Hooded Horse is preparing to publish the physics sandbox Sandustry into early access on August 13, following the strong sales performance of its early-access strategy title Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era, which sold 1 million units.
Hooded Horse published two early-access titles in 2026. The turn-based strategy RPG Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era entered early access on April 30 and sold 1 million units as of May 29, including 250,000 units in its first 24 hours. The publisher announced the sales milestone alongside a roadmap for the early access period.
The next early-access release from Hooded Horse is Sandustry, a pixel-based factory automation sandbox developed by Lantto Games. Scheduled for August 13 on PC and Game Pass, the game lets players dig, mix, smelt, and automate production on a procedurally generated side-view planet. A demo released in February 2025 earned an Overwhelmingly Positive rating from approximately 1,200 Steam reviews, 97% positive. Hooded Horse will sell the game via Steam, the Microsoft Store, GOG.com, and Xbox and PC Game Pass.
Both titles launched under Hooded Horse's publishing label. The Sandustry announcement on June 25 detailed planned mod support and a skill tree for technology research, building on a development cycle that began with public prototypes in 2024. The two stories establish that Hooded Horse is currently executing a strategy of releasing early-access games, with one having achieved notable early sales and the other generating strong pre-release user sentiment.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every
fact links the story it came from.
Jun 26
Publisher Hooded Horse and developer Lantto Games announced on June 25 that the factory automation sandbox Sandustry will enter early access on August 13 (August 14 in Japan due to time zone differences). The game will be available on PC via Steam, Microsoft Store, and GOG.com, as well as on Xbox and PC Game Pass. Sandustry takes place on a procedurally generated, side-view planet where every pixel is a resource with distinct physical and chemical properties. Players dig, mix, smelt, and automate production lines using conveyor belts and elevators. Chemical reactions include melting ice into water and boiling it into steam, which falls as rain. The game features a skill tree for technology research, ancient ruins to explore, and planned mod support with official tools. A demo released in February 2025 has earned an "Overwhelmingly Positive" rating on Steam from approximately 1,200 user reviews, 97% of which are positive. Sandustry was first announced in January 2024 and has been in development with public prototypes since then.
May 29
Publisher Hooded Horse announced on May 29 that the turn-based strategy RPG Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era has sold 1 million units. The game entered early access on April 30 and sold 250,000 units in its first 24 hours. A roadmap for early access was also released alongside the sales milestone.