Rolling Out new Versions! And Release Plan

Magic Academy now has a publisher for Steam — and that changes how future versions of the game will be released.

Given the current state of the Steam games market, we do not have the resources to promote the game there on our own. Because of this, we have signed a publishing agreement with TopHouse to release Magic Academy on Steam.

The full version is scheduled for release at the end of Q1 2027. The price will be $15, matching the game's current price on itch.io.

The agreement also comes with certain commitments regarding how the game is distributed. As a result, today's version availability update will be the final update for both the free version and the current $5 tier under the old schedule.

What changes for the $5 tier

The current $5 tier will become an "I love your work" support tier.

Members will still have access to polls and sketches — we will begin posting sketches next week — but the tier will no longer include access to the game.

A little later, we will publish a separate one-time purchase post. Buying the game once there will give you ongoing updates, although they will arrive with a delay. It will work much like buying the game in Early Access on Steam or purchasing it on itch.io, and it will be a huge help to our team.

We have not yet decided on the exact timing of updates for itch.io or the upcoming one-time purchase post.

What happens to the free version

The current free version is now considered legacy. It will remain available as a piece of the project's history, but it will not receive any future updates, including bug fixes.

Starting with the next update, we will introduce and support a Demo version instead. It will include the beginning of the story, the first few scenes, and at least the Ice Elf world.

The Demo will continue to receive bug fixes, new music and sounds, and polish for the early-game content. Story progression, however, will remain capped at that specific point.

The new release schedule

The schedule will become simpler. In addition, every new build will have its own unique password for the cheat panel.

• First, a version will enter Early Access for the Professor tier.

• One to two weeks later, depending on stability, it will become available for the Magister tier.

Anyone whose total lifetime contribution equals or exceeds the cost of the Professor tier will be added to the in-game Patron list. The list will be ordered by the total amount contributed.

One final update under the old schedule

Today, we are updating version availability one last time according to the old schedule:

• Version 0.8 (Renovatio) is now available for the Magister tier. (Update Patch notes)

• Version 0.7.5.3 (Resonantia) is now available for the Student tier. (Update Patch notes)

• Version 0.7.0.1 (Gestus) is now public. (Update Patch notes)

We understand that people will continue to find copies of the game on third-party sites, and we know this change will take a toll on our current income. These are the commitments we had to make for the project.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Magic Academy with any amount throughout its development. We hope for your understanding, and we are deeply grateful to everyone who continues to support us.

If anything about the access changes is still unclear, please ask us in the comments.