a percentage of the revenue, and limit the game’s flexibility. Ultimately, the decision to create their own IP allows Fateless to be exactly the game they envision—without compromise.

Game development isn’t cheap. When the team received their first cost estimate for building the game, Simon admitted he was shocked, doubting whether they could raise the necessary funds. However, the community and a dedicated group of investors—many of whom were long-time followers of HH Gaming—came through in a massive way. In just ten weeks, Fateless secured its funding, an achievement that most game studios struggle with for years.

Sham highlighted how essential having an engaged community was to this success. Unlike traditional game companies that build a game first and market it later, Fateless started with an active, passionate player base who already believed in the project.

Building a game isn’t just about hiring developers. It requires assembling a team of people who understand the genre, engage with the community, and can translate vision into reality. The Fateless team has expanded significantly in the past year, bringing on specialists like **Mike, Tim, Dirk, and Juho** as the community manager. Every decision has been carefully made to ensure the right people are in the right roles.

Simon also gave a shoutout to Magic Media’s **creative director, Mladen**, who was a key factor in finalizing the studio partnership. His deep knowledge of fantasy, gaming, and storytelling helped convince the team that Magic Media was the right choice.

Given the complexity of game development, Brad asked whether Fateless is on track with its original timeline. The answer? Yes and no.

While the project faced some delays in pre-production due to the IP decision, Dan assured listeners that Fateless is still on pace for its targeted release schedule. Magic Media’s ability to scale resources has helped them make up lost time, and every aspect of the game is progressing rapidly.

The team is committed to not rushing the game to meet an arbitrary deadline. Simon stressed that the goal isn’t to just release a game—it’s to release a great game. If it needs more time to meet their high-quality standards, they won’t hesitate to delay it.

The big question on everyone’s mind: When is Fateless coming out? While the team didn’t give a firm release date, they confirmed that internal testing and prototyping are well underway. The plan is to have an early playable version for the community sooner than people might expect.

However, they’re being careful about what they reveal. They don’t want to show half-finished concepts that could mislead players about the final product. Instead, they’re waiting until the game is polished enough to make a strong first impression.

Fateless isn’t just about one game, it’s about building a game studio that will create multiple titles over the years. This first project is just the beginning. The team envisions a long-term future in the industry, crafting experiences that players will love for years to come.

One year in, the journey has been a rollercoaster. But if there’s one takeaway from the podcast, it’s this: Fateless is more than just a game studio. It’s a passion project, a community-driven endeavor, and a bold step into the future of gaming.