BitCraft’s “optional wipe” is a soft relaunch — here’s why that matters

BitCraft’s Early Access 2 is a soft relaunch – optional wipe, faster XP, and a cheaper price

Clockwork Labs is offering players a rare middle ground: when BitCraft moves from Early Access 1 to Early Access 2 on Feb. 26, you can choose a fresh start or keep everything you’ve already earned. That choice, plus faster experience gains, a temporary price cut and a 24‑hour downtime beginning at noon EDT on Feb. 25, makes this more of a relaunch than a routine update.

Key takeaways

• EA2 launches Feb. 26; servers go offline for 24 hours starting noon EDT Feb. 25.
• Players may opt into a full progress wipe (restart at level 1) or keep EA1 progression; purchases and premium items are preserved.
• Reserved names can be reclaimed until March 27; cosmetics, currency, titles and drops will be copied to the selected account state.
• Experience gain will be faster in EA2 and the base price drops to $15.99 with a $7.99 launch discount (sale price $7.99).

What this actually is: a controlled soft relaunch

This isn’t just a version number bump. By offering an optional wipe, Clockwork Labs is trying to have its cake and eat it: refresh the game’s early meta and new‑player funnel without angering existing buyers. Copying premium cosmetics, currency, titles and drops into whichever state a player chooses is the safety valve – it lowers the political cost of wiping progress because you don’t lose real money or vanity items.

That’s smart product design if your goal is to reset balance and progression while keeping the playerbase intact. It’s also PR‑friendly: fewer angry threads about “you took my stuff” and more experimental wiggle room for designers. MassivelyOP’s writeup is the source on the specifics here, and the mechanics line up with how studios have tried to thread this needle elsewhere.

The warning signs the PR won’t lead with

Optional wipes aren’t a cure-all. Look at Arc Raiders’ opt‑in Expeditions: the idea was fine, but the implementation (high costs, weak rewards) left players feeling punished rather than rewarded. If EA2 only tweaks the XP curve to make numbers pop without fixing grindy loops, the “fresh start” will feel cosmetic.

There’s also the infrastructure angle. A planned 24‑hour downtime is normal for a migration, but past fiascos – from surprise rollbacks to servers that silently lose progress — show how quickly goodwill evaporates. Clockwork Labs’ promise to copy purchases and cosmetics is reassuring, but it’s the execution that counts.

The question Clockwork Labs needs to answer

If I were on a call with their PR rep, the thing I’d press them on is this: will the XP curve change be a genuine reduction of awkward grind, or simply an acceleration that masks empty progression? In other words, are you shortening content loops to improve pacing, or are you just inflating numbers so players hit milestones faster?

How to decide whether to wipe

• If you want a fresh competitive start and enjoy re‑discovering systems, opt into the wipe — you won’t lose cosmetics or purchases.
• If you’re attached to long playtime achievements or social standing, keep your EA1 progress — reserved names are available to reclaim through March 27.
• If you’ve been holding off buying, the temporary drop to $15.99 with a $7.99 launch discount is the clearest buying signal; weigh it against the faster XP curve and whether that will spoil the long‑term loop.

What to watch next

• Feb. 25, noon EDT — 24‑hour downtime begins. Any extension or rollback notices here are a red flag.
• Feb. 26 — EA2 goes live. Look at concurrent player counts and Steam chart activity the first 48 hours; a visible spike followed by steady retention is the best outcome.
• March 27 — reserved name reclaim window closes. Expect last‑minute name grabs and possible customer‑service cases.
• Two weeks after launch — check patch notes and developer commentary. Are they following the XP change with systemic fixes or more bandaids?

TL;DR

BitCraft’s move to Early Access 2 is a soft relaunch dressed up as an update: optional wipes, faster XP, preserved purchases and a temporary price cut. It’s a reasonable, low‑risk way to reset the meta — provided Clockwork Labs uses the moment to fix core pacing and server reliability, not just rebadge the same grind. Watch the downtime on Feb. 25 and the team’s follow‑up patches; those will tell you whether this was product management or PR theater.