Dear citizens of the Suzerainverse,

Welcome to our February 2025 Broadcast!

Exciting times are ahead! The much-anticipated 3.1 “Sovereign” Update for the Kingdom of Rizia is on the horizon, packed with a range of new content. In this broadcast, we’ll be showing fresh visuals from the update, offering a first look at the latest war mechanics, aircraft systems, economy changes, and more. Stay tuned as we reveal details leading up to launch!

We also have an announcement about the price of the Kingdom of Rizia, along with its biggest discount yet. During the upcoming Steam Spring Sale, you’ll have the chance to pick up the game at its lowest-ever price before a permanent price increase.

Finally, we sat down with our Game Designer Laurence for an exclusive deep dive into the “Sovereign” Update. Let’s explore what’s coming!

Kingdom of Rizia PC Price Increase & Deepest Discount Yet

To reflect the ongoing hard work and continuous improvements to the Kingdom of Rizia on PC, we will be adjusting the price from $9.99 to $14.99 after the launch of the 3.1 “Sovereign” Update. This aligns with the game's depth and development effort while maintaining its value.

Before the price increase, we’re offering a unique opportunity to get Rizia at its best value. During the Steam Spring Sale from March 13 to 20, the game will be available at a 20% discount, its biggest discount ever on PC!

If you’ve been waiting to embark on your royal journey or know someone eager to join the Kingdom, this is the perfect time. Let the Golden Gates of Rizia welcome you as you unravel its story and explore its world before the new update and price increase. A brighter chapter lies ahead, and we can’t wait to experience it with you!

With this change, the PC price will now match the price of the game on mobile, ensuring consistency across platforms.

Developer Interview with Game Designer Laurence

Today, we sit down with Laurence, one of our Game Designers, to dive deep into the latest changes and additions to the game. From refining war mechanics to introducing a brand-new aircraft system, Laurence shares insights into the design process, the challenges faced, and the exciting new strategic possibilities that await players. Let’s hear more about what’s coming in Update 3.1 Sovereign Update!

“Having been part of the Torpor team for a year and a half now, I was lucky enough to work on the war mechanics from the early stages. Over time, I’ve had the chance to refine, expand, and deepen the mechanics, hoping to create a challenging but enjoyable strategic gameplay experience.

With the Sovereign Update, we’re introducing my favorite feature: the aircraft mechanics. This new feature takes war mechanics to new heights—literally—by incorporating air support, airstrikes, and cooldown periods for different actions. Use them strategically or as a last-ditch effort.

Another key focus of the update was improving accessibility. We realized the war production panel wasn’t as intuitive as we wanted. To address this, we added a short tutorial to help players make the most of the feature early on.

Beyond warfare, I also had the opportunity to implement multi-tiered decisions that build on each other. I love including small moments of humor—tiny nods or bits of jest—to provide some levity without detracting from the game’s serious themes.

Seeing players engage with the mechanics we’ve worked so hard on is always the most rewarding part of the process. I can’t wait for everyone to dive into Sovereign and experiment with the war mechanics from a fresh perspective.”

Upcoming Feature: Archetype Selection

With the 3.1 Sovereign Update, we're introducing the Archetype Selection feature, allowing players to carry over past choices in a new way. When starting a Sordland or Rizia Story, those who prefer not to replay a previous one can now select an Archetype to define the protagonist’s past decisions.

Each Archetype has a title and characteristics describing their personality and political orientation, shaping the impact they would have had. For example:

“When I start my new run through the Kingdom of Rizia but don’t feel like replaying Suzerain, I can select an Archetype to represent Anton Rayne. In this run, I’m feeling a little chaotic, so my President Rayne Archetype will be a radical reformer who aggressively opposed the Old Guard. This will shape how the past influences the present in my new playthrough.”

If you have completed a previous Story, you can also select your own past playthroughs as an Archetype, allowing your unique decisions to carry over without needing to replay. We can’t wait to see how players use this feature to craft new narratives!

Upcoming Feature: Economy Graph

We’re also making key improvements to how the economy is displayed in Suzerain. Inspired by community feedback, the “Sovereign” Update will introduce two major changes:

The top-left HUD indicator will now clearly display four distinct states of economic health: Danger, Unstable, Stable, and Growing.
A new Economic Growth Graph panel will track how your economy changes over time, displaying real economic variables from your playthrough.

These additions will make it easier than ever to understand and react to Sordland’s economy.

Sneak Peek: New Character Portraits

Until the next update, take care!

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Dear citizens of the Suzerainverse,

Welcome to the January 2025 Broadcast!

As we step into the new year, we want to thank you for being an essential part of our journey. Your support and passion make everything we do possible. 2025 is shaping up to be an exciting year, with new stories, challenges, and ideas on the way. We’re committed to bringing you meaningful and memorable experiences in the Suzerain Universe.

Thank you for being here with us. Let’s make 2025 extraordinary, together!

Behind the Scenes of the 3.1 Update with Rachel, Lead Writer

With the upcoming 3.1 update, Rizia is evolving in exciting ways, including new content and deeper character arcs... But what does it take to refine a world as intricate as Rizia? We asked Rachel, one of our lead writers, to share a glimpse into the writing process behind this update.

"As a lead writer on Rizia, working on the 3.1 update has been a bit like renovating a house – you’re knocking down walls and getting sawdust all over the floor, and at first glance, it’s a huge mess, and you wonder whether you shouldn’t have just left things the way they were. But the more you keep working on it, the more things come together, and the more excited you get about all the additions and improvements. One epic new scene in particular nearly melted the entire writing team’s collective brains, but now that it’s just about done, I can’t imagine the game without it."

"On a gentler note, one of the things I’ve been enjoying about the update is the opportunity to flesh out characters who didn’t get enough love the first time around. Recently, I’ve been giving a glow-up to everyone’s favorite capitalist, Russello “Rusty” Montoro. The Rizian Royal Gold CEO is still obnoxious, but he can now turn into a powerful ally or a powerful enemy – just like his real-world counterparts."

Google Play Pass

For those looking for new ways to experience Suzerain, we’re excited to share that it will be available on Google Play Pass starting February 10th! If you're a subscriber, you can play at no extra cost and dive straight into the political intrigue of President Rayne’s journey.

Adventure Games Podcast DLC Awards

The year is starting well! We won Best Adventure Game DLC at the AGP Adventure Games of the Year Awards 2024 for the Suzerain: Kingdom of Rizia!

It’s a true honor to have our work recognized alongside such incredible studios and games. During the awards, podcast host Seoirse shared that Suzerain and Kingdom of Rizia were among his favorite experiences of all time. One of the other guests even joked that they “lost Seoirse for a month” in the game. We have to shout out to our narrative team, Rachel Glassberg, Adam Sharp, Ilke Karademir, Laurence Marie Gilbertz for all the amazing work done on the DLC story and narrative design.

Click on the image to watch the video.

Games as a Catalyst for Change: Torpor Games at Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung

This past month, our Co-founder and Creative Director, Ilke Karademir, had the honor of joining the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung—affiliated with Germany's Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD), to discuss an important topic close to our hearts: the intersection of games and politics.

At the event, Ilke shared insights into Torpor Games' mission and vision, exploring how interactive media can empower players with agency, spark meaningful dialogue, and inspire change. Through our work, we aim to show that games are more than entertainment; they’re a platform for critical thinking and engagement with real-world issues.

The conversation highlighted the unique power of storytelling in games to challenge perspectives, foster understanding, and drive discussions around democracy, policy, and societal impact.

At Torpor Games, we’re proud to contribute to this movement, and we thank the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung for providing a space to exchange ideas on how games can make a difference.

Suzerainverse Tarot

Last but not least, we want to give a huge shoutout to a talented member of our community, Dy, for creating an incredible Suzerainverse-inspired tarot card! 🌟 Your creativity and dedication continue to amaze us.

We love seeing how the Suzerain Universe inspires you, and we encourage all of you to share your art with us! Whether it’s fan art, music, or anything else that brings this world to life, we’d be thrilled to showcase your creations in future broadcasts.

Thank you for being such an inspiring and creative community!