Windrose has been one of February 2026’s clearest breakout stories at Steam Next Fest: Windrose Crew’s open-world pirate survival game hit 22,396 concurrent players and sits at 93% positive reviews on Steam – but the team says that’s only the beginning. Even though this is still a demo for a game that’s “in the oven,” players are already asking for more content or, at minimum, a firm release date, and the studio’s answer is the same: not yet.

The tension spiked on February 25, when Windrose Crew premiered a new trailer during IGN Fan Fest. A lot of viewers read the appearance as the warm-up to a launch announcement, but that didn’t happen. The trailer again highlighted naval combat, exploration across open islands, and the game’s upbeat, party-like tone, yet it offered no release window, which left part of the audience frustrated.

Windrose Crew Asks for Patience

Soon after, the developers addressed the confusion directly on the game’s official Discord (as reported via PC Gamer) to calm the waters. They said they understand the expectations and the community’s desire for a release date, but insisted “it’s still not time.” Their reasoning is scope: the final version of Windrose could be several times larger than the current demo, with more islands, more enemies, more ships, and more points of interest to discover.

The studio stressed that its priority is polishing the game and integrating feedback from these public tests before committing to a date. As they put it, “please, let us cook a little longer,” emphasizing that they are not holding back information to manufacture hype, but to ensure the game ships in the best possible condition and avoids last-minute delays.

For now, Windrose keeps attracting new followers and strengthening its position as one of the more promising indie projects on the current landscape. The wait is already testing some players’ patience, but the team believes the community will ultimately prefer a later date announcement over a promise they can’t realistically keep.

Source: 3DJuegos