Unforetold Witchstone showed a lot of potential when it launched in early access in January, but much of that potential was buried under shenanigans: Fraser Brown wrote in February that the game is "very impressive" when done well, but in its pre-1.0 state, much of it is "ruined by bugs and strange systems."

Sadly, it seems unlikely that the game will ever get a chance to overcome its rough edges and truly shine, as developer Spearhead Games has halted further development of the game and fired most of its team.

"The last few weeks have been difficult due to the compounding effects of financial prospects that did not materialize," said Atul Mehra and Malik Boukhira, co-founders of the studio, "but we have been able to make the most of the opportunities that have presented themselves.

"After careful consideration, we have come to the unfortunate conclusion that we have no choice but to discontinue future production of Unforetold: after the release of Hotfix 7, we have been forced to stop production of Witchstone indefinitely as of March 8, 2024."

Unforetold: Witchstone's Discord server will also be shut down on March 8, but other social media accounts will be maintained as the studio "finds a way to rebuild again."

The announcement prompted a series of negative user reviews on Steam. In a subsequent message, the studio apologized for the "oversight" and said it was in contact with Steam "to gather all necessary information regarding pricing and refund policies."

In a more detailed breakdown of the situation, Spearhead said it had significantly expanded Unforetold's scope: it had received investment from a "major third-party publisher" and had significantly expanded the scope and development team for Witchstone. However, a few months ago, that unnamed publisher "made significant cuts internally" and canceled several projects, including Unforetold: Witchstone

While looking for another publisher, the studio decided to release Unforetold: Witchstone in early Access release, in an attempt to encourage interest from potential partners and earn money to support developers while continuing work. It did not work out and the studio is still trying to secure funding for the game, but "the current climate in the gaming industry makes that prospect unrealistic at this time"

.

"We acknowledge that our previous communications could have been more comprehensive, especially with regard to the Steam platform specifications (price adjustments, refunds, etc.). We have learned from this experience and recognize the need to improve the way we communicate important changes. Your trust is of utmost importance to us, and we will do everything in our power to restore it going forward."

For now, Unforetold: Witchstone will remain in Early Access and will be offered with an end-of-support notice: Spearhead will not remove or make the game free because it has a "legal obligation to keep the game for sale to investors." He stated. However, the price has been reduced from $35 to $10, allowing "more people to enjoy what has been created so far" and leaving open the possibility of completing the game once funding is secured.

Spearhead also stated that they are in discussions with Steam about allowing refunds for those who have played more than two hours and will post another update as soon as that situation is clarified.