As the situation with the coronavirus COVID-19 continues to develop and the United Kingdom enters a further extended period of social isolation, we've been following the advice and instruction of the Government closely. As we announced previously, we have already shut down our in-house manufacturing department until we are confident it is right for our team to be able to return to work. The safety of our staff is paramount, and last week we decided it's in the best interest of the wider team to close the rest of the Studio too.
As you may remember, back in February, we shared an update with you regarding the current state of events. The effect of this resulted in a delay in our plans in the second quarter of the year to launch the new edition of Dystopian Wars. The continued disruption caused in response to the pandemic means we must reschedule our plans through to the end of the third quarter too.
You may hear from those in the Warcradle Studios team who are working remotely, keeping in touch with the community through social media during this time and putting together occasional Studio Diaries for the blog (like this one). That aside, all development, playtesting and design work at Warcradle Studios is on pause until we are confident it is practical and safe to resume.
Those of you ordering directly from our retail partners and ourselves can rest assured you'll still receive your in-stock item(s). With a great deal of care, we have put processes in place to protect our warehouse and logistics staff so we can continue to dispatch in-stock orders, with as small a delay as possible. Warcradle products listed as "being reprinted" may be significantly delayed, as a result of us closing our in-house manufacturing department at this time. Nevertheless, these will be of high-priority when we're back up and running.
Of course, our customer support team are still available to contact and are ready to answer any questions you might have, so don't hesitate to get in touch should you need to. We'll be keeping you all up-to-date as the situation develops, so be sure to keep an eye on our blog and social media.
Of particular regret is that while the rules for Firestorm Armada are ready for our intended Open Beta in May, we must now accept that without a Studio running to support the Beta, and with players facing challenges in arranging even a simple gaming session to playtest, we must delay the launch until the Studio returns to full operation and the social distancing guidelines become less restrictive. We will announce a new date as soon as possible. In the interim, we hope to be discussing various rules and concepts through our social media pages as well as on the Studio Diary blog entries. Call it a pre-Beta Beta…
Whatever Warcradle hobby you are enjoying this month, whether you're tackling your new Mythos models, assembling Theodore Roosevelt on his reptilian steed, or painting fleets of classic Dystopian Wars or Firestorm Armada ships, be sure to share your results with us and the rest of the community. This hobby of ours has an amazing ability to bring joy and light into even the most challenging of times. We hope you find that moment of hobby happiness in whatever you choose to do.
Thank you all for your continued support and understanding during this unprecedented situation.
Now more than ever, please take care of yourselves and each other.
Stuart and the Warcradle Studios Team
