🚀 July 2025 – Development Update

Back in the Saddle After a Holiday Break
Fresh Tests, Feature Focus & Big Steps Forward

After a much-needed break in July, the Seven Castles Games team is back refreshed, recharged, and ready to push both of our flagship titles, Steam Cities and Equestrian, to the next stage of development.

While we hit pause for a short summer holiday (and gave our prototypes and printers a breather), we’re now full steam ahead with weekly online playtesting, major feature balancing, and exciting progress behind the scenes.

Steam Cities – New Laws in Motion

Our steampunk strategy game is entering a critical testing phase as we introduce a powerful new gameplay layer:

⚖️ Law Cards – These round-by-round rules shake up the city’s dynamics, introducing unique conditions, restrictions, or opportunities that force players to adapt and strategize in new ways.

This month, we’re focused on:

🧪 Balancing the Law mechanics to ensure fun and fairness
⚙️ Tuning city powers and trade dynamics for better flow
📊 Gathering feedback from our fantastic community of testers

The result? A richer, more responsive experience and a city that truly feels alive.

Equestrian – Jumping Back In

Our elegant and competitive horse show strategy game is gaining momentum once again. While we paused in-person sessions during July, our online tests have resumed and continue to deliver valuable insights.

We’re currently:

🐎 Expanding our blind testing group
📬 Welcoming new testers to share gameplay impressions
🛠️ Refining turn structure and stable upgrades

With each session, we get closer to a perfectly tuned, emotionally rich experience that captures the thrill of competition and the beauty of the sport.

Playtesting Every Wednesday – Join Us!

🎲 Every Wednesday, we host live playtesting on Discord for both games — and we’d love to see you at the table.

If you want early access, enjoy providing feedback, or just love being part of the creative process, come join the fun:
👉 https://discord.com/invite/cMweuHCets

Behind the Scenes – Building the Future

While testing continues, we’re also making big moves to bring these games to life:

💼 Funding Progress
We’re actively working with investors and pursuing government grants to secure the resources needed to take Steam Cities and Equestrian into full production.

🎨 Creative Partnerships
We’ve received quotes from talented illustrators, manufacturers, and marketing teams and we are currently building our shortlist to lock in the perfect collaborators.
Expect more news on this soon the visual identity of both games is coming together beautifully.

🧾 Pre-production Planning
From prototypes to packaging, we’re mapping out every detail to ensure a smooth path toward Kickstarter and beyond.

Coming Up Next

🎭 Final balancing of Law Cards and dynamic events in Steam Cities
🧩 Last feedback round before visual upgrades in Equestrian and Steam Cities
✍️ Contracting artists and confirming visual direction
🛠️ Locking down physical prototype specs
👥 Return of in-person tests very soon!

Thanks to everyone who kept the spark alive during our July break and welcome back to all our amazing testers and supporters. We’re closer than ever to making these games a reality and your feedback, enthusiasm, and encouragement keep us moving forward.

Let’s keep building together. 🚂🐴
— The Seven Castles Games Team
📰 sevencastles.games
💬 Join us on Discord