Development history of Among the Trolls
The original team closed, 505 Games handed the project to AvantGarden, development restarted from scratch in 2024 on Unreal Engine 5, and the studio later chose to skip Early Access.
Among the Trolls has had an unusually public development. It was announced in 2022 by one studio, lost that studio, was restarted from scratch by another, changed engines, moved publisher label, delayed twice and then skipped Early Access entirely. Each of those steps is documented in the developers' own posts.
The timeline
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| May 2022 | Announced at the 505 Games Spring Showcase by an indie team of industry veterans |
| 2023 | Forbidden Studio, the team that laid the groundwork, closes |
| January 2025 | 505 Games confirms the project continues under AvantGarden Games; development restarted from scratch in 2024, moving from Unity to Unreal Engine 5 |
| March 2025 to now | Monthly "Between Realities" devlogs covering systems, dungeons, water, hunting, myths and audio |
| November 2025 | Release moves from 2025 to 2026; closed playtest sign-ups open |
| February 2026 | First public demo, tied to Steam Next Fest; four hotfixes follow within three weeks |
| April 2026 | The studio announces it will skip Early Access and ship a full 1.0 |
| April 2026 | Ten NYX Game Awards announced |
| August 2026 | Release date confirmed: 14 October 2026 |
Why the restart was visible
The move from Unity to Unreal Engine 5 was described in the first devlog as a decision with several motives: better dynamic and realistic lighting to capture the atmosphere of the Finnish forests, and a chance to revisit assets and shaders for visual quality. After that, the team spent months implementing the core mechanics — survival, resource management, environmental change and combat.
That explains the shape of the game's marketing: the art direction, the lighting and the survival systems were rebuilt around an engine change, which is why the 2022 reveal and the 2026 release look like different projects with the same name.
The publisher label
Steam now lists the game under 505 Pulse, 505 Games' indie division, rather than 505 Games itself. The developers announced the change themselves in January 2025, describing 505 Pulse as the label specialising in independent studios.
The decision that defined the release
By early 2026 the team had watched enough playthroughs and read enough survey responses to make a call. Their conclusion, published in April: the greatest strength of the game is its story and the atmospheric world Anna moves through, and serving a hardcore survival itch at the same time risked doing neither well. Rather than sell a slice in Early Access, they chose to ship a complete narrative experience from day one.
What the history means for players
- The game you can buy is a 2024-onwards project, not the 2022 announcement.
- Systems-heavy devlogs are the most reliable source for how mechanics work.
- The demo was a curated slice of a story-forward game, not a survival sandbox.
- Support has been responsive: four demo hotfixes in three weeks.
- Post-launch expansion is a possibility the studio has left open, tied to performance and feedback.
Sources
- "Among The Trolls: A new Beginning" (Forbidden Studio closure, AvantGarden, Unity to Unreal): Steam news archive
- "Development Update & Upcoming Playtest" (2026 delay, closed playtest) and "A New Path for Among the Trolls" (skipping Early Access): Steam news archive
- Devlog #1 "Strong Foundations Are Key": Steam news archive
Game imagery on this page is official promotional material, used for reference.
