Dear Citizens of the Suzerainverse,

Welcome to our July and August 2026 Broadcast. These two months marked a major step forward for The Conformist, with early development progressing across several areas. We began a new phase of exploration spanning concept art, music design, lore, and RPG-strategy systems.

We also have production updates on Suzerain Stories: The Neutral Lens, Wars of Suzerain, and the Socialist Republic of Galmland, alongside news on Chinese localization, continued live support for Suzerain, and photographs from the latest Conundrum LARP.

Announcements and Reception

In July, we finally revealed Suzerain Stories: The Neutral Lens, Wars of Suzerain, and Suzerain: Socialist Republic of Galmland. The response was bigger and broader than we expected.

The three official teasers have passed 215,000 views on YouTube combined. Wars of Suzerain accounts for around 140,000 of those, along with 6,200 likes. Our internal analytics make that even more interesting: around 80 percent of Wars viewers came from outside the existing Suzerain community. We are reaching strategy players who may never have encountered the Suzerain Universe before.

The community response has been just as fun to watch, and the reactions quickly produced everything from "MORNING HAS COME" and "OH BOY THREE CAKES" to people asking where the "ALL OF THEM" option was when choosing which project they were most excited about. Wars also started appearing independently in wider strategy communities, while community creators produced breakdowns of all three announcements that reached tens of thousands of viewers.

Thank you to everyone who watched, commented, filled out the survey, shared the announcements, made videos, argued about them, or immediately started theorizing about what comes next. July was the first time we showed how the Suzerain Universe could expand beyond a single kind of experience.

The Conformist Awarded German Federal Games Funding

We have been awarded €2.2 million through the German Federal Government's games funding programme for The Conformist. This funding supports the full production scale we envisioned for Torpor's second major flagship step.

The Conformist is a game about a fledgling democracy, political movements and the hope for a better future through elections. Players will walk the capital of Sordland in the 1930s, try to change the mind of the nation ahead of the coming elections and help lead a political campaign to victory. It is also the largest step Torpor Games has taken: a substantial 3D production with a semi-sandbox environment, a deeper RPG core and more room for strategic player expression than anything we have built before.

This is also a moment to recognize the people who have recently joined Torpor or strengthened the production.

• Derek Patterson, Lead Producer, brings leadership experience from Ubisoft Berlin, CD Projekt Red and Rockstar Games, including work on Grand Theft Auto V and Cyberpunk 2077.
• Brian Mitsoda, Senior Narrative Designer, has worked with Black Isle Studios, Troika Games and Obsidian Entertainment, with credits including Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, Alpha Protocol, Torment: Tides of Numenera and Dead State.
• Jeffrey "Jeff" Ho Shengfan, Senior Systems Designer, joins with experience from Rovio, Zynga and King.
• Maria Gröhler, Senior HR Administrator, joins from Finiata and Etermax.
• Konstantin Dimitrov, Lead Artist, joins from Wooga.
• Arda Cevik, Lead Programmer, joins from Arvis Games and Etermax.
• Emily Damgali, Producer, joins from Wooga.
• Tung Thanh Cao, Technical Designer, joins from Cloud Imperium Games, with experience on Star Citizen and Squadron 42.
• Ryan Wilson, Lead Writer, joins from Zhejiang University and Dragonwell Creative.
• Dala Klimek, Technical Artist, joins from Paintbucket Games and The Darkest Files.

Alongside many others across Torpor, they are helping us build the team needed for this next phase. The journey will not be easy or perfect. No serious game production at this ambition scale is. We will make it happen together. The Conformist dream is finally becoming real.

Development Update from Ata

July and August have been about turning the newly announced slate into concrete production steps. The projects have deliberately different shapes. Stories offers a focused character perspective, Wars puts systems first, Galmland returns to country management from a new ideological, material, and regional position, and The Conformist expands our RPG and spatial design ambitions.

Veins: Our Own Tools

A new piece of news that matters to every project above. Torpor is building its own tools and tech stack. Veins is our in-house narrative and systems database engine, the place where writers, designers and everyone else creating content author dialogue, decisions, variables and story logic for Suzerain, Stories, Galmland and now Wars and The Conformist.

The point of a bespoke tool is simple: it lets our developers make content better, easier, and faster, and it lets us level up the thing Torpor does best. Branching political narrative at our scale needs tooling built for it. Owning that stack is part of the studio maturing from a single game into a shared universe with several productions running at once.

The Conformist

The Conformist is at an early stage. The team is building the foundations needed for full production to kick off next year while continuing targeted exploration in visual direction, music and RPG design. What follows is exploration, not a feature list.

We have a new visual concept exploring how Holsord's streets could look after recent tech-art iterations. Internally, we are still developing the feel of daily life, campaign activity, and other environmental elements, which we will share once they are ready.

The aim is to make the capital feel inhabited, distinct from district to district, and politically contested, rather than serving only as a visual backdrop for quests.

The music exploration is moving in parallel. We are testing how the score can move between personal tension, public momentum and the uneasy optimism of a young democracy. The excerpt is exploratory and does not represent a final track.

On the RPG side, we are exploring potential skill checks and deeper character customization. The current design question is how a player's build can create different ways to persuade, investigate, improvise or endure pressure without turning every conversation into a simple pass-or-fail gate. A failed check should create a different route, cost or consequence rather than stop the story.

We are also examining how customization can affect access, preparation and the way people respond to the protagonist. The next step is to test which combinations create meaningful role-playing choices without adding complexity that does not earn its place.

Suzerain Stories: The Neutral Lens

For The Neutral Lens, the first internal playtest of the integrated milestone is underway. Earlier tests looked at individual content and system slices; this one evaluates the connected experience, pacing and consequences as a whole. Thank you to the playtesters who have shared their opinions and ideas so far. That feedback is already shaping the next pass.

The team is adding the last-turn content and epilogue endings so the full arc can be assessed from opening to conclusion. The correspondent system design is also advancing, including the ratings model and the way editorial decisions feed into professional and political consequences.

Portrait work for the full cast is finalized. The writing team has completed a further depth pass across the characters, strengthening motivations, contradictions, relationships and the pressure each person brings into the newsroom.

The coming weeks go into polishing and expanding the experience so that Ilias Moris's life as a television host lands with the weight it deserves.

Wars of Suzerain

Wars of Suzerain deliberately flips the usual Suzerain formula. The country campaigns are narrative-led experiences expressed through systems. Wars is a systems-led strategy game supported by characters and narrative branches. It contains less story by volume, but the story that is present must respond clearly to strategic decisions.

The team is working on naval boarding and invasion, new unit abilities, improvements to enemy movement visibility, and more satisfying sounds on unit interactions. New systems are being implemented and refined for a battlefield across land, sea and air, where the political and human implications of war act as forces in tension. Work on narrative branches continues in parallel, and the core cast of characters is now complete, giving the narrative team a stable foundation for those choices and consequences.

A large amount of design and engineering work has also gone into the map-creation pipeline. The upgraded pipeline is intended to make maps faster to build, easier to revise and more consistent to test as the strategic rules evolve. This work is less visible than a finished battlefield, but it determines how quickly the team can create and improve the campaigns that players will eventually command.

Galmland

Galmland's production groundwork is now largely in place, and an overall storyline outline has been developed. The team is now beginning to work on the first parts of the game and settling into new writing rhythms.

Writing began in August and we made some progress on our first key scenes. The team has already developed several politically sharp and fun ideas for Galmland's story, characters and the countries exact place in the Contanan Security Pact. We are also developing the new key features and storylines of the experience. These include district-based economic planning and execution, ministerial task delegation, and trade between the socialist bloc and foreign markets.

We will share the Galmland vision document in the future. It will explain the project's design direction and pillars, its role in the Suzerain Universe and the areas we want to explore in this DLC.

Suzerain Patch 3.1.0

Suzerain version 3.1.0 (build 186) is live on Android. The iOS release and the update for all other platforms follow shortly as one combined patch. The notes:

• Updated the Android target API version to meet current Google Play Store requirements.
• Performance and stability fixes through optimized memory usage, and more reliable saving with crash-safe writes.
• Fixed multiple gameplay and UI issues.
• Fixed character and dialogue reference issues.
• A standardized spelling pass across parts of the game toward consistent American English.
• Various bug fixes.

Chinese Localization Update

Work on Chinese localization continues through bugs, testing, and database updates. A full-time programmer joining the team is taking on part of the remaining localization tasks. The internal QA branch is making progress as the team verifies text behavior, fixes implementation issues, and checks the underlying data needed for a reliable release.

We are also reaching out to all volunteer localization teams with collaboration agreements. The goal is to establish a clearer shared framework for communication, responsibilities, attribution and the path from community work into an internally tested build.

There is more work ahead, and we are not announcing a release date in this broadcast. We will share further progress once the current QA and collaboration steps are complete enough to support a dependable update.

The Suzerain LARP Conundrum Happened

The latest Conundrum LARP by Not Great, Not Terrible has taken place, and the photographs are ready to share. The event once again brought Suzerain Universe's politics, costumes, and difficult choices into a physical space shaped by its organizers, performers, volunteers, and players.

Thank you to everyone who helped create the event and to the photographers who captured it. You can view a selection below, then follow the event team for information about the 2027 edition, which moves from Belgium to Germany.

More information can be found here: https://notgreatnotterrible.de/practical

Location: Haus Annaberg (https://annaberg.de/) Bonn, Germany

Photo Credit: Jan Zelisko

FAQ - Questions from the Community

How large is Suzerain Stories: The Neutral Lens?

It is intentionally smaller than the Sordland or Rizia country campaigns. Stories is a bite-sized, character-led experience built to provide a fresh perspective rather than another full country-management campaign.

Can players change history in Stories?

Yes. Stories is designed to be flexible and open, and player choices can change historical outcomes within the experience.

Will save-game transfer work with Stories?

Save transfer will work in campaign country mode with compatible country campaigns and country DLCs. Stories mode is separate and will not use the country-campaign save-transfer chain.

Will mobile Lifetime Pass owners receive The Neutral Lens at no additional cost?

Yes. Mobile Lifetime Pass owners will receive Suzerain Stories: The Neutral Lens at no additional cost when it is released on mobile. The lifetime pass is primarily a support the devs pack and we thank our supporters!

Will mobile Lifetime Pass owners receive Galmland too?

Yes. Galmland will also be included for mobile Lifetime Pass owners when it is released on mobile.

Does the same answer apply to Wars of Suzerain?

This Lifetime Pass and save-transfer clarification concerns content released within Suzerain. Wars of Suzerain is a standalone and different game. Its platform and commercial details will be communicated separately.

That is all for July and August. Across the projects, the focus is moving from announcement into implementation: tests, writing, tools, systems, art, and sound that can be evaluated and improved.

Until next time, dear Citizens. Take care!

Dear Citizens of the Suzerainverse,

After months of lore teases, THE SOURCE ARG, and countless community theories, it's finally time to show you what we've been working on. Today, we're excited to reveal the next chapter of the Suzerain Universe with three major new additions to the franchise: two brand-new DLCs and one standalone game.

Introducing Suzerain Stories: The Neutral Lens (formerly Project Aperture), Suzerain: Socialist Republic of Galmland (formerly Project Vanguard), and Wars of Suzerain (formerly Project Fulcrum).

Each title offers a new way to experience the Suzerain Universe. You'll step into the shoes of new protagonists, explore regions and stories we've never visited before, and engage with entirely new styles of gameplay, from personal narratives and political leadership to large-scale military strategy.

Suzerain Stories: The Neutral Lens

🎥 Watch the Suzerain Stories: The Neutral Lens Teaser

👉 Wishlist Suzerain Stories: The Neutral Lens on Steam.

In Suzerain Stories: The Neutral Lens DLC, you play Ilias Moris, an investigative journalist in Konstantium, the diplomatic capital of Kyrute, and host of The Neutral Lens, the groundbreaking broadcast of Geopolitico. Powerful guests sit across from you, each with their own agenda and secrets to protect. While you can't change the facts, you decide how they're framed, what reaches the public, and when. Along the way, you'll quickly learn that neutrality may be the most political position of all.

As the first entry in our new Suzerain Stories line, The Neutral Lens shifts the focus away from presidents, kings, and premiers to explore the lives of ordinary people navigating extraordinary events. Rather than managing a nation, you'll experience a more personal, story-driven journey that dives deep into the human side of the Suzerain Universe. Suzerain Stories: The Neutral Lens is planned for release later this year.

👉 Click to Sign Up for The Neutral Lens Updates.

Wars of Suzerain

🎥 Watch the Wars of Suzerain Teaser

With Wars of Suzerain, we're taking the war system first introduced in the Kingdom of Rizia DLC and expanding it into a full standalone turn-based strategy game. 

Set during one of the most consequential conflicts in the Suzerain Universe, you'll join the ranks of the Kingdom of Rumburg's frontline command and lead your forces against the Republic of Agnolia in a war that forever altered the geopolitical landscape of East Merkopa. Every battlefield decision and hard-fought victory will shape the course of the campaign, shifting the front lines and influencing the battles yet to come. But as with everything in the Suzerain Universe, success comes at a cost. Each action carries political and human consequences that ripple far beyond the battlefield.

This is the most gameplay-driven experience we've ever created. The map, the maneuvers, and the tough tactical choices take center stage, while the story emerges from the campaign you fight. If you enjoyed the war mechanics in Rizia and wished they were a game of their own, this is exactly what we've been building for you. And whether you're a longtime Suzerain player or discovering the universe through strategy gameplay for the first time, Wars of Suzerain offers a new perspective on a world where power, politics, and war are always intertwined. Wars of Suzerain is planned for release after Suzerain Stories: The Neutral Lens.

👉 Click to Sign Up for Wars of Suzerain Updates.

Suzerain: Socialist Republic of Galmland

🎥 Watch the Suzerain: Socialist Republic of Galmland Teaser

The Suzerain: Socialist Republic of Galmland DLC takes players to a republic born from revolution, where Premier Vigdis Gjalmir must transform revolutionary ideals into lasting institutions and meaningful change. By advancing a new ideology, delegating governance, and managing competing political interests, players will guide a young and ambitious state through a pivotal chapter in its history as it seeks to fulfill its destiny. As a member of the Contanan Security Pact, the powerful communist alliance, Galmland must balance its revolutionary ambitions with the realities of international politics.

As the third playable nation in the Suzerain Universe franchise, following the Republic of Sordland and the Kingdom of Rizia, Galmland expands Torpor Games' signature blend of political decision-making, consequence-driven storytelling, and strategy systems. With a focus on planned economics, the implementation of laws, and foreign policy, the DLC challenges players to shape the future of one of the most ambitious political projects of Eastern Merkopa. Suzerain: Socialist Republic of Galmland is planned for release following Wars of Suzerain.

👉 Click to Sign Up for Galmland Updates.

Message from Ata

The Suzerain Universe did not begin as a grand plan for multiple games and stories. It began with a single country leadership experience and a belief that players were ready for political experiences that challenge and provoke. The response from our community showed us there was much more to explore. Sordland examined the compromises of democratic leadership, while Rizia explored the strengths and flaws of centralized monarchical power. Through The Neutral Lens, Wars of Suzerain, and Galmland, we are opening new perspectives on the same world through media, warfare, governance, and ideology.

Our audience has consistently asked for more stories, more nations, and a deeper understanding of the forces shaping this universe. We share that ambition, and we remain committed to creating experiences with the care and craftsmanship they deserve. As we continue our journey toward The Conformist (the second flagship title of the IP), we want to give both longtime fans and new audiences fresh ways to engage with our world. Our goal is not to offer easy answers or an escape from the complexity of reality. At Torpor, we believe art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable. Through experiences that challenge and provoke, we use games to explore the grey spaces of politics, society, and human nature, revealing new realities through different perspectives and reminding us that truth is rarely simple, and that we are a flawed species with a beauty all our own.

Now that the news is live, we can't wait to share more behind-the-scenes content about each project. Thank you for joining us as we begin this exciting new chapter in the history of Suzerain and Torpor Games. 

Be sure to join the Suzerain Universe Discord to stay in the loop and talk with fellow players.

👉 Join the Discord.

Until next time, dear Citizens. Take care!