Firefly Studios has announced that the early access launch of Stronghold 4, its new medieval castle real-time strategy and simulation game, has been delayed. Originally set to arrive on Steam on December 7, the early access version will now release on April 20, 2027.
According to information Oyun Günlüğü obtained from Firefly Studios, the delay was a hard decision for the team to make. The studio said it believes the decision will lead to a better game, one the team is proud of and happy to deliver to its loyal player base.
Economic campaign will be available at launch
In a video message, Firefly Studios studio head Nick Tannahill said the team has always aimed to launch into early access with as much polished content as possible. The plan is to leave enough time afterwards to add more to the game and work on player feedback before version 1.0. According to Tannahill, the April 20 launch will ensure players get a full story campaign, custom skirmish, Skirmish Trail and Free Build. Everything else planned for the initial release will also be included.
Tannahill said the first reason for the delay is simply to have more time to work on the game. In particular, the team wants to address feedback on the skirmish and Free Build missions from the Steam Next Fest demo. The new date also lets the game avoid an already busy holiday release schedule. Tannahill added that certain aspects of the game’s design and implementation have taken longer than expected.
The extra time also means the economic campaign, which was originally planned for one of the early access updates, will now be available at launch. Tannahill noted that sim and economic gameplay is at the heart of Stronghold, which is why the team did not want to launch without it.
New deep-dive videos are on the way
Firefly Studios will continue sharing development updates on Stronghold 4 in the coming weeks and months. Following the feature on castle customization and economy, the studio plans to release similar deep dives. Upcoming topics include story, siegecraft, the game’s two campaigns, custom skirmish, villages and weather.
