Patch 1.4.5 in the sandbox survival game Terraria (97% positive on Steam) is imminent and could be one of the last major updates to the game. But maybe not, because the developers have been saying that for years.
What kind of game is this? Terraria is a 2D pixelated survival sandbox. On Steam it is “overwhelmingly positive” with 97% and still inspires thousands of players 12 years after its release. With 56,600 concurrent players, it is currently the 20th most played game on Steam (via Steam Charts). The game can be pretty nasty at times.
Patch 1.4.5 is the next major update – the developers actually wanted to stop 8 years ago.
Journey’s End could have been the last update as well.
Terraria: Journey’s End
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There is a last time for everything
What’s the deal with the “last update”? Ted “Loki” Murphy from Re-Logic, the developer and publisher of Terraria, told PC Gamer that 2015 was supposed to be the end. So actually 1.3 should already be the last update.
The update brought numerous changes back then, including revised NPCs, achievements, the expert mode and more than 800 new items. But Re-Logic wasn’t finished yet: “We had all these cool ideas – unfinished business, so to speak.”
Five years later, the “Journey’s End” update could have heralded the end of the journey appropriately. It was supposed to be a minor update, but somehow it ended up being 40 pages of patch notes with new modes, bosses, the bestiary and golf.
In 2022, Re-Logic followed up with the “Labor of Love” update to thank the fans for the Steam award of the same name. Ironically, the award was given for the fact that the game is still getting new content years after its release.
Murphy says the update was really fan-driven: “We took so many suggestions and inspirations from those very fans during the update. We do not take this award or the people behind it lightly.”
Re-Logic: “We never say never”
What’s in the upcoming update? With 1.4.5, Terraria is supposed to get its very last update this year, this time for real. Re-Logic doesn’t reveal much about the content yet, except that it should primarily be about the crossover with the roguelite Metroidvania Dead Cells.
In typical Terraria style, however, it has apparently become something more. Murphy says the “unfinished business” has prompted the team to go all out again. However, he also notes that “the game feels very complete at this point.”
Despite Terraria’s continued success and active fan base, at some point it felt right to start work on a second project, Murphy said. However, he has not yet revealed what kind of project this will be. Only that it could enable the implementation of ideas that would not work in Terraria.
When is the update coming? This is not known yet. In a State of the Game, Re-Logic revealed that they are hopefully in the final stages of development. The content is probably almost finished, but they are still working on fixes and balancing.
It’s impossible to say how much time that will take, it depends on how many problems they find and how difficult they are to fix.
It is also unclear whether this will really be the very last major update for Terraria. “We’ve been at this point before, so we never say never,” Murphy said.
Incidentally, Terraria is reduced by 50% in the current Steam Sale until July 13th. There is also a discount for a nasty game that makes a lot of Twitch streamers despair.