How long has Manor Lords been under development?

Manor Lords might look like it came out of a big studio like Ubisoft, but the complete opposite is true. Fun fact: Manor Lords was created by a solo developer who goes by the name of Slavic Magic - or just Greg.

There is no doubt that Greg is indeed magical. The amount of enthousiasm, perseverance and skill needed to accomplish such a feat is borderline impossible. 

But when Manor Lords will see it's Early Access release in just under a week, it will have been the culmination of years worth of hard work. 

Years and years

And when I say years, I actually mean years. Seven years, to be precise. 

Greg started building Manor Lords in 2017 while still working a regular dayjob at a filmmaking company. After receiving several grants from Epic, GOG and the publisher Hooded Horse, speed picked up.

Still, after multiple delayed launches and a few reworks, 2 years later the game is finally in a state that the developer deems worthy for an Early Access release. 

Part of the effort has gone into the research for the game. In a 2022 post, Greg details how that he wasn't happy with the way towns looked. To resolve this, he studied medieval settlement layouts and drone footage. 

To help with realism and after gathering feedback, more things changed. Like reducing the amount of regions from 50 (like a regular Total War campaign map) to just 12.

Realism

That the game should be inspired by history was always the main focus. But history is broad and cross contamination from other eras is a real threat. 

During development, Greg had to decide which era of history would be the main focus and feel of the game. This resulted in Manor Lords being a medieval city builder with mainly 14th-century influences, rather than a timespan of 300 or more years. 

One of the late additions is the militia. Before, mercenaries where the only combat ready units. And in line with games like Age of Empires, it would just be a matter of plopping down some tents and they'd be yours to command. Not very realistic...

So naturally, by the time the game will be released, you will be able to rally your able bodied villager men (just the men, of course) and have them defend your village against pillaging brutes that roam the countryside.

So much work

Honestly, the amount of work that Slavic Magic has poured into this game is immense. That alone warrants the 2 million wishlists the game has received nearing the release date. 

I for one can't wait to see the final result in action. And everyone will get to play the game, no one is left behind: you can get your version of Manor Lords on Steam, Epic, GOG or XBox Game Pass.