The end of The Long Dark is in sight after over a decade in development, culminating in a fifth and final story episode that is '3 to 4 times as big' as episode 4

The ruddy-faced main character of The Long Dark.

The Long Dark has been in development for a long time. Hinterland's chilly survival game launched into Steam early access way back in 2014, before formally releasing three years later. But the launch in 2017 only represented the completion of the game's survival mode. The episodic story mode, titled "Wintermute", has been grinding glacially forward ever since.

Now, that journey is nearing its completion. Hinterland has already stated that episode five will release sometime this year. Now, creative director Raphael van Lierop has explained why this final episode of the story has taken so long. Short version, it's a big one.