BitCraft Online left Early Access on 13 November, opening a fresh 1.0 world for its community-built sandbox MMO. Everyone begins that new world without their old gameplay progression, but existing Early Access characters remain playable in the separate Legacy world, so your previous settlement has not simply been fed into a digital woodchipper.
Clockwork Labs’ launch patch notes explain that the fresh world is selected by default on the login screen. Returning players can use the world dropdown to reach their existing character instead, while the studio’s official launch FAQ says both new and existing players can keep a character in each world.
The launch brings together changes to settlement progression, trade and farming with a clearer introduction for newcomers. Homesteads are intended to offer a lower-cost home for solo players and small groups, regional markets and bank storage are connected, and farming involves working directly with crops in the fields. There are also ocean platforms for players who would prefer their property problems to include quite a lot of water.
The 1.0 update adds a recommended quest flow and a settlement quest to explain more of those systems. It also improves the compendium so players can follow connections between recipes and resources more easily, with further changes to the older world due over the following weeks.
One important change of plan concerns the business model. BitCraft remains a paid game rather than becoming free-to-play as previously intended, with Clockwork Labs citing the moderation burden created by repeat abusive accounts. The UK Steam listing currently shows £13.49, reduced to £10.11 during its 25% launch sale, with Windows and Mac support listed.
Development continues beyond the version number. The studio plans major updates roughly once a month, with smaller fixes and additions in between, treating 1.0 as the beginning of the persistent world rather than the end of its work.