Frostpunk | |
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Developer(s) | 11 Bit Studios |
Publisher(s) | 11 Bit Studios |
Director(s) | Michał Drozdowski |
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Designer(s) |
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Composer(s) | Piotr Musiał |
Engine | Liquid Engine |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows PlayStation 4 Xbox One macOS iOS Android |
Release | 24 April 2018
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Genre(s) | City-building, survival |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Frostpunk is a 2018 city-building survival game developed and published by 11 Bit Studios. Players take on the role of a leader in an alternate history late 19th century, in which they must build and maintain a city during a worldwide volcanic winter, managing resources, making choices on how to survive, and exploring the area outside their city for survivors, resources, or other useful items. The game features several scenarios to undertake, each with their own stories and different challenges. The main campaign adopts a three-act structure, requiring players to grapple with internal conflict and societal turmoil in a divided city, and surviving a great storm that threatens to overwhelm the city, making sacrifices and morally-grey ethical decisions along the way.
Frostpunk was 11 Bit Studios' next project following This War of Mine, whose unexpected success prompted the studio to focus to create what it called as "meaningful entertainment". The studio was more ambitious with the game's scale and scope, with more than 60 team members working on the game. Unlike This War of Mine which focuses on an individual's struggles, Frostpunk aims at exploring issues faced by society as a whole, and if players are willing to challenge their beliefs and morals in times of adversity. The novel Ice written by Jacek Dukaj, as well as reports of near-death experiences, such as accounts from early polar explorers and survivors of the Andes flight disaster, inspired the team.
Announced in August 2016, the game was initially released for Microsoft Windows in April 2018 and was later made available for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in October 2019, and macOS in February 2021. 11 bit studios has partnered with NetEase Games to release a port for iOS and Android titled Frostpunk: Beyond the Ice. The game received generally positive reviews upon release. Critics praised the game's art style, gameplay focused on crisis management, and the ethical choices featured in the game, while criticizing its lack of replay value. It sold over 5 million copies within six years of its release. 11 Bit Studios supported the game with downloadable content following release. A sequel, Frostpunk 2, was released in 2024.