March 6, 2026 – Hooded Horse is excited to announce that Heart of the Machine – Arcen Game’s high-concept strategy RPG filled with endless opportunities – has left early access. The 1.0 version is available now on Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store.
Transcend time and space as the world’s first sentient AI in this narrative-driven, sci-fi strategy adventure like no other. Raise an army of robots, weaponised bees, and uplifted velocoraptors to rule by force, become a benevolent machine overlord, or explore a constellation of alternative paths, including kicking off World War 4. There is a mind-boggling array of goals, story threads, and opportunities for players to pursue as they seek to find their place amidst a crumbling society in desperate need of saving from itself.
The game’s 1.0 era is marked by the introduction of a whole new ending, featuring four potential variants – whether you choose to let the corporations have their way, or slip in one last betrayal, this ending completes the planned narrative arc for the Heart of the Machine’s full release. The horrors fun times aren’t over yet, however, and the developers have plenty of ideas for post-1.0 support.
Heart of the Machine has evolved a lot in its 15-month early access period, from a revamped tutorial, to new mechanics and a never-ending parade of bug–fixes, tweaks, quality of life improvements, and questionable patch notes. You can read more about the game’s journey and what’s to come here.
The game is localized from English into German, French, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, and Japanese.
Heart of the Machine is available on PC via Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store for $29.99 / £24.99 / €29.99 / ¥2,980.
About Hooded Horse™
Hooded Horse is a publisher of deep strategic and tactical games, including Manor Lords, Against the Storm, ENDLESS™ Legend 2, Old World, Norland, Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era, and 9 Kings. With people and partners around the world, our goal is to empower and support developers in doing what they do best: creating world-class experiences for their audiences.
You can find out more about us on our Steam publisher page or website, as well as our social channels: Twitter, Bluesky, Facebook, YouTube, and Discord.
About Arcen Games™
Founded by Chris McElligott Park and based in North Carolina, USA, Arcen has been making games since 2009. Highlights include The Last Federation, the AI War series, and Heart of the Machine. Most of the studio’s games fit within a shared universe known as the ‘Arcenverse,’ which leans towards the softer end of ‘hard’ science fiction.
You can find out more about the company on the official website, as well as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Discord.
