Timberborn gets a 1.0 release date and new 'lore trailer' showing some very thirsty beavers

We've known that Timberborn has been approaching the end of its early access journey for some time, but developer Mechanistry had yet to pin down a specific 1.0 launch date for its popular beaver-themed city builder. Now though, as the developer gnaws through the last few items on its to-do list, it has formally revealed when the game will depart early access, and it's happening in March.

Announcing the date in a Steam post, Mechanistry also showed off the game's intro cinematic, which it has temporarily redubbed as a "lore trailer". I query this title, not only because lore isn't generally foregrounded in this manner, but also because the arc of the trailer is "some beavers cross a desert and then start building a city," which is not exactly deep worldbuilding. It is a nicely animated video, though, with some supremely gravelly narration from British actor Shaun Dooley.

As Mechanistry notes in the post, Timberborn has come a long way since its debut into early access in 2021. Previous updates have introduced water pumps, robotic beavers and hazardous polluted water, alongside whole new transportation methods such as ziplines and water tubes. The current version has 16 playable maps, faction-specific wonders, and full support for mods and Steam Workshop.

As for what's coming in the 1.0 launch, Mechanistry laid out those plans back in November. The focus is more on lots of little features rather than any major expansions to one specific area of the game, with the update primed to introduce new natural phenomena such as aquifers and geothermal fields, alongside new environmental hazards, maps, spiral staircases and city banners. You can actually try these features already by downloading the game's experimental branch.

Timberborn releases into Steam early access on March 5, less than one month away. Timberborn's completion further reinforces what is set to be another strong year for city-builders, with upcoming metropolitan management games letting players build inside giant trains, on the back of cosmic whales, and in a Pokémon-style world filled with collectible creatures.