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Press release:
PARIS (Feb. 17, 2025).
The Paris-based (France) indie games publisher The Arcade Crew and indie games developer Sleepy Mill Studio, today announced with great delight and thrill that their block-dropping strategy/roguelite “Drop Duchy“, is coming to PC (via Steam) on May 5th this Summer (2025).

A new, expanded demo also arrives ahead of Steam Next Fest today with the debut of the playable Republic faction, fresh challenges, extra cards and more. This encore helps aspiring rulers prepare themselves for Drop Duchy’s full campaign of building prosperous lands piece by piece, leading settlements, and utilizing deckbuilding to gain the upper hand.

See how Drop Duchy changes everything you know about stacking geometric blocks via new gameplay featured in today’s release date trailer. This footage also offers a first glimpse at the Republic’s special abilities, which hinge on carefully linking its Neighborhood structures:

Drop Duchy Expanded Demo Content:

Lead the unlockable Republic faction, which offsets its weak militant might by prioritizing technology and the power of its Citizens. The second of the full game’s three factions, building a prospering City with interconnected Neighborhoods is key to the Republic’s longevity.
Raise an empire as the first playable faction, The Duchy, an all-around formidable choice well suited for leaders still finding their way.
Expand your realm through the first full act of Drop Duchy’s campaign, thoughtfully placing distinct terrain pieces and structures, and earning enough resources to prepare your forces to storm through their opposition.
More challenges and features, including technology cards, offering more complex buildings to deploy and challenges to overcome during runs.
Three difficulty settings (one new), improved balancing and an updated comprehensive tutorial.
A climatic boss fight against The Wall, standing as a final test of strategic might.
Three Steam achievements to celebrate the land’s most proactive rulers.
A delightful, maquette-inspired aesthetic upholding a cheery sense of adventure.

The intuitive, puzzle-esque nature of placing pieces in Drop Duchy makes its rewarding complexity welcoming to all. Well-played rounds lead a duchy’s forces to branching, decision-packed routes in a grand march to storm an imposing enemy fortress. Unlock upgrades and modifiers in the form of cards, gaining new bonus-granting structures, boosts to soldier recruitment and resource gathering, and other perks through deep deck customization. New factions and modifiers await the most formidable leaders, keeping Drop Duchy’s gameplay loop of block-stacking, deck customization, and decision making constantly exciting in challenge and opportunity.

To stack up the latest updates on Drop Duchy, follow @TheArcadeCrew, wishlist the game on Steam, and visit https://store.steampowered.com/app/2525310/Drop_Duchy/.

About The Arcade Crew
With a gameplay first approach and high-quality focus, The Arcade Crew produces and publishes awesome indie and innovative games from creative teams from around the world.

The Crew’s iconic projects include Blazing Chrome and Vengeful Guardian Moonrider from JoyMasher, Infernax from Berzerk Studios and Young Souls from 1P2P. The Crew is working on several new games for 2025 and beyond.

Join the Crew at http://www.thearcadecrew.com.

About Sleepy Mill Studio
Founded in Paris by a former lead game designer at Ubisoft Paris, Sleepy Mill Studio is passionate about creating original games that balance a depth in play with approachable mechanics and a manageable scope. Sleepy Mill Studio is currently developing its debut title Drop Duchy, which blends familiar block stacking gameplay with elements of strategy, looping roguelite play and resource management.