The indie developers of the top-down shooter Eternal Troops are looking for a publisher to help them launch on Steam and polish the project
Continuing our section "Developer/Publisher Wanted," where indie teams share about themselves and their projects. Up next is the Eternal Troops Team, which is crafting an original isometric shooter set during World War I.
If you're an indie developer eager to showcase your project and seeking investments, a publisher, or team members, be sure to message us on our Telegram channel — https://t.me/overwordly.
The project was introduced by the team's lead, Kirill Fedorov.
Kirill Fedorov
About the Team
Hello! Our team was formed from the aspiration of two high school friends, passionate about games, to create something reminiscent of their favorite Men of War and Running with Rifles. Game jams proved to be the ideal platform, where we worked on various prototypes. Eternal Troops was born at one such event. We realized we had something intriguing, so we decided to pitch and showcase it at events by Indie Varvar’s and "Indikator." At one of these, we met people who were too enthralled by the game to let it go, and the rest is history.
Currently, there are four of us. We've all reached our dream of working in game development — some freelance, others at EXBO or Lesta Games, but we still gather in the evenings (or on weekends) to push the project forward.
About the Project
Eternal Troops presents itself as a top-down shooter without the necessity to master dodging thousands of projectiles or commit to a 40-day standoff like in Foxhole.
The game is developed using the Unreal Engine because:
- a) We wanted to create a visually appealing top-down shooter with a military theme, which seems scarce;
- b) We preferred working with an engine we were already familiar with.
Initially, when the team was still student-based, we participated in the "VK Play Laboratory" project and released a demo that received positive feedback. We won the competition, fueling further development and providing valuable consultations, experience with initial metrics, and more.
However, there were shortcomings too — clunky interface, movement issues, lack of puzzle levels, weak synergy among different character classes, etc. We believe these issues have been resolved.
We are now on the verge of a polished demo version with around eight or nine short levels, which we aim to release on Steam for metric collection in fall 2025.
In the final version, we plan to increase the number of available levels and units, add new modes (infinite roguelike levels, boss battles, and possibly co-op).
About Gameplay/Mechanics
Our focus is on the cloning mechanic. Each time a player's character dies, there isn't a typical checkpoint reset; instead, another unit spawns. And another. And another. This continues until victory is achieved or resources run out.
Previous versions of the player's character do not disappear; they remain on the battlefield, repeating all actions performed in previous iterations. If saved, one can gather an entire army of oneself.
About the Target Audience
We envision our target audience as:
- Fans of military-tactical shooters lacking the time for full-fledged PvP projects but eager to participate in large-scale battles;
- Gamers who enjoy top-down shooters but prefer those focused on strategic thinking rather than reaction time. These are rare, but there is a waiting audience, as evidenced, for example, by the recently commenced public testing of PUBG: BLINDSPOT by KRAFTON.
We also aim to attract those interested in World War I, a theme not frequently explored in games. However, we don't intend to portray it in a very serious tone — the story leans more towards satire than tragedy.
Our references include, in addition to the aforementioned Foxhole and Running with Rifles, Clone Armies, Northend Tower Defense, and Shieldwall.
About the Business Model
We are relying on a premium distribution model with a cost of approximately $8 per copy. This price point was reached based on an analysis of the previously mentioned references and our understanding that as a small team, we cannot maintain a continuously supported free-to-play live service.
About the Metrics
We released a demo on VK Play, attracting over 500 players in total. However, the game has evolved significantly since, and at that time, we hadn't invested in advertising or active social media engagement.
During the "Demofest," starting August 27, we plan to test updates to old levels, after which we'll refine a complete demo to release on other platforms in the fall.
Then, we plan to gather key metrics, primarily relying on the number of wishlists gained after launching our Steam page.
It's hard to forecast how many we'll get: we might "hit the mark" due to a mix of unconventional mechanics, a niche setting, and a popular genre, or we may remain unnoticed for the same reasons.
Who We're Looking For
We are in search of a publisher to assist with marketing, tackling challenges with launching on Steam, and polishing the project (testing, sound design, localization).
At this stage, we don't need funds for direct development; we can complete the project. Rather, we're concerned that we might not fully realize the potential of Eternal Troops on our own.
How to Contact?
- Email: eternaltroopsdev@gmail.com