After feedback from the latest playtest demo for pre-orderers, Amplitude say they have a few areas they want to focus on: “Accessibility, Onboarding, Pacing, Balancing, Diplomacy and AI”. For more info, see their announcement. “It’s been exciting to see the community get their hands on the game during the last few OpenDev sessions, and to hear all the positive (and constructive!) feedback,” studio head Romain de Waubert de Genlis explained. “Players have always been at the heart of Amplitude’s philosophy and releasing Humankind in August will allow us the extra time to keep working with the community and polishing the game for an amazing day one experience.” Our Nate played a preview version in June 2020 and thought it could well be a solid rival for Civilization. “I’m hesitant to say how strong a contender until I’ve seen more of the game, since I think Humankind’s brand of satisfaction is going to lean heavily on the way the outcomes of your decisions stack across thousands of simulated years. But the fact that I could see, even in the early game, how the calls I made might have ramifications for centuries to come, was a promising sign.”
