Summary
Manor Lordspublisher Hooded Horse has responded to some of the recent criticism over the game’s perceived lack of updates by labeling it as “distorted,” among other unflattering descriptors. The move also prompted some fan backlash against Raphael van Lierop, the chief creative officer atThe Long Darkdeveloper Hinterland, who was the one who originally bemoanedManor Lords' update frequency.
In a July 7 LinkedIn post, the Hinterland official praisedManor Lordsfor its polished gameplay loop, but said he was disappointed to discover how little content the game had to offer. Elaborating on that point, van Lierop opined that “early access is a marathon,” meaning developers essentially need to have their next big content drop already in the pipeline by the time their game launches. The Hinterland CCO saidManor Lords' sharp player count drop underlines the importance of that approach, noting how the city builder received just “three fairly small patches with no new features or content” since its late April 2024 release, thus labeling it a “case study in the pitfalls of early access development.”
Manor Lords Publisher Rejects Update Frequency Criticism as Misguided
The criticism prompted a promptresponsefrom Tim Bender, the chief executive officer atManor Lordspublisher Hooded Horse. Taking to LinkedIn, Bender labeled van Lierop’s perspective as misguided, arguing that it promotes unsustainable practices. “This is exactly the kind of distorted endless growth / burden of expectations / line must go up perspective that causes so much trouble in the games industry,” the official wrote. Bender also rejected the notion that the city builder hasn’t received significant updates in its first ten weeks on the market, noting how just one of the “small"Manor Lordspatches that recently rolled outhas a changelog with over 3,000 words.
Manor Lords Sales Still Going Strong, Publisher Says
The Hooded Horse CEO also insisted that the game’s concurrent player count drop is nothing to worry about, noting howManor Lordshas so far kept the average player engaged for nearly nine hours, which he opined is a lot relative to the game’s current content offerings. As part of that train of thought, Bender revealed that the city builder is still performing extremely well, having sold 250,000 copies in June after achieving 2 million sales during its first three weeks on the market. That’s all in spite of the fact thatManor Lordswas a day-one Xbox Game Pass release, which couldn’t have helped its sales.
This is exactly the kind of distorted endless growth/burden of expectations/line must go up perspective that causes so much trouble in the games industry.
Given that state of affairs, Bender opined that it was utterly unrealistic toexpectManor Lordsto maintain its all-time player peakof 173,000 in the medium term, and that there’s nothing wrong with people deciding to play another game until the city builder receives more content further down the road. The executive also called for the industry to move away from takes like van Lierop’s if it’s to find any semblance of sustainability. “A release should not begin an ever-accelerating treadmill on which devs are forced to run until their mental or physical health breaks down,” he concluded.
A release should not begin an ever-accelerating treadmill on which devs are forced to run until their mental or physical health breaks down.
Bender’s response quickly made the rounds on social media, even prompting a bit of backlash against Hinterland. Some fans have hence pointed out that the studio has yet to completeThe Long Dark’s story mode, whose fifth episode still hasn’t been released after seven years, thus arguing that van Lierop is in no position to criticize other early access games' content roadmaps.
Manor Lords
WHERE TO PLAY
Manor Lords is a strategy game that allows you to experience the life of a medieval lord. Grow your starting village into a bustling city, manage resources and production chains, and expand your lands through conquest.Inspired by the art and architecture of late 14th century Franconia, Manor Lords prioritizes historical accuracy wherever possible, using it to inform gameplay mechanics and visuals alike. Common medieval tropes are avoided in favor of historical accuracy in order to make the world feel more authentic, colorful, and believable.Manor Lords provides a gridless city-building experience with full freedom of placement and rotation. Building mechanics are inspired by the growth of real medieval towns and villages, where major trade routes and the landscape influenced how settlements formed and developed.From boots to barley and hides to honey, Manor Lords features a great variety of goods fitting of the era. Materials need to be transported and processed into finished products through production chains, and you must balance the basic needs of your people against the desire to produce luxury items to ensure happiness, manufacture trade goods for export, or forge arms and armor to aid in your conquests.
