How Long Did It Take to Make the Hit Indie RPG Kenshi? Over 12 Years of Passion
Kenshi was in development for over 12 years, led by Chris Hunt working solo for much of that time, before finally releasing in 2018. The ambitious open-world RPG defied the odds to become a cult classic, selling over 1 million copies. Now work continues on the hotly anticipated prequel – Kenshi 2.
One Man‘s Vision: A Decade of Nights and Weekends
Kenshi‘s epic development journey began around 2006 when Chris Hunt first started working on his dream game project during his spare time.
Hunt was holding down full-time jobs while pouring evenings and weekends into bringing his vision for an open-ended, post-apocalyptic world to life. It was a massive undertaking for one person.
| Year | Key Development Milestones |
|---|---|
| 2006 | Early work begins on Kenshi |
| 2012 | Chris Hunt goes full time on Kenshi |
| 2015 | Kenshi Early Access launched on Steam |
| 2018 | Version 1.0 finally releases after 12+ years |
Just the scope of Kenshi‘s 870 km2 interactive world is incredible, filled with reactive NPCs and factions. Hunt was crafting a hardcore RPG focused on emergent narrative through sandbox gameplay rather than defined quests.
After struggling for years working solo, Hunt shared:
"I had no life outside of Kenshi. All I did was work, sleep, and play Kenshi. Over and over again."
His tireless efforts porting and improving the game engine finally paid off when Kenshi launched on Steam Early Access in 2015. Positive word of mouth from fans willing to try this ambitious WIP caused sales to take off.
From Early Access to Version 1.0 in 3 Years
The revenue and support from fans on Early Access was a watershed moment. After 12 years of nights and weekends, Hunt could finally work on Kenshi full-time and realize his ultimate vision.
In December 2018, Kenshi left Early Access and hit the major 1.0 release milestone. Hunt‘s labor of love over the past decade was finally finished and ready for the spotlight.
Against All Odds: Kenshi Becomes a Hit Selling 1 Million+ Copies
Despite minimal marketing, Kenshi slowly built up a word-of-mouth following for delivering such a unique open-ended RPG experience. It perfectly tapped into an underserved niche craving deep simulation sandbox gameplay.
Three years after 1.0, Hunt revealed Kenshi‘s amazing sales milestone:
After 12+ years of development and less than 2 years of the official release, Kenshi has hit a milestone of 1 million global sales.
— Chris Hunt (@lofigames) November 23, 2020
For context, Kenshi lacks big budgets or marketing typically behind million-selling games. Its success was driven purely by positive word-of-mouth and fans evangelizing such an original PC RPG.
Critics also fell in love with Kenshi:
- 84 Metascore on Metacritic
- "Very Positive" Steam user reviews with 93% rating
Against all odds over 12+ grueling years, Hunt‘s unique vision resonated with players craving deep complex games.
Kenshi 2 Aims to Build Upon a Cult Classic
With Kenshi a proven hit, Lo-Fi Games expanded to a team of 13 to develop the hotly anticipated prequel Kenshi 2.
While little is known yet about Kenshi 2‘s release timeframe or story details, the development team has shared some technology upgrades:
- New engine (Unreal rather than custom built)
- Enhanced graphics, animations, physics
- Rebuilt UI/UX
- Expanded mod support
However Kenshi 2 remains committed to the emergent open-world gameplay and sandbox mechanics that made the original a cult classic. It offers the rare chance for a sequel to build upon one of PC gaming‘s most novel experiences while enhancing performance and presentation.
Conclusion: Passion Project to Million Seller in 12+ Years
Kenshi‘s development journey spans over a decade of highs and lows:
- Started as lead dev Chris Hunt‘s passion project in 2006
- Pursued for years during nights and weekends around full-time work
- Finally went into Early Access in 2015 enabling full-time development
- Hit major 1.0 release milestone after 12+ years in 2018
- Slowly built cult following around its unique emergent gameplay
- Eventually sold over 1 million copies as a breakout indie hit
It took over 12 years of effort for Kenshi to go from one man‘s ambitious vision to a fully realized million-selling RPG celebrating open-ended gameplay and stories. As a result, Kenshi delivered an experience completely different than most games on the market.
Now with fans eagerly awaiting news on Kenshi 2, they hope it can build upon one of PC gaming‘s most incredible grassroots success stories of the past decade.
