Good Fun Corporation has taken stock: the HUNGER Closed Beta ran so cleanly on the technical side that only a single client hotfix was needed all week.

At the same time, the studio is open about what still needs work, and it confirms there will be an Open Beta before Early Access.

The biggest success hardly anyone noticed

The main goal of the Closed Beta was to validate the work behind the scenes. HUNGER is built from lots of interlocking systems, from matchmaking and Expeditions to inventory, stash and character progression, traders and the Château itself. All of it had to hold up with tens of thousands of players at once.

The result, according to the studio:

  • A single client hotfix across the entire beta.
  • Backend issues were mostly fixed without client updates or downtime.
  • No widespread problems with wiped inventories, stashes or progression.

Anyone who played the last Tech Test knows why that last point matters most. On the final Sunday, the studio also ran a Server Slam to push the servers to full load.

Plenty of players stuck around

The team is happy with how many players kept coming back all week, even knowing their progress would be wiped. The Château was full of high-level characters, some past level 50. And more and more players dug into the deeper interconnected systems instead of treating HUNGER as a string of separate Expeditions.

Prestige instead of forced wipes

During the beta the studio also explained how character progression fits together. Abilities are the foundation, Masteries specialise you around a playstyle, and gathering and crafting Professions give you a role in the group, like making medicine or crafting firearms. Prestige lets you start a new Mastery journey while carrying some abilities forward.

The key line: long-term progression is meant to work without recurring forced global wipes. For an extraction game, that is a clear statement.

What Good Fun Corporation wants to change

The studio already lists several concrete issues:

  • Spatial audio and occlusion need improvement.
  • The Vepr is performing above intended balance.
  • The spear lunge is too effective.
  • Base movement speed feels a touch sluggish.
  • The gap between low and high level players is too big.
  • Vaulting and mantling feel clunky and imprecise.
  • Vendor item availability needs more balancing.
  • A reconnect feature is on the way.

On top of that come bigger topics like progression and matchmaking, movement, performance, the economy and onboarding. Some of it should land before Early Access, the rest after launch.

Open Beta confirmed, podcast incoming

Good Fun Corporation confirms an Open Beta ahead of the Early Access launch, with dates for both coming soon. Until then, the studio plans more dev updates and a new podcast, After the End, on YouTube, with later episodes streamed live on Twitch. The team wants to use it to respond to beta feedback and answer community questions.

FAQ

Will HUNGER have an Open Beta?

Yes. Good Fun Corporation confirmed an Open Beta before Early Access, dates are still to come.

When does HUNGER release in Early Access?

Not announced yet. The date is set to be revealed soon, together with the Open Beta dates.

Will HUNGER have regular wipes?

According to Good Fun Corporation, no recurring forced global wipes are planned. Long-term progression is meant to run through Prestige.

Which weapon is getting nerfed?

The studio says the Vepr is stronger than intended, and so is the spear lunge. Specific changes have not been announced yet.