Legendary roguelike RPG's 9 years in Steam Early Access was possible as devs wanted a "positive lifestyle and great game, rather than maximum profit"

Key art for Caves of Qud, showing someone riding next to a horse next to a giant tortoise, looking at a figure in the foreground.

Nine years since its early access launch, the wait for Caves of Qud's 1.0 release is almost over, as its publisher reaffirms that it's still coming this year and explains how the indie devs at Freehold Games have handled its lengthy development.

While science fantasy roguelike Caves of Qud has been in development for over 16 years by Freehold Games (since 2007), there's a decent chance you might have already played it. Its first beta launched in 2010, although its early access launch didn't come until five years later – July 15, 2015, to be exact.