Southfield launched earlier this year as a gleeful, tumultuous meeting of a physics sandbox in the vein of Gang Beasts or Human: Fall Flat with a farming/management sim like Stardew Valley or Satisfactory. The colorful title was scheduled to be released the following Monday, but developers Radical Forge have pushed the release date indefinitely to prioritize “the health and well-being of our team.”
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Southfield drops players – solo or together in co-op – on the titular island in need of good old-fashioned farming, presenting them with a green, verdant world where they can sow crops, tend crops, and gradually build their humble farmer’s abode into a bustling settlement. They will have to do this while dealing with both the unpredictable nature of the crops themselves – which can cause shape-shifting, electrocution, levitation, or simply explosions – the changing weather on the island, and groups of hostile Bandits who will try to raid their farm at night.
After running a closed beta and offering a demo during the Steam Next Fest event in February, Southfield was scheduled to be released in early access on June 24. However, just three days after launch, Radical Forge announced that it had postponed the planned release date to address issues caused by resolving performance issues discovered during the beta, as well as to address the team.
“We have worked tirelessly to ensure Southfield meets the high standards our community deserves,” the developers wrote. “However, it has become clear that we cannot achieve this without compromising the health and well-being of our team.”
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“With a small team, the last thing we want is to put a lot of pressure on them to fix these issues before launch and after – protecting our developers is very important to us,” they added in Steam blog post. “We also don’t want to release a game that isn’t ready.”
No alternative release date has been announced at this time, and Middleborough Studios says it will announce a revised early access date “ASAP.”
“Thank you for your continued patience and support during this difficult time,” they wrote. “This is an extremely difficult decision for us, but we are confident that it will make the game something truly special that reflects the passion we have felt since you announced it.”
