Declaration of War - The Forever Winter EA Announcement 

DO NOT SHORTEN EARLY ACCESS TO EA I NEARLY SHIT OUT MY HEART.

That "EA" in the title gave me a short heart attack

“You will EARN your gear via skill or luck.” Whoever is in charge currently at this studio is one of us

As a 50yr old gamer, this shit makes me wanna weep tears of joy.

It's very refreshing to be talked to like an actual adult, and not talked at like a child.

Man. These guys understand that gaming is a community. Not some giant consumer.

"That nickel n' diming ish is for the birds" HELL YEAH BROTHER

I freaking love this studio man. This is the peak of whqt a studio should try and be Fixed price, no paid DLC, never charging for maps, outright praising the RON team My god i fricking love you guys, thanks for making the gaming scene better

Dude I had a heart attack seeing “EA” and forgetting it also meant early access.

Best of luck to the team pushing the coolest damn sci-fi universe I've seen in a long time! Cheers.

i hate to say it , but its so unbelievably refreshing to hear such honesty and bluntness from a dev team. im really rooting for you guys

1 don't ever shorten early access again 2 I don't care how long you take just please please release it for consoles

"That nickel and diming shit is for the birds." Amen.

The games industry doesn't need a revolution. It just needs to stop doing overtime in the office and go outside and breathe a little. You are a fresh air in these times.

Now that's a fucking declaration, Godspeed you mad bastards. o7

I think this may be the first time I've heard a game studio talk to its audience like people and not a demographic, using slang and crap like, "homies," "baller," etc genuinely I think just having that, "person to person," and not, "person to consumer," feel makes me trust this studio a lot more. And on top of Riloe's videos about Forever Winter, I'm honestly excited and hopeful to see the direction that the team of FDS takes as the game progresses down the line. Early Access is within a reasonable price range, and it allows the consumers to make direct suggestions to the development team. I genuinely can't wait for this game to release as a completed product. You care about the wallets and content of your audience and that's something that more studios need to take into account. You guys will go far, and I'll be hella happy to walk along those footprints with you!

"You'll not be able to buy your way into nirvana, you'll NEVER be charged for a new character, because that's the way it should be when you buy a game. You'll not be charged for maps, guns, additional quests, new bosses and more...that nickel n' diming ish is for the birds" DAAAAMN, that had so much impact that I even had to pause the video 🔥🔥

Shout out to whomever wrote the script for this video. Straightforward, concise with no bullshit. It’s perfect.

Don’t rush it

3:59 you guys are wise as hell. Stay strong in that position! We got your backs.

The fact that basic shit like “earning your upgrades in-game” and “play forever without servers” are so mind blowing just goes to show how far mainstream gaming has fallen. Good on you guys for making games that work and don’t demand extra cash to progress!

I wish this company all the success in the world, it’s good to see devs putting players first again

This. This is how you appeal to the modern audience.

Thank you guys so much. Console gamer here, but will be supporting the cause regardless. Hope to see yall on PS5 soon.

As a single player enjoyer thank you for adding a solo mode with bots, not everyone wants to play in huge online mmo servers some people just wanna hop into a game solo or with the boys. I was worried the game industry was slowly leaving gamers like me behind but it's nice to see there are some people in the industry that still care.

This video is based Stop buying from EA Stop buying from Ubisoft Stop buying Activision

Even most RU-vidr and indie game devs aren't this confident to speak out from the heart about the industry like this, bravo to everyone involved. We need more people taking firm stances like this.

Can we get a radio station of this guy in game? Imagine listening to it while grabbing something and hearing a story of another scrapper and their encounters? You could even get some cool tips on the game. This was genuinely nice to hear, my dude was dropping hard bars and facts. I’m definitely buy the edition that also gives you the soundtrack, really good stuff man.

Regarding the server shut downs of older games, there is a petition for EU citizens to vote to the European Union to stop server shut downs from happening and allow private servers to run the games instead. And all preservation of games in general.

1:52 real recognizes real

As a 41 year old gamer, this video damn near almost brought a tear to my eye. Gaming has become such a corporatized nightmare hell scape...I don't care if I don't end up liking the game, they basically said everything I want to hear. Excellent price tag, zero p2w micro transactions, local play, solo play without worrying about servers shutting down, and direct feedback with the developers. I will buy this based on the developers integrity and passion alone.

Even if I can't run this game I'm buying the game. Your passion, dedication and love is inspiring and downright badass. I'm a 40k fan, a Killzone fan, and a Spec Ops fan. I'm adding another title- Forever Winter fan.

Based way of merchandising, no bs, no sugarcoating, no pre rendered footage

Also. R.I.P Hawken. You are still missed.

I don't even need the soundtrack, I'm getting that supporter edition just to support the devs. Fuckin' love what you guys are doing here.

At 37 years old, I never heard a game studio speak to me at eye level before. Most refreshing shit I ever heard. Just got done watching the gameplay overview trailer from 2 months back. That trailer was so badass. And I REALLY like that woman's voice. Lol! She impressed the hell out of me explaining the game. Looks like a new game me and the brothers can hop on and play. We will definitely be supporting you guys.

I’ve NEVER respected a development team as much as Fun Dog and they haven’t even gone into early access yet. This just shows how powerful your word means to the dev-player relationship.

2:35 I get the enthusiasm but, I also don't want the devs to burn themselves out.

"Words can not express how much we appreciate your support" Words can't express how much gamers appreciate being treated as gamers, not cash cows. Can't wait to get in on this.

Everybody loves you guys because you respect your community. The name dropping was based. Can't wait for the game!

Remember devs! Don't burn your self out. I am self employed so I understand the drive to keep going beyond what you should, it happens even when you allegedly have total control of your own schedule. Be diligent in maintaining your health.

_"... maybe new Command & Conquer that's not a _*_BLOODY_*_ mobile game."_ Thank you for these true and kind words! Truly. I'll keep my fingers crossed mate for your success. Just wished I had money to buy it while at E-A and more time to play AT ALL. These are rough times, but I'm glad there are still people who remember good, old days and try to bring a glimpse of them back. Good luck for y'all~!

This is how you build a community. This is how you appeal audience and this is how you place, develop and market your game. This is the most refreshing game announcement ever.

Did I get transported back in time or did y'all get transported to the future? These are the kinds of devs that used to make games.. These are the kind of devs gamers need right now..not the kind that are just worried about their shareholders pockets..I cannot wait to play this game.. sincerely..thank you fun dog studios

I like how he is very based, calm and straight to the point in talking; no over-the-top, totally artificial, glowy "Hello and Welcome! We have a great announcement to make! This game is super Awesome! Buy it early now! Incredible range of diffrent cool features!!!". He really didn't use any buzzwords in the vid...respect!

Take my money, take it all

Isnt it ironic how the game industry became its own apocalypse? Its hard to express just how epic it is to see a game studio like you pit your foot down and say enough is enough. Please, dont ever change the way you do your thing. ❤

You guys are making what is probably going to finally be the genre defining game

Just remember to ignore 98% of what you see in steam discussions, keep to your vision

This guy knows what the gaming community wants, huge props.

No keywords, no tip toeing around, no bullshit, direct to the point, finally another dev studio that puts the player first over quick profit with the bs monetization we have today, wish you a tremendous success guys

the ready or not shoutout was so nice i hope void interactive sees this that was wholesome asf

i remember when a new battlefield title came out no pay to win, no shortcuts and you had to unlock everything, and if you did it before everyone else, you were untouchable. Man i never thought i'd see a game like this game.

I WILL be maxing out any contributions i can give, but please please PLEASE take your time guys. This is a passion project with much love in it, we all want you to succeed, so if you need to push back releasing for a year, 2 years, please just keep us grimdark fan informed. Stick to the shadows scavs.

I was very interested in the game as a "may buy". That honest talk just made me a customer. Being talked to like an adult, an enjoyer of stories, world building and games and not like a consumer

this got randomly recommended to me and now i'm obsessed with this game. and i can really feel their passion from this announcement they're a breath of fresh air in the gaming industries that's filled with corpo greed, hope they stay that way.

This type of communication with an audience is exactly what i want to see more of across the industry. Also, nice to find another C&C fan out in the wild, Kane Lives in Death.

You guys MUST MUST MUST make an art book! Even if it's only digital people will love it.

The way the developer talks to us about how things used to be and how they currently are while showing in-game footage of 'The Wasteland' serves as a metaphor for how this universe came to be. Greed and selfishness do not serve the greater good and will result into undesirable outcomes for humanity. There will always be people however that will fight for a better tomorrow.

I don't know if I'm just a nostalgic 90's kid, but this video genuinely brings a tear to my eye. I hadn't heard of this game until today, but you're putting into words some of the things that go through my head every time I sit down hoping to play a game and wind up just doom scrolling through the never ending list of cash grabbing bullshit the "gaming industry" offers today. I can't wait to check this game out more, and I hope that you and your studio see tremendous success in the future. Hats off to you and your team, much love.

3:35 spec ops the line has a special place in my heart and a lot of other people, and it's only being appreciated in recent years. For you to honour their developers and the game by mentioning it on your game announcement after it was removed from steam, is a sign of true greatness and respect. I'm looking forward to your game

I was already interested in this game but this has 100% sold me. This kind of approach that has been mostly lost to time absolutely deserves to be rewarded. It is so refreshing that a dev company is willing to sit down and talk to us like we’re adults. And the decision to make matchmaking P2P or always available solo is a godsend in a world where live service game titles are getting shut down left and right. Y’all have earned my undying support and I plan on dragging as many people into the muck of this hell world as I possibly can. Godspeed gentlemen.

I'm gonna be honest, I didn't know this was even in development but it's super refreshing to hear a dev that cuts the bs and is brutally honest. Now I've gotta check it out.

The shout out to the Ready or Not team almost brought me down to tears. You all are fighting the good fight. Also the CompUSA mention reinforced my support for this. You fucking gangsters.

The greatest thing about our current time in the gaming industry is that AAA companies have become so unapologetically exploitative to the customer base and their wallets that you have smaller studios that would have been dwarfed in the past actually getting a foothold. Because one of their strongest advertisements can be that they will treat you with some fucking humanity and look at you as a gamer, not a pay pig. And this studio just spent 5 minutes absolutely flipping the bird to AAA studio practices. Thank you Fun Dog Studios for setting such an amazing example for the gaming community to follow.

The Style of deliviery is so refreshing. Its A) direct and honest and no corp BS and B) having it delivered in world/character allows for some brutal honesty, which i havent heard from a game dev in such a way

This felt like it was as much as a love letter to the community as it was an EA announcement trailer. You had my attention before, FDS....Now you have my respect.

I have no idea what this is till it dropped into my Recommended but holy heck you guys sound like an actual games studio that can sell a product. The game itself looks super cool and really digging the concept!

yes king. This is the monetization model i respect. Didnt even mudsling at the people who do crappy monetization, just said “not for us” and went off.

Am I dreaming or did I just watch a video with a developer actually talk about the stuff no one wants to talk about and put passion into a game? Thank you guys for doing things the right way!!! We need more postive developers in ths gaming community! I'll see you in the wasteland!

Was really impressed with the art style of the game, now even more impressed with the social approach you guys have taken. Very direct, sincere and humble, no corporate speech. It's quite refreshing these days to actually hear a human being talking for once, and not a soulless happy-go-lucky salary ghoul.

Bro I'm in tears, I can't say how refreshing it is to see a dev team give a shit about the community as much as you guys. Caring about the community shouldn't be as rare as it is now. Keep up the fantastic work I'll get the game day one.

I like what I hear at 1:28 , thanks brother ! I mean I just love the whole spirit of it. Godspeed guys !

I have never seen a company talk to me like an actual penson, giving out what really goes on their mind e expressing whats on their hearts, no pre made liners, just honesty. You guys are something especial

Dang, guys, I really hope you will deliver, becasue If this co-op will be as good as I see I will buy every skin pack just to support you. I will be there at EA. I will give you a chance, something gaming industry taught me to not do anymore. But in last decade, I can only have hope in Indie devs to bring back magic of gaming. So I really hope this will be another Indie banger.

I hope we can get back to the quality of the 90's. I can't forget it.

The first trailer had me very skeptical about this, but now that we're seeing people upload actually gameplay, it looks pretty good. I love the bleak atmosphere. It's what I imagine Imperial Guards go through every day

The honesty and ability to be upfront with us is reason enough for me to want to support you guys. Definitely want to see you guys succeed. Also love that you guys are Spec ops: The Line fans to.

I’ve always wanted to have a game where you are not the main character in a story but just a small part trying to get by across a hostile world. You guys are true artists to your craft and I really appreciate it, I can already feel love in the footage I’ve seen. Hopefully It will run on my laptop as I’m moving around too much to use my tower. Anyways thanks again for not treating your game as a stale product but as an art piece for everyone to enjoy. I look forward towards your future projects.

This is what happens now. People that grew up with the golden ages of gaming are now starting to develop their own - without the biggun publishers blocking their visions. People like Fundog will take back the gaming scene piece by piece, release by release - and I am all here for it

1:05 doing what Planetside 2 did, but even better 👊

that was the most based, reasonable and "finger on the pulse" monologue from a dev i've ever heard

Im from Tajikistan boiz, and im waiting your game! Good luck!

>Giants: Citizen Kabuto With taste like this, you know we're in good hands. Lead the way, we'll return to the golden age step by step.

This is about the most based thing I've seen come out of a game studio. Name dropping C&C (also being another hopeful fan in the first place), hitting the big questions out of the gate with the answers we all want to hear, and talking to the audience like actual people. You sir (s) have earned yourselves a preorder, and my fervent support. God speed, you magnificent bastards!

this is probably the most on the level a dev has been in announcement that i have seen in recent memory. honestly i'm not the biggest extraction game fan but i wanna see you guys thrive because your soul is in it.

I appreciate when game devs are actually passionate about their games. good luck to this studio 👍.

As a 38y guy I also fondly remember buying a hardbox when I was 12-13 which didn't come with any additional costs, P2W etc. so that comment hit hard 😢 Brought me back and actually moved me. I was interested before and now I'll actively promote this game to all gamers I talk to. It might not be the other persons type of game but simply to give a studio with this ethos the possibility to sell more will be def. worth it. Devs who are actual gamers, respecting their customers as well as talking to them as actual adults are a rare find. Take care dev team and don't burn yourselves out. Take it slow, don't compromise and rush it.

Thank GOD the "EA" was referring to Early Access and not the other thing, you know, the name we do not speak of...

👏.. 👏.. 👏.. Bravo FW Devs, bravo. This, is how game development is done. Not with lootboxes, not with server shutdowns, not with discontinuation of services, not with removing content, not with pay to win gameplay. On behalf of all gamers out there, I thank you. Let's fight to preserve our games! ✊️❤

Hey, just wanted to say that I’m really glad you guys are reaching out to the community and publicly promising to avoid a lot of the major pitfalls of modern gaming. Gamers get a bad rap, but if you’re just honest, and consistent, I think the community can be quite supportive. That being said, please don’t just learn from the good of this year. I know Helldivers basically blew up the entire gaming industry, and set the bar for community engagement, but there’s more to learn there than just making sure servers can handle unexpected popularity. One thing I’d note is that Arrowhead is facing a lot of serious problems, partially stemming from their successes. They capitalized on their initial hype by regularly dropping battle passes with new content, that didn’t necessarily need money to buy, and they’re very in tune with their community. But that rapid pace of content has conditioned people to expect more and more out of the game, which is causing a ton of bugs (not the terminid kind) that have hurt the gaming experience, and by the sounds of it, their team is rapidly experiencing burnout. Additionally, while the community engagement has been fantastic, and has led to great things, like the player base actively fighting Sony when access was limited, it’s a double edged sword. People feel like they are entitled to have their preferred weapons built to their own specifications (IE ridiculously overpowered), that every nerf is a personal slight against them, and that they’re entitled to harass the devs when something changes in a way they don’t like. Both in a personal way and a collective way (see the review bombing after the latest flamethrower patch). So, long story short, learn what to do, and what not to do. I love that you guys are demonstrating a deep understanding and respect for your community, as well as a love for the game, but make sure you don’t overpromise, and make sure that you maintain some distance from the community, so when they eventually get mad over something, you don’t get too hurt by their reaction. I wish you all well in your endeavors, and I can’t wait to play Forever Winter!

4:32 KILLZONE MENTIONED, WE ARE SO BACK

Thank you for existing.

Ngl, I got a tear in my eye just hearing about the honest practices from a fellow gamer who wants nothing more than to make GOOD GAMES. Not popular clones, or profitable cash cows. Art. Real art. God bless y’all. In these times of trash triple A dev cash cows, y’all are the real diamonds, and it’s time for you to shine.

I grew up in the 90s as well and LOVE that a studio is trying to get back to that mindset. C&C is still a game I love to play. I really appreciate you bucking the trend and getting back to the golden age of gaming. I will absolutely buy this game and any other project you do in future... Oh, and as a marketer and video strategist, your messaging here is absolutely fantastic! Whoever is doing your marketing is killing it.

I really can’t wait, hope this game evolves into everything it can be 🎉🎉

Welp regardless of if I like it or not in the long run you got a full paying customer here. Whoever approved the script for this video deserves a pat on the back for actually talking to us customers like an adult and being transparent. Hope everything goes smoothly for ya upon it's release.

Shoutout for the CompUSA and buying KKnD in the 90's. I was there too brother. Thank you for a message from the heart. I can't wait to support this game. Thank you.

This type of game isnt something I play but I watched this video to the end and I want to say that I respect and admire what you and your team stand for and I wish you the best of luck with your mission!

3:31 my eyes covered by tears on this very moment, those were my beloved games. Now i must buy FW in early access to support you, and your passion