The volunteer-driven organization RTS BAR has entered into a publishing agreement with Hooded Horse

A battle scene unfolds on a dusty, reddish planet with scattered mountains. Numerous futuristic military vehicles, including tanks and walking mechs, are engaged in combat. Rockets streak across the orange sky, and explosions erupt in the background, indicating a large-scale conflict.

Image credit: BAR

The game "Beyond All Reason" (BAR), developed primarily through volunteer efforts, has secured a publishing agreement with Hooded Horse. This collaboration aims to bring the "epic scale RTS" game to a wider audience.

In a message to its community, BAR expressed that while the volunteer approach had significantly advanced the project, partnering with a publisher would help achieve even more ambitious goals for its release.

The game will continue to offer free multiplayer content indefinitely, with intellectual property rights retained by the original team. Its source code will also stay open-source under the GPL, and the contract includes measures to ensure the project's continuation regardless of future developments.

"After nearly seven years of work, BAR is taking a significant step forward by joining forces with a prominent publisher in the strategy genre to prepare for a full launch on Steam," the organization announced in a release.

They expressed their immense excitement and slight disbelief at reaching the milestone of going professional through this new publishing partnership with Hooded Horse.

The dedicated team acknowledged that transitioning to a complete Steam release necessitates extensive, routine effort, including developing new client features, a cohesive campaign, robust infrastructure, and thorough quality assurance.

They described the challenge: while the game progresses rapidly due to volunteer contributions, some key tasks required for the Steam roadmap are difficult to achieve with volunteers alone.

Hooded Horse, recognized for expertise in strategy, simulation, and RPG titles, joined the project after detailed discussions involving team lead Tim and others from Hooded Horse.

Before finalizing the deal, BAR sought the input of its broader contributor base, with 68% voting in favor of the partnership.

Through this agreement, the game remains accessible for free on its website, with the Steam version launching as the "BAR Premium Edition."

The paid Steam release will offer extra single-player content in addition to the existing multiplayer features, with full parity and cross-platform play, maintaining the same community aspects as the website version.

Recently, a $100 million investment fund for indie games was announced by Griffin Gaming Partners, led by Tim Bender, CEO of Hooded Horse. Bender has been affiliated with Griffin since October 2023 as a managing director and previously acted as an operating partner.