There’s something to be said about projects that have been in development for years, but few can compare to Lunar Software’s ROUTINE. Announced way back in 2012, the team would go radio silent for years with very few updates. It would eventually re-emerge in 2022, but there were still no details on its release. Until now.
In a new Steam Community post, designers/artists Aaron Foster and Jemma Hughes and programmer Pete Dissler acknowledged the long absence. “Working on ROUTINE has always been a huge undertaking for a team of our size, and because of that, we felt it was important to keep our heads down and focus entirely on finishing ROUTINE. But we are aware of the interest in our work, and we are sorry for any frustration that this may have caused.”
The team confirmed that ROUTINE is “still very much in active development” and “We are beginning to approach the finish line for the game. We’ve learned a lot from past experiences. One of those is not to commit to a release window before we’re absolutely sure we can hit it. However, we’re confident that we’ll be able to share more news on that front soon.”
Though the team consists of three employees, Lunar Software has been “fortunate enough to gain the support and expertise of additional contributors during the game’s development. We are super thankful to have worked with a variety of awesome and skilled people over the years!” DOOM composer Mick Gordon is one such contributor, and though he worked on the project for “many years,” he ultimately departed in July 2024 due to “conflicts in his schedule.”
“During his time with us, Mick created many outstanding audio assets that will be featured in the final game and provided invaluable audio direction for ROUTINE. These contributions will now be implemented by a new audio designer and team. Over the years, Mick has been an incredible friend and collaborator, supporting us through thick and thin. We are deeply grateful for his work on ROUTINE and wish him all the best in his future projects.”
ROUTINE is in development for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC. It’s a first-person survival horror title where players explore an abandoned lunar base inhabited by killer robots. Permadeath is a big part of the gameplay loop, and since there’s no way to heal, players must focus on stealth to ultimately survive.
