Recent announcements from the developer that Steam will approve refund requests for anyone who puchased the game before the recent price decrease to $9.99. Game is also being delisted from the Steam store:

Unforetold: Witchstone, Refunds and Delisting

Dear community,

For any among you that are not yet aware, we have suspended the production of Unforetold: Witchstone indefinitely. The combination of poor sales and a primary funding source falling through for us at a critical time meant that we could no longer support our amazing team. As a result, we were forced to let most of our people go and halt production, leaving Unforetold: Witchstone in an unfinished state. This was an incredibly difficult time for all of us, and we understand the disappointment that you, our players, felt.

As mentioned in our previous statement, we have been speaking with Steam since before this news became public about possible solutions for those that already purchased the game. We thank you all for your patience, and are happy to say that, after concluding our talks with Steam, they have agreed to offer the following:

1. If you purchased the game before the price drop to $9.99 USD, Steam should now approve your refund request. In order to submit a request, please log in to Steam support and select "View complete purchase history," then select Unforetold: Witchstone and choose "I have a a question about this purchase."
2. If you purchased the game after the price drop, Steam's normal refund policies will still apply.

We also stated that we were keeping the game on Steam due to legal obligations, even though it was not our preference. Since then, we have reached an agreement with previous financial partners regarding the continued presence of the game on Steam. As such, as of March 27th, 2024, the game will be delisted from Steam. This means that:

1. The game will no longer be available for purchase on the Steam marketplace.
2. Those of you that own the game and choose not to refund it will continue to have access to it in your Steam library.

Thank you again to everyone for your patience as we sought solutions for this matter. Your support has meant the world to us, and this decision was not one made lightly. We ask that you please do not hesitate to request a refund if it is right for you. More than anything, we value the feedback you provided as we worked together on content and fixes for Unforetold: Witchstone; feedback that we will continue to carry with us to all future endeavors.

All the best,
Spearhead Games

Thanks Daveyd!

Couchpotato spotted some answers regarding the end of development of Unforetold Witchstone:

Answering Your Questions

Closing Development on Unforetold Witchstone

Dear community,

The discontinuation of Unforetold: Witchstone and the subsequent team layoffs has deeply affected us all at Spearhead Games. We want you to know that this decision was not made lightly. Facing significant financial shortfalls, we were compelled to make this heartbreaking choice due to insufficient funds to sustain the project and support our valued employees.

We understand the frustration and disappointment this news may bring. Please know it was always our intention to create and support a game that you, our passionate community, would love and enjoy. The perception that funds were taken without delivering on our promises could not be further from the truth.

To provide further context, Unforetold: Witchstone has a long history. What began as a prototype made by a lean team of 10, grew over the past six years to encompass a development team of nearly 40. This was only made possible by an investment from a large third-party publisher, which also led us to increase the scope and ambition of the game. However, a few months ago, that publisher made significant cuts internally, including dropping us and several other projects.

Following that terrible news, but believing in our amazing team and what we were building together, we made the decision to use the studio’s savings to continue developing the game together with the entire team. We were optimistic that securing another interested publisher was a viable path forward, or barring that, we could take the game into Early Access if the search dragged on.

However, as many of you have noticed over the past year, the industry has changed greatly, with many layoffs and cancelled projects at some of the world’s largest studios. It quickly became a time where pursuing funding became a massive uphill battle. Still, we remained optimistic that we could garner some interest if we launched into Early Access, and that the sales would support our team while we continued to look for interested partners.

Despite our initial positive expectations for the game's sales, we sadly did not meet these objectives. This financial reality forced us into making a decision we had hoped to avoid. While we tried, and are still actively trying, to secure funds to complete the game, the current climate of the game industry makes that prospect unrealistic at this moment.

We acknowledge that our previous communication could have been more comprehensive, particularly regarding the Steam platform specifics (price adjustments, refunds, etc.), which was an oversight for which we take full responsibility. We are learning from this experience and acknowledge the need to improve how we communicate significant changes. Your trust is paramount to us, and we are dedicated to rebuilding it moving forward.

To address the concerns raised, we have provided below the current details regarding Steam pricing and refund policies for Unforetold: Witchstone. Our commitment to transparency remains steadfast, and we are in ongoing discussions with Steam to clarify and expand upon these measures as necessary. As new information emerges, we will promptly update this section to keep you fully informed and supported.

Is the game staying in Early Access?

Unforetold: Witchstone will remain on Steam and in Early Access. We have updated the Steam store page to notify potential players that the game is no longer supported, and if they purchase now, the game is not likely to change. While removing the game from Steam completely or offering it for free was considered, we have legal obligations to investors to maintain the sale of the game.

Is the pricing going to change?

To reflect the fact that the development of the game is on hold indefinitely, we are reducing the price to $9.99 USD.

We feel that this price will allow more people to enjoy what has been created so far, and that the game may still serve to inspire other developers while leaving the door open to investors to complete the game.

I’ve played more than two hours, can I still get a refund?

Steam’s policy is that refunds are not offered past the standard 2 hour playtime window, even in the case of Early Access titles. We are currently in talks with them to make a special case for those that wish to refund past this point, but we cannot promise this will materialize. This decision is not up to us, but to Steam. We will keep you posted as soon as we have clarification on what is possible.

Thank you for your support and understanding as we navigate these challenging times together. We are committed to keeping you informed and look forward to sharing updates with you as soon as they become available.

- Spearhead Games

Gokyabgu spotted that the development of Unforetold: Witchstone put on hold indefinitely:

An Important Message From Spearhead Games

It is with great sadness that we address you today regarding difficult decisions that we had to make concerning Unforetold: Witchstone. The past few weeks have been challenging, as the combined impact of financial prospects that did not materialize have put us in a difficult position.

Hence after careful consideration, we have come to the regrettable conclusion that we must
stop further production on Unforetold:Witchstone indefinitely as of March 8th 2024,
after the release of Hotfix #7.

It further saddens us that due to these financial circumstances, we have had to make the tough decision to lay off the majority of our team. These developers created worlds unseen from nothing but with sheer will and collective imagination – a testament to the heart and soul poured into this studio.
We want to express our heartfelt thanks to them for their passion and hard work.

We also want to assure you that we are doing everything in our power to support everyone affected. We have hired companies to help with personalized career coaching, emotional support, networking, and job placement assistance.

We call on the games industry in Montreal and around: if you have space, give our incredibly talented people a chance and you will be amazed.

As we move forward, we ask for your understanding and patience as we navigate through this transition period and find ways to rebuild again. We will do our best to keep you updated on any developments. As such, our social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube accounts will remain as is. However, the Discord server will be shutting down as of March 8th 2024.

And finally, to our phenomenal team, our passionate players, and every single person who found a home in the universes we created in the last 12 years — a heartfelt thank you.
So long, until we meet again.

- Atul Mehra and Malik Boukhira, co-founders

Unforetold: Witchstone got a big update:

Community Update #2 - Hotfix details, VOD and more!

Hello Adventurers!

It’s still hard to believe that after working so many years on Unforetold: Witchstone, the game is finally out on Early Access. It’s been a crazy and difficult but fulfilling journey building this sandbox version of a cRPG from scratch. But our work isn’t done yet and we’ve barely scratched the surface of this playground called Kalsundia. As one of the ways to show our gratitude to all the players supporting Unforetold: Witchstone at the very beginning of its Early Access, we’ve been tirelessly working on hotfix updates for the past few weeks.

We’d like to use this opportunity to once again thank everyone who has either bought the game, sent us feedback, reported a bug, talked to us about their experience, made content about the game, wishlisted it, or simply sent words of encouragement. This support means the world to us and helps us get through the more difficult times.

The Big Update

Since the launch of the Unforetold: Witchstone, our team has been scanning our Discord server, the Steam forums, live streams, YouTube videos, and reviews looking for critical areas of improvement. Your comments help us prioritize what features and bug fixes need to be tackled next. As such, we’re very happy to release the fifth and biggest update to date for Unforetold: Witchstone, which Malik and Phil previewed on a Twitch live stream last Friday.

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

The Turn Based Lovers checked out Unforetold: Witchstone:

UNFORETOLD: WITCHSTONE – PREVIEW

Unforetold: Witchstone is a turn-based tactical open world computer role-playing game (CRPG) by Spearhead Games set in a unique fantasy world designed by Ed Greenwood of Dungeon and Dragons’ Forgotten Realms fame. In it, you play a new arrival to the frontier continent of Kalsundia, where you are able to pave your own way and change the face of the world through your choices and actions.

OVERVIEW
If you have played a CRPG, particularly one based on Dungeons and Dragons (D&D), Unforetold: Witchstone’s core systems should be familiar. You use background, race, and class to customize your character, determine a few things about your initial characteristics, and use that as a baseline for the protagonist of your story and Unforetold: Witchstone is built so that it really is your story.

The game leaves you with a lot of freedom to determine how exactly you want to go through it, who you want to work with, and where you want to go. There are a number of mutually exclusive factions that you can work with and join, and also the potential to just avoid them entirely and work with the people of the land. 

[...]

CONCLUSION
Unforetold: Witchstone is a very promising RPG, and I am really looking forward to seeing how it develops over the course of time. If the developers can meet the expectations that the concept and content of the game promise, it is going to be an excellent game. The question remains, though, if they will be able to stick the landing, but I am hopeful. 

Thanks Couchpotato!

Couchpotato spotted livestream #1 for Unforetold: Witchstone:

Unforetold: Witchstone | Livestream #1

Developers play Unforetold: Witchstone and answer some questions in the chat.

Couchpotato spotted a Community Feedback Survey for Unforetold: Witchstone:

Community Feedback Survey

We're all ears!

Happy Friday adventurers!

As we continue on our journey together, we want to make sure we're creating content, updates, and experiences that you genuinely love and look forward to.

To do that, we need your help!
We'd love to hear what you'd like to see more of from us.
Whether it's new content types, community events, game updates, or anything else, your feedback is invaluable.

Here are a few examples to get the ball rolling:

• Behind-the-Scenes Content: Insights into our development process, art creation, or game design.
• Community Events: Q&A sessions with the devs, Livestreams.
• Educational Content: Tutorials, tips and tricks, or deep dives into game mechanics.
• Exclusive Previews: Sneak peeks at upcoming features, characters, or storylines.
•  Give your feedback here  

Thank you for your support and for being an awesome part of our community.

Mortismal Gaming checked out the Early Access title Unforetold: Witchstone:

Check Out | Unforetold: Witchstone

Splattercatgaming checked out Unforetold: Witchstone:

If This New Fantasy RPG Gets Polished It's Gonna Be A Hit - Unforetold Witchstone

The Early Access version of the sandbox RPG Unforetold: Witchstone is now available:

Unforetold: Witchstone Out Now In Early Access!

Your adventure awaits

Adventurers, the wait is over!

Unforetold: Witchstone has officially launched into Early Access on Steam.
Embark on a journey where your choices shape the world around you.
Explore, battle, and decide your destiny in a realm filled with magic and mystery.

Thank you for your support and enthusiasm. We can't wait to see the paths you choose.

Your adventure starts now!

PC Gamer posted a documentary about Unforetold: Witchstone:

Unforetold: Witchstone - PC Gaming Show documentary

Thanks Couchpotato!

Unforetold: Witchstone is coming to Steam Early Access on January 25, 2024:

Unforetold: Witchstone - Early Access Release Date Announcement Trailer

Unforetold: Witchstone Interview | PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted 2023

Learn more about factions in the dev update #13 for Unforetold: Witchstone (formerly Project Witchstone):

Dev Update #13: Let's Talk About Factions

Greetings Adventurers!

We hope you’ve enjoyed the last 2 dev blogs about the setting of Unforetold: Witchstone, the harsh and mysterious island-continent of Kalsundia. Collaborating with the legendary Ed Greenwood to create this world has been a dream come true and way more fun than anticipated. We hope you’ll also have fun immersing yourself in our universe.

Today, we’re going to dive a little deeper into a topic that’s been brought up a few times in previous posts: Kalsundian factions.

Three main factions vie for power on the island: the Free Legion, the Commonwealth, and the Brightwind Clan. At the start of Unforetold: Witchstone, there is an uneasy truce between them, but any inciting event could potentially trigger an all-out war. Due to their conflicting ideals and visions for the future of Kalsundia, this swing between war and peace has been happening since the last time they all fought together and forced the mainland empires to retreat from the island. The factions have divided the ownerships of towns among themselves but these ownerships can easily change through negotiations or battles.

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

Couchpotato spotted dev update #8 for Project Witchstone:

Dev Update #8: Map Preview - Free Fortress

Hello Adventurers!

For today’s Dev Update, we want to show you a sneak peek of a map of the game: the base of the Free Legion faction, Free Fortress!

As one of multiple faction bases, this area will be explorable later in the game, as you make alliances and enemies of the main factions of Kalsundia. Will you ally yourself with the Free Legion and climb their ranks to gain the respect of their leader Tory Chanley? Or will you raid the Free Fortress alongside the Commonwealth or the Brightwind Clan?

Please keep in mind that this map is currently in development and that every part of it is subject to improvements.

Entering the Free Fortress

Situated in the northwest desert region of Kalsundia, the Free Fortress, much like its name suggests, is a fortified construction initially built by the Avondus Empire, for their invasion that failed. Built on rocky terrain, it is now the central home of one of the main three factions of the game, the Free Legion. Militaristic by nature, their might is on full display here; while some parts of the fortress are open to adventurers and merchants, they are reminded of the Legion’s power at every corner.

[...]

Couchpotato spotted dev blog #6 for Project Witchstone:

Dev Blog #6: Companions Overview

Hello again, Adventurers,

Today, we’d like to share with you a sneak preview of the design for companions in Project Witchstone.

Companions are a staple of cRPGs. The majority of the most memorable characters in the history of the genre are companion characters. Our interactions with them are what we vividly remember from these games. We hope that this will also be the case in our twist on the conventional cRPG.

"Recruiting Companion"

In Witchstone, you can recruit up to three companions into your party. While we do have recommended companion characters, you are free to recruit anyone in the world. It doesn’t mean that everyone will gladly accept to join you though. Some will take a bit of convincing.

The people you recruit will become invaluable both in and outside combat. Of course, they are more than just tools - they are also distinct characters with their own motivations and personality, and can react accordingly. Let’s take a deeper look.

[...]

Dev Blog #5 for Project Witchstone provides an overview of the game.

Greeting Adventurers,

It’s been a while since we last spoke to you all. First and foremost, we’d like to once again answer our most commonly asked question: Yes, Project Witchstone is very much still in development!

During our 2 years of almost complete silence, the team at Spearhead Games has been hard at work on the game, making sure you all get to experience a beautiful and groundbreaking cRPG. We decided that now’s a good time to finally show you all some of the progress made on Project Witchstone and some of the innovations we are bringing to the genre. As such, we will be releasing blog posts on a monthly basis. For the first post of our return, we thought it would be good to remind you what Project Witchstone is all about.

Origins, Vision, and Challenges

A key inspiration for Witchstone was the experience of playing a tabletop RPG, where the possibilities of roleplaying characters seem limitless, the feeling that the story is impacted by your decisions and that you have meaningful agency with the game’s world and its characters (at least with a good game master ;) )

While Witchstone has the look and feel of a cRPG, we don’t see it as being a traditional cRPG. Through its underlying combination of narrative, faction and NPC systems, we’re building the game with freedom of choice at its core, where those choices can have meaningful impacts on the game’s world as well as the story of your character. Unlike most RPGs, no quest is mandatory, no character is essential, and no choice is either good or bad.

Whilst this goal will provide an incredible opportunity for players to shape endless new adventures, this also poses some challenges, mostly learned behaviors and expectations from traditional cRPGs.

In more traditional cRPGs you are traveling through predetermined paths. You’re guided on paths through the highs and lows and the story is paced to match it.

We’re trying to break this on-rails, pre-determined experience and enable true freedom: the ability to work towards your chosen goal in any way you see fit. With Witchstone, you can experience your own story and shape the world in your own way but still feel the depth and quality of that journey. 

[...]

Dev Blog #2: Companions vs Followers for Project Witchstone.

Greetings Adventurers!

Welcome back to the Dev Blog for Witchstone. In a series of regular posts, we’re gonna dive into the cool features of the game that we’re working on to make it a new kind of RPG experience. The very first one is an interesting addition to a well loved system…

Companions… and Followers!

While having companions to your main character is a long-time staple of many (honestly most!) cRPG’s, we’re using one of the options of the Influence System we’ve built the core mechanics of the game around to give you even more options when it comes to who you can have following you around.

Companions, in the normal sense, will be available to the player at various points and locations around the world. Because the nature of how each playthrough of Witchstone is wildly variable subject to choices the player makes, there will always be variance in which companions you’ll meet along your travels. Among these we plan to have an interesting cast of characters that cover various tactical roles, personalities, and interesting interactions with the world as a whole when they become members of your party. While companions are more likely to stick around through thick and thin, you still need to be aware that they have a mind of their own, and while you do control them directly as a member of the party, their goals and wishes are still there, and their willingness to stick around can be affected by the player’s decision to either address or ignore them.



Where we get to do something new and interesting is the inclusion of the ability to convince NPCs to follow you around by using the Influence System. The method you chose to employ is up to you, be it through persuasion, intimidation, or some other method, but a successful attempt will see that NPC willing to tag along with you for the time being. This NPC is still an independent thinker, unlike the companion members of your party who generally will be yours to control, so you may find yourself in some interesting situations if you have followers along while engaging in something they’re opposed to. The autonomy that all of the NPC’s in the game have still applies to followers you’ve convinced to come along, so you’ll always have to be aware of your actions and the dispositions of anyone you have following the party to avoid (or even encourage) unforeseen outcomes.



One interesting use of the follower system that opens up a lot of possibilities for being able to physically bring NPCs to new locations their AI wouldn’t normally bring them to, but their presence can create emergent events. Want the sheriff to come check out the nearby smuggler’s hideout? If you can convince him to tag along, you can make it happen even if there isn’t a scripted quest that would take the Sheriff there normally. Bringing certain NPCs into areas that create conflict is an obvious use, but on the flip side, inventive use of the follower system may lead to peaceful resolutions that aren’t immediately obvious as well. Programming this level of reactivity into the systems is obviously challenging, but we think it’s an important aspect of the “living word” feel of Witchstone. We hope its inclusion in the wider toolset we’re trying to give players will create more interesting events and effects that step outside the traditional model of RPG design.



If you feel like recruiting every guard you can see so you can run around town in a big gang? Yeah, you can do that too.



….though bringing them all into a restricted area, was probably a bad idea.

If you’re interested in supporting the game right now, adding us to your wishlist goes a long way to help us!

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts, feedback, or anything at all. You can get a hold of the team by following the game on Twitter! https://twitter.com/WitchstoneGame

If you want to be notified when we send out the newsletter with info about the studio, and general updates you can subscribe here: http://eepurl.com/dilhNP

Until next we meet Adventurers!
-The Spearhead Team

PCGamesN spoke to the developers of Project Witchstone and asked how they intend to use AI to create a living world.

What sets Project Witchstone apart from other games in its genre is that aforementioned “living world” – an “alive” and “dynamic” world that you can interact with authentically and in which player decisions affect things down the line in a realistic way. “Like a Game Master running campaigns for their friends, our stories have a general direction, but what the player decides to do ultimately determines what happens next and which characters are involved.”

This dynamic world is captured in its setting. “When coming up with the lore,” Philip says, “we felt that the game’s core concepts of freedom of choice and influence on the world would need a setting that would support conflict, intrigue, and lasting changes. Therefore, the idea of a frontier-like world made the most sense to us. In the mythologies of the American West and the Australian Outback, the stories are about personal freedom, danger, one’s influence on society, resource control, the old vs the new, et cetera. This, combined with the visual iconography of the era, inspired and influenced us greatly.”

It’s not just about player agency, however. To make this experience as realistic as possible, non-player characters need to react authentically to the world – and act upon it, too. “Characters in the world of Project Witchstone go about their daily lives, react to characters and actions around them, but can also act on their wants and needs. For example, should the player attack someone in their vicinity, an NPC has to immediately decide, based on their personality and past history, whether they help someone in the fight, run away, or report the assault to the nearest law enforcement officer. As you can imagine, building such an AI and optimising it isn’t trivial.”

[...]

The console announcement trailer for Project Witchstone.

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Project Witchstone, the living world sandbox RPG from Omensight and Stories: The Path of Destinies developer Spearhead Games, wanders to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in Q2 2020 alongside the previously-announced PC version.

Drawing inspiration from classic pen-and-paper games, Project Witchstone offers unmatched freedom and opportunity to roleplay in a vibrant, reactive world. Every move adventurers make ripple outward into the environment, opening new doors and closing others, as dynamic systems intertwine to produce a one-of-a-kind experience tailored to the player’s actions.

Spearhead Games will be showcasing Project Witchstone at Gamescom and PAX West this August. For press inquiries, please contact press@spearheadgames.ca

Project Witchstone is a turn-based tactical RPG being produced by Spearhead Games.

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About This Game

Known for their innovation in video game narratives, Spearhead Games (Stories: The Path of Destinies, Omensight) intends to push the interactive storytelling further with adventures uniquely tailored to each player’s gameplay and dialogue decisions. In a living and reactive world, you will be offered unprecedented options to role-play your character and influence the environment, capturing the fun and freedom of a pen & paper RPG campaign.

• A living world sandbox RPG with turn-based tactical combat
• Impact the state of the world with your decisions
• Gain a reputation or work from the shadows

Living World

The world you explore is alive, meaning that characters that inhabit this world go on with their daily lives and move around following a routine (from their workplace to their home, for example). They also own properties, have personalities, friends and enemies, likes and dislikes, appreciation towards you, allegiance to factions, perception of their surroundings, etc.

Sandbox

Using actions common in RPGs (dialogue, combat, spells, abilities, stat checks, stealing, etc.) and less common ones (stealth, influence interface, etc.), you can interact, manipulate, and shape this world as you see fit. Our goal is to give you the freedom to live the adventure you want. No overarching pre-defined main story thread, you get to decide how you want to proceed.

Want to frame a villager for theft or murder? Want to join a faction, become their leader, and destroy the other factions? Want to destroy the factions but scheme in a way that they never know you're responsible? Want to become a treasure hunter instead? Maybe the best solution is to blow everything up?

All of this Is possible In our sandbox.

How?

With our systemic approach to narrative, tailored events will occur based on your previous actions. All crimes will result in law enforcement running an investigation and attempting to arrest the suspect. Any violent act committed against a faction will result in retaliation. Taking over someone's house will work fine until the previous owner's relatives or friends come to visit.

These are some examples of the ripple effect you can cause in this world. And how you deal with the ripple effect will determine what happens after.