- Playtest Results and What’s Next! - 18 April 2026
Hello everyone! Over the past weeks, we’ve been carefully reviewing all the feedback from the Playtest. Before we get into what we’re improving next, here’s a quick look at the results. Players who joined the Playtest: 3,500 Players who completed the challenge and earned the "Old Guard" achievement: 269 Thank you all for taking part! All 269 players who completed the challenge will receive their reward when the game launches. What We’re Working On Main priorities: Combat controls — We’ve decided to add a manual target selection system. Auto-battle will remain available as an optional mode. We’re also improving the auto-battle system to make its behavior more consistent and logical. Loyalty system — The full version will include more ways to manage loyalty, both in and out of combat. We’re also smoothing out the sharp loyalty swings that can happen during quests. Content (quests, items,…
- Blades For Hire Playtest Is Coming to an End! - 20 March 2026
The Blades For Hire Playtest is ending very soon! The Playtest will close on March 23. But you can still get access if you haven’t joined yet. This is your final chance to earn the reward, so sign up now and we’ll do our best to grant access as quickly as possible. We’re grateful to everyone who has taken part and shared feedback. We’ve already received a huge amount of it. As soon as the Playtest ends, we’ll begin reviewing all of your feedback and put together a plan for improving the game. We’ll do our best to improve everything we can. Good luck, everyone!
- Blades For Hire playtest is Now Live! - 9 March 2026
Greetings, everyone! We’re excited to announce the official launch of the Blades For Hire Playtest! Playtest period: March 9 – March 23 About the Playtest: The Playtest version is an improved version of the demo released earlier, now featuring all the changes and improvements we made based on your feedback. On top of that, completing this version will let you earn unique equipment for your mercenaries when the game launches. We’ve mentioned the participation reward several times before. You can find all the details in our previous announcement. To keep it brief, there are three required conditions to receive the reward: - Add the game to your wishlist. - Follow the publisher page on Steam. - Earn the Steam achievement "Old Guard". The Playtest version is available in the following languages: English, Russian, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Turkish. Who…
- Blades For Hire Playtest Starts March 9! - 2 March 2026
Greetings, mercenaries! Blades For Hire enters a new phase - Playtest begins March 9! Everyone who has requested access will be able to jump into a special Playtest version of the game. How long will the Playtest last? The Playtest runs from March 9 at 11:00 AM PT to March 23 at 11:00 AM PT. That means you’ll have exactly two weeks to participate. After that, the exclusive reward will no longer be obtainable. Why participate? The Playtest is your chance to earn an exclusive in-game reward by unlocking a special Steam achievement. It’s simple - complete the Playtest, unlock the Steam achievement, and once the full game launches, you’ll receive a unique armor set and a two-handed sword. 🏆EXCLUSIVE REWARD: Conditions to receive the reward: - Add the game to your wishlist. - Follow the publisher page on Steam. - During the Playtest, earn the Steam achievement "Old Guard". To unlock the "Ol…
- Blades For Hire at the Choose Wisely Festival 2025! - 9 December 2025
We’re excited to announce that Blades For Hire is taking part in the Choose Wisely Festival 2025 — a themed Steam festival dedicated to games where every decision shapes the story and its outcomes. Choose Wisely Festival 2025 brings together projects built around branching narratives, meaningful choices, and strong story-driven gameplay. During the event, you’ll be able to discover hundreds of titles, catch new announcements, watch the showcase, and try out demos. Player choice is a core pillar of Blades For Hire, but today we’d like to focus on the combat system, as its indirect-control nature has sparked some discussions. Combat System There’s been a lot of debate about how combat works, so we’d like to offer some clarification — to explain why the system was designed the way it is. Turn-based tactics have explored countless approaches already, and we didn’t want to simply repeat them…
- The Medieval Festival. Sign up for The Playtest. - 5 December 2025
Greetings! Blades For Hire is proudly participating in The Medieval Festival. As part of this event, we’d like to share an update on our progress. Demo Version It has been some time since we launched our demo. Thank you to everyone who shared feedback, added the game to their wishlist, or simply spent time with the demo! This insight has been invaluable — it helps us understand how we can make the game even better. As we move towards the Playtest phase, we’d like to highlight a few key takeaways. We are now fully focused on preparing the Playtest build, which is why the demo is no longer available. A lot has already changed in the version you’ll soon be able to experience. Here’s a look at how the demo went — and what changes are on the way: 64 hours — that’s the longest recorded playtime in the demo! We recommend turning off your PC before going to bed. :) The average completion time w…
- Blades For Hire at the Turn-Based Carnival! Sign Up for Playtest. - 28 November 2025
Greetings! Blades For Hire is participating in the Turn-Based Carnival, which runs from November 27 to December 3. During this festival, many turn-based combat games are discounted, livestreams are running, and you can discover something new. PLAYTESTS We invite you to sign up for the Blades For Hire playtest. To join, simply click the “Request Access” button on the game’s Steam page. Participants will be able to earn a reward. The playtests are planned to launch in the first quarter of 2026. You can learn more about the playtests in the previous announcement. Be sure to add the game to your wishlist - it helps a lot. Information from the Publisher Discover even more turn-based combat projects. We invite you to take a look at two more great games: Dive into a turn-based strategy with RPG elements inspired by Heroes of Might and Magic. Stones Keeper II: Chaos Lord features a castle-manag…
- Blades For Hire joins the Ancient Costume Game Festival. - 3 November 2025
Hello, dear players! We - the DoubleTap team, in collaboration with publisher Valkyrie Initiative - are pleased to announce that our strategy game Blades For Hire is taking part in the Ancient Costume Game Festival on Steam. In this game, you will take command of a guild of mercenaries in a world where honor has long lost its value, and survival depends on tough decisions - your decisions. PLAYTEST SIGN-UPS ARE OPEN! To celebrate the festival, we would like to invite you to sign up for the playtest. To register, click the “Request Access” button on the game’s Steam page. Today, as promised, we are sharing more details about the playtest - but first, we suggest watching a short trailer dedicated to the festival and the start of registration. WHAT AWAITS PLAYTEST PARTICIPANTS: - An improved version of the game, based on feedback collected from the currently available demo version. - Bonus…
- Blades For Hire Joins Sword Celebration! Playtest Sign-Ups Are Open! - 1 September 2025
Hello! From September 1 to 8, 2025, Blades For Hire is taking part in Sword Celebration — a special Steam festival dedicated to sword-focused games. You are not a hero. You are a contractor, managing a guild with blade and calculation. Experience the demo and immerse yourself in a world where morality has a price and survival is everything. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3180010/Blades_For_Hire_Demo/ Add the game to your wishlist so you don’t miss the upcoming full release and special offers! PLAYTEST SIGN-UPS ARE NOW OPEN! Sign up for the playtest now and later you’ll be able to receive a unique reward in the form of a sword and armor. We’ll share more details in a separate announcement. INFORMATION FROM THE PUBLISHER Discover new worlds, fresh ideas, and unique atmospheres in other games, each of which showcases the power of the sword and the spirit of adventure in its own way. Te…
- Demo Update: New Localizations Added. Gameplay Mechanics Improved - 9 August 2025
Hello! The demo version has received another update. We’ve added new localizations and made several improvements to make the gameplay more comfortable and clear. Full list of changes: Added translations for the following languages: German, French, Spanish, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Simplified), Turkish. Turn order of combat participants is now displayed in battles. Choice buttons in quests now show an icon of the attribute affecting party members' loyalty change. Generated quest titles now indicate their difficulty level. At this stage, we are making changes to the full version of the game as well as the playtest version. This includes improvements to the turn-based combat system. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3180010/Blades_For_Hire_Demo/ You can always reach out to our team with any questions: We invite you to join our Discord server.
- Blades For Hire joins the Steam Debut Festival 2025! - 8 August 2025
Greetings! Blades For Hire is part of the Steam Debut Festival 2025 — an event where debut games step into the spotlight for the very first time! This is our first major title, and we’re excited to invite you to try the free demo, available now. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3180010/Blades_For_Hire_Demo/ In the demo you will experience: • Early missions and branching story choices • Tactical battles with indirect squad control • Basic guild and resource management • An atmospheric introduction to a harsh and morally complex world Thank you for supporting us — indie developers taking our very first steps. Play the demo, share your impressions, and join the discussion in the official Discord community! Publisher’s Note Discover new genres, fresh ideas, and one-of-a-kind worlds crafted by passionate debut creators from around the globe — all as part of the Steam Debut Festival 2025. T…
- Demo Update - 1 July 2025
Greetings! We're grateful for all the feedback we've received from players, as well as from those who shared their playthroughs and livestreams. We've prepared the first round of fixes, and they are now available in the current demo version: Changes: Selected mercenary tactic is now saved between battles. You won’t have to choose the same tactic over and over again. Resting mercenaries now recover health continuously, rather than just once per day. Increased the chance of generating a mage recruit each week. The starting quest has been moved to a neighboring town so that new players can immediately learn how to navigate the map. Tweaked the timing of loot distribution event after the "The Warehouse Heist" quest. Adjusted the difficulty of the final quest. Fixes: Dagger-wielding enemies can no longer attack from the back row while ignoring their front row allies (they can still ignore ob…
- Blades For Hire at Steam Next Fest – June 2025 Edition - 9 June 2025
Blades For Hire is a tactical RPG about mercenaries, where honor has long been replaced by contracts. As part of Steam Next Fest, you can try the free demo and dive into a dangerous world where every battle is a deal — and every deal is a matter of survival. Build your guild, take on contracts, customize your mercenaries’ abilities, fight, and make tough choices. The demo is available during Steam Next Fest: June 2025 Edition — only from June 9 to 16! Don’t miss your chance to explore the brutal world of Blades For Hire and carve your path to glory… or to the grave. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3180010/Blades_For_Hire_Demo/
- Blades For Hire — Demo Out Now! - 8 June 2025
Greetings, mercenaries! We’re excited to announce that the free demo of our dark tactical RPG Blades for Hire is available now on Steam — a game where loyalty has a price, and that price is gold. And starting tomorrow, Blades for Hire will join the Steam Next Fest: June 2025 Edition festival — stay tuned for updates, livestreams, and exclusive content on our Steam page! https://store.steampowered.com/app/3180010/Blades_For_Hire_Demo/ Blades for Hire is a tactical RPG that doesn’t care about your morals. In a world no longer worth saving, you command a guild of mercenaries just trying to make a profit from what’s left. And today, you get a first look — the free demo is available to everyone. You're not the hero. You're the boss. You don’t play a chosen one. You manage a struggling mercenary guild in a rotting fantasy world. Your crew? A mix of renegades, idealists, thieves, and cynics wh…
- Introducing Blades for Hire! - 22 October 2024
Greetings, dear players! Let us introduce you to a new strategy game called Blades for Hire, where you will control a mercenary guild in a realistic fantasy setting. Dive deep into the world where the protagonist, on the brink of survival, is forced to find questionable ways to earn money. Every day you will have to choose between following the dictates of your conscience or giving preference to pragmatism and profit. You will make these decisions through your Guild, and each mercenary will be an asset in your success. A world of tactical battles, character development, and moral dilemmas awaits you in Blades for Hire. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3180000/Blades_For_Hire/ Create the legend of your guild and shape its future! But let's take a look at the trailer first. Subscribe and add it to your wishlist!
