Free Company Launches November 13th
Refx7 Games
The date is set. On November 13th, 2026 , Free Company 1.0 comes out on Steam.
It's A.D. 997. Otto III is marching on Rome, al-Mansur has not lost a battle yet, and a company of paid swords, spears and bows works anyway, because wages come due whether or not history notices you. In two weeks, the whole road is open.
What's in 1.0
- All four theatres. The Elbe frontier, Otto III's Italy, the Iberian March and the Salt Road: fifty-four holdings across Europe and North Africa, and eleven factions with their own aims.
- Mounted combat. Cavalry charges you can see coming. Horse rattles a line, a set spear wall throws it back, and horses that lose their nerve bolt.
- A campaign you can see through. Seven kinds of contract, nine captains who can die for good, true sieges at seven named fortresses, and an ending that remembers where your company stood when the year 1000 turned.
- Co-op. Hot-seat, LAN, or Steam, with a friend commanding bands beside yours.
- Steam Deck and controller support. I test on the Deck daily, and it runs beautifully in the hands.
- Steam Cloud saves. Your campaign follows you between machines.
Where the last weeks went
Since Next Fest I've been working through your feedback. The opening is now a fight rather than a tour, with a tutorial battlefield and a clerk who warns you instead of reciting names. A fight you are plainly going to win can be left to the company when you'd rather not play it out, and the odds panel now says so honestly. Escort missions tell you which band you're guarding, and the strategic map and contract board are clearer about who owns what and why you're being sent. I also trimmed scenery nobody can see from the battlefields, aiming for shorter loads.
Launch week
Free Company is $19.99. For the first two weeks, November 13th through 27th, it's 15% off. If you've wishlisted it, Steam will tell you the moment it's live.
The demo stays up. It's one full season in the Elbe and Nordmark March, free, solo or with a friend. If you've been waiting to see whether the company is for you, there's no better time to try it.
A last word
I'm a solo developer, and this is the biggest day of the project so far. Wishlisting, telling a friend, and sending me bug reports and honest reviews all help more than you might think. I'll be watching the discussions closely on launch day and patching quickly.
The road's short now. Thank you for marching it with me.
— posting from the workbench
This announcement was originally published by Refx7 Games on Steam on Oct 30, 2026.
Open the original on Steam