heyhey folks,

The herd is increasing once again, as the latest Steam Playtest for Stampede: Racing Royale goes live today!

If you joined any of Stampede’s Steam Playtests in 2023, you’ll be automatically added to the playtest – look out for an email with details, and check your Steam Library for updates. If you’re new to our frantic online kart racing battle bonanza (phew, that’s a mouthful!), just head to our Steam store page, hit the green ‘Request Access’ button, and you’ll be emailed with full details.

Steam players can join the action alongside current Xbox Insider Program players, checking out a work-in-progress preview of what’s coming to Early Access later this year. The playtest is the same version of the game available on Insider Program, and cross-platform matchmaking will be enabled, meaning players across Xbox, Windows PC, and Steam will be competing to be champion against each other!

Discover a huge range of additions and changes since last year’s Steam Playtest, driven by community feedback, including over 400 new customisation items to discover, new maps, Special Events, fresh progression features, and plenty more. Join the Stampede chat on Discord[discord.gg] and use our reporting form[forms.office.com] to have your say and help us polish things up for Early Access launch.

Please note: The playtest will run on Steam Deck, but significant performance issues may still pop up, as we continue to make improvements on this device. We’re working on it!

Drop us a follow on Instagram[www.instagram.com], X, TikTok[www.tiktok.com] and YouTube for more Stampede shenanigans.

heyhey racers – pack up your power-ups and polish up those karts… Stampede: Racing Royale is speeding towards its Early Access launch!

Sumo Leamington and Secret Mode are hyped to confirm that this summer, Stampede comes to Steam in Early Access, as well as on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC, via Xbox Game Preview. To celebrate, we’ve rolled out a fancy new trailer, giving you a sneak peek of the wild action coming your way…

To those of you joining the herd for the first time, Stampede: Racing Royale is our free-to-play, 60-player online kart racing battle royale bonanza. Compete against the world – with cross-platform matchmaking – in wild races and battles, avoiding elimination over three rounds, to be crowned the ultimate champion.

Discover incredible maps, pull off huge drifts, deploy destructive power-ups, and enjoy the thrill of fast-paced karting action, combined with competitive battle royale intensity!

In collaboration with our community, Stampede has been growing and developing over the past year, through playtests and feedback from our players. This has helped bring big additions and changes for Early Access launch, including new modes, new ways to play, new progression features, and hundreds of new customisation items to discover.

Between now and Early Access launch, we’ll be sharing more of what you can expect – and you can get a taste of the action today! Jump into the latest Steam Playtest, available right now, featuring many of the new changes and content we'll be dropping for real this summer. Simply hit the green 'Request Access' button on our store page, or just check your Steam library, if you played any of our 2023 playtests.

Throughout Early Access we’ll continue to gather your feedback and ideas as we keep building the world of Stampede, ahead of future seasons and updates. Join our community on Discord, and follow us across Instagram, X, TikTok and YouTube, to make your voice heard and stay connected to all things Stampede: Racing Royale!

Well, hello there!

It’s been a little while since we checked in with a Stampede: Racing Royale Dev Log. At the end of last year, we spoke about how our team would need more time in the lab to cook up exciting stuff for Stampede, and deliver something big for 2024. Well, we’ve been cooking! Let’s get stuck in…




For the first time since last October, an early version of Stampede is available to play right now, through Xbox Insider Program! It’s available on Series X|S and Windows PC, for free, with no Game Pass subscription required. If you’re unfamiliar with Insider Program, don’t worry – here are FAQs that totally break down how to access the game and what you can expect[leamington.sumo-digital.com].

Bringing Stampede to multiple platforms has always been our ambition, as we want as many folks as possible to be able to race and battle together. Xbox Insider Program gives us the chance to take that first step into multi-platform play. Much like last year’s Steam playtests, Insider Program allows our team to get familiar with developing and publishing a game on a new system, whilst also giving players a sneak peek at what’s to come, via a work-in-progress build, so we can gather your feedback and continue to make improvements.

Speaking of which, once you've taken Stampede for a spin on Insider Program, we would hugely appreciate it if you filled out our survey, to share your thoughts[forms.office.com]. Thank you!



If you checked out Stampede last year, a quick glance of the game on Insider Program will tell you a lot has changed! The team here have made major strides with the game, adding a huge amount of new content and experiences, as well as improving performance across the board.

Play on Insider Program for a first look over 450 customisation items to unlock (compared to around 60 last year!), and show off your look on an expanded set of maps, including the new ‘Dockyard Dash’ racetrack. The new Challenges, Season Pass, and Kart Mastery features all give you fresh ways to earn rewards, and the new Special Events feature delivers unique Stampede scenarios to take on.

That’s just scratching the surface of what’s been changed, and we’re so pleased to have been able to introduce lots of content and changes that Steam playtest players were calling for in 2023. It’s important for us to show that your feedback has – and will continue to be – listened to, as we build Stampede: Racing Royale together. Sounds cheesy, but it’s true!



Whilst we’re delighted to reach this new stage of Stampede’s journey, that doesn’t mean we’ve lost sight of what’s up ahead. We know the Insider Program plans may raise questions around Early Access, so we’re here to answer ‘em.

Xbox Insider Program does not change our plans or timeline for Stampede’s Early Access, coming in the first half of this year, and it’ll be on Steam. Our plan remains the same, and going live on a new platform provides a chance to run important tests and processes that help us nail the Early Access launch.

What you can play today on Insider Program is a first look at what we have planned for Early Access. Much of what you see on XIP will be maintained, but we’re also already gathering reports, feedback, and ideas from players, to help us make more improvements as soon as possible. We’ve already had productive chats with players in Stampede’s official Discord server[discord.gg] on pesky bugs, future ideas, and plenty more. Come hang out!

So, jump in and tell us what you think – oh, and get yourself an exclusive reward, to be delivered once Early Access is live, just for playing on Insider Program! Consider it a token of thanks for your support so far. We couldn’t have got to this point without your help, and we’re excited for what’s to come.

See you on the track <3

hey folks!

The official Discord server for Stampede: Racing Royale is now live. Feel free to join via the link below:

https://discord.gg/43fGQfDeBJ

This is our primary space to chat with both our team and the wider Stampede community. As we really kick things into gear later this year, we'll be organising events, competitions, and more on the server.

If you prefer to just hang out on Steam Discussions, that's fine - we'll be keeping an eye on conversations there, too!

We'll be sharing our next Dev Log and Stampede Podcast very soon, discussing more about our Early Access launch, which remains on track for Steam. Look forward to sharing those with you, and chatting on Discord.

Thank you! <3

heyhey folks. Hope you've had (and are still having) a great festive period!

Across the Stampede: Racing Royale social channels (X, Instagram[www.instagram.com], Facebook[www.facebook.com], TikTok[www.tiktok.com]), we recently shared a selection of brand new cosmetic items coming to the game when Early Access begins in 2024. New options for both your kart and character will be available across the game - and here's a look at just some of the stuff we've been cooking up!

In 2024, we'll be sharing so much more on the topic of customisation in Stampede, including how you can discover and earn new items, and the sheer scale the amount of fresh stuff coming your way. For now, though, enjoy this lil glimpse, and tell us if you'd like to see any particular skins or designs. :)

Heyhey everyone,

A few weeks on from our last Dev Log, and shortly before the festive period really gets going, we wanted to share another update with you on the status of Stampede: Racing Royale! It’s been an important period behind the scenes, so here’s an overview of what’s been going on.

FULL SPEED AHEAD!

Our development team at Sumo Leamington recently reached a key milestone, producing what we consider to be an ‘Alpha’ build of the Early Access version of Stampede: Racing Royale. A tonne of great work has gone into expanding the game with new features, adding more content and options, and optimising across the board.

This is a big moment, but it’s also part of an ongoing journey. There is plenty more we can (and plan to!) do to improve on this Alpha version, to deliver the quality of game you expect. That work is taking place right now and will continue in the new year.

We say this all the time, but it’s true so we’ll keep saying it – we couldn’t have reached this stage without the support of Steam Playtest players this year. Your feedback has helped shape Stampede already, so thank you once again. When Early Access begins in the first half of 2024, we’ll continue to listen and collaborate with you.

THE NITTY-GRITTY

There are many additions and changes we're working on from community requests, such as an end-of-event "podium scene" and other effects to capture the drama during celebrations. We're also adding some additional tips and explanations throughout to make sure it's always clear what you need to do!

Also, after mentions of wanting more ways to play, we’ve shared a first look at the Special Events mode coming to Stampede. Features like this, which give you more to engage with and achieve, are a big focus for us right now. We’ll keep you posted on more stuff like this through our channels, alongside a chunky set of patch notes once Early Access begins.

On more technical topics, we’re also super busy squashing bugs and improving the gameplay some more. We’ve resolved some commonly-reported display issues, like the ‘roulette’ animation for power-ups not appearing at times, and a few lingering bugs when players partying up. Our Trello board[trello.com], which shows the status of hot-topic issues reported by playtest players, is up to date – but if something you spotted during playtests isn’t mentioned there, feel free to leave a comment below and we’ll get back to you.

RACING INTO ’24

Our crew will soon be taking some well-deserved downtime, returning in early January to continue working towards more milestones. Our Dev Logs will continue, as well as our feature deep dives and other content across our channels to keep you informed on our road to Early Access, coming in the first half of 2024.

Have a fantastic festive period and see you in the new year!

Our early playtests of Stampede: Racing Royale saw folks jump into our core, standard experience – a 60-player, three-round event, mixing racing and battles. 20 drivers are eliminated in each of the first two rounds before the ultimate champion is crowned!

We had a blast playing this with everyone and the feedback was super positive. However, a common suggestion was to add more variety to how you can play; different modes, structures, and high-stakes events. We also thought this would be cool, so for Early Access launch, prepare for Special Events in Stampede!

Whilst you can hit the track in our standard Stampede experience at any time, there will also be limited-time events that mix up the action and up the ante, offering big-time rewards to the best racers. Look out for the first version of Special Events from the very beginning of Early Access, which we’ll be improving and adding to over time.

Each Season, discover new Special Events with new scenarios to take on against the world. These events might introduce new game modes, change the methods of elimination or qualification. One thing’s for sure: each will test you in new ways. Maybe a Special Event will be Heavy karts only. Perhaps it’ll be a one-round sprint for the win, or the power-ups on offer will change – or disappear entirely. Maybe you’ll need to be wearing an octopus on your head to be eligible to enter, because reasons. Who knows what you’ll discover?

These events will offer big rewards, both for your overall performance and for completing objectives along the way. Special Events can have their own bespoke Challenges attached to them, ranging from simply taking part, to standing out from the herd with feats of mastery. Top performers and Challenge-completers can expect big in-game currency payouts and some of the rarest, coolest customisation gear…  

Each Special Event is time-limited. It could last for an entire Season, a week, or even just one day! Look out for details of live challenges in the main menus and join our community channels to find out details for upcoming events and tips for success. Find us on all your standard social platforms. See you again soon, racers!

heyhey everyone,

It’s been quite the month in the world of Stampede: Racing Royale, so it feels like the right time to share our latest Dev Log and give you an update on how things are going. Lets’ get into it, shall we?

Last week we confirmed that the Early Access launch for Stampede will be shifting into the first half of 2024. Whilst we’ve been able to make huge progress in developing the game this year (thanks in huge part to your comments from each Steam Playtest), a little more time is needed to make key additions and improvements for Early Access.

The feedback from players has been super positive when playing the small slice of the game we’ve shared so far. Around that slice, though, are many other important things that we want to nail for Early Access. The goal, basically, is to give you more – more of the stuff you’ve already seen, like customisation items and maps, and then more new things to get stuck into, like modes, challenges, and goals to achieve.

The reaction to last week’s news was incredibly supportive and understanding, and we can’t stress enough how appreciated that is. Thank you. We’ll keep you as updated as we can on how things progress on our journey to Early Access.

Of course, this month we also ran a new Steam Playtest, and brought the Stampede fun and games to another con! From both EGX and the third playtest, we received more brilliant feedback from folks, which we’ve started to address.

Whilst the game appears to be running very well at this stage on most supported setups, we’re continuing to optimise, so as many PC specs as possible get buttery smooth performance. We also made changes to lobby discovery behaviour to get more players into events together. Whilst this helped, we also saw the mentions on the two-minute lobby wait time being too long, so we’re looking into tweaking this for Early Access.

A couple of prominent bugs from the playtest are also being worked on now, including AI drivers getting stuck and the ‘wrong way’ indicator appearing incorrectly. Finally, we continue to log all the suggestions for features and content you send to us, and see if it’s something we can implement down the line. Quite often, the stuff you suggest is already in the works behind the scenes. Always great to see when we’re on the same wavelength!

We’ll get back in the lab to keep implementing new content, squashing a few bugs, and putting some polish on Stampede to ensure the best possible Early Access launch. We aim to be able to share details on some new content by the end of the year, then moving into 2024, we’ll bring you more deep dives on what to expect the next time you can hit the track.

Thanks again everyone. Take it easy <3

Hey folks,

So, we have some news. We’ve decided to move the Steam Early Access launch of Stampede: Racing Royale back from November 2. We’re now aiming to begin this in the first half of 2024.

We know this sucks. We were mega excited to permanently open the game to the world and enjoy Stampede with you all. We've had fantastic feedback from both the Steam Playtests and conventions, but after long chats with the team, we've decided we need a little more time to ensure we're delivering the game you want to see, without affecting our team’s health (no crunch! Crunch is bad!).

Nobody is more disappointed than us to share this info, but it means you'll get to play an even better game – just a little later.

Okay, that’s the headline news, but we want to be as open as possible on why this decision has been made. So, here are some answers to questions you may have.



Firstly, we're making this change to bring you a game that we feel aligns with what you want to see.

Many additions and improvements that are key to Early Access are in development right now, and some of it isn’t quite at the level we want it to be, or you folks deserve. Our team has put so much love into Stampede, and we see how excited you are for it. We'd hate to have it fall short of what's needed and expected from all of us.

Secondly, this is the best decision for our team. We are a studio that seriously cares about the wellbeing of our people. We will not force anyone to work in an unhealthy way to hit targets and deadlines. Shifting Early Access ensures our amazing team remain healthy and supported, to do what they do best.

This change means there will be even more to enjoy in Stampede when we go live – and after hearing your feedback from EGX and Steam Playtest 3, we know it's stuff you'll be excited for!



We’re now aiming for Early Access to launch in the first half of 2024 – so that’s between January and June. We know that’s vague. We’ll share a specific date as soon as this is locked in.

We confirmed previously that console versions of the game are planned for 2024, featuring cross-play capability. This news does not change that, and we plan to provide more updates on this next year.




As more work is completed, we’ll share content that gives you a closer look at how Stampede is transforming for Early Access. We’ll get into the nitty-gritty details on new stuff like Special Events, deeper kart progression, Seasons and Challenges, so you can feed back with thoughts and ideas for our team.

We’ll continue to chat with the community and gather your thoughts via our channels, keep updating our Trello board[trello.com] with the status of known hot topics, and keep providing Dev Logs, so you’re up to speed on what we’re doing. The official Discord server will be live closer to Early Access, too.

Regarding additional playtests, we will keep looking at opportunities to run these, whilst also ensuring we don’t take focus away from creating the best game possible for Early Access.



A MASSIVE thank you to our growing Stampede community, who have already provided us with so much support and guidance. We apologise for the change in plans, but can’t wait to continue building (and playing) this game with you. We’ll be back in touch later this year with more game deets. <3