Indie deckbuilder Handmancers delays Early Access to avoid Slay the Spire 2 crowd

Handmancers delays to avoid launch-week oblivion – and that actually matters

This caught my attention because it’s a rare moment where an indie studio openly surrendered calendar turf to a genre titan rather than pretending the timing didn’t matter. Handmancers, a first-person roguelike deckbuilder from 58BLADES, was due to hit Steam Early Access on March 9. After Mega Crit locked Slay the Spire 2’s Early Access date for March 5, the devs announced they’d push back Handmancers’ launch – saying bluntly that “launching a deckbuilder the same week as Slay the Spire 2? Yeah… we’d get absolutely crushed.”

• Handmancers delays its March 9 Early Access launch to avoid being overshadowed by Slay the Spire 2 on March 5.
• Developer 58BLADES will reveal a new date during Turn‑Based Fest and use the extra time for polish, balance and a newly added boss.
• The move highlights a growing indie strategy: choose visibility over bravado when a high-profile sequel arrives.

Breaking down the announcement – what changed and why

58BLADES publicly shelved the March 9 Early Access plan on February 21, citing Mega Crit’s March 5 Slay the Spire 2 launch as the trigger. The studio framed the decision in practical terms: not just fear of competition but plain economics — “Buying two deckbuilders in the same week? In this economy? Not happening,” they joked.

The delay isn’t vague: the developer said the new date will be revealed during Turn‑Based Fest in March, and promised to use the breathing room to tidy polish, rebalance, and add a boss that had been scheduled for post‑launch. That’s an important detail — it turns a marketing dodge into a tangible benefit for players (hopefully fewer bugs and a meatier initial build).

Industry context: why one sequel can swallow an entire launch week

Synthesizing the wider context makes the choice easy to understand. Mega Crit’s Slay the Spire 2 is a sequel to one of the most influential modern deckbuilders; its March 5 Early Access launch includes new characters, cards, and even four‑player co‑op. For a small studio releasing a game in the same genre, the loudest part of the conversation will likely be focused on Mega Crit’s sequel for days, if not weeks.

Timing pressures are amplified by festival windows and Steam events. Steam Next Fest runs from February 23 to March 2 — a demo-heavy period that already amplifies hype cycles — and Turn‑Based Fest will be a natural place to reannounce Handmancers’ new date to an audience tuned into tactical and turn‑based games.

What this means for players (and for indie devs)

For players, the downside is simple: you wait a little longer. The upside is potentially significant. If 58BLADES uses the delay to fix rough edges and launch with an extra boss, Handmancers could ship in a better state than the rushed Early Access many indies fear. The game’s first‑person, rock‑paper‑scissors approach to card duels already sets it apart from Slay the Spire’s top‑down formula, so more polish could help it stand out when attention finally comes.

For other indies, this is a reminder that release calendars are a strategic resource. We’ve seen similar moves before: devs rescheduling around monster launches to avoid being swallowed by marketing noise. It’s pragmatic — and honest. The only question is whether the delay becomes an excuse for indefinite postponement or a deliberate, finite window for finishing touches.

What to watch next — TL;DR

• New Handmancers Early Access date will be announced at Turn‑Based Fest in March.
• Watch Slay the Spire 2’s early reception after March 5 to see how much space it actually commands.
• Look for more small studios shifting windows around major launches — crowded Steam calendars reward patience.

Final take: this delay is a smart, unsentimental decision. Handmancers isn’t trying to outshout a sequel that will dominate its audience; it’s buying runway to land better. That’s not surrender — it’s marketing and quality control in one, and players who care about a tighter Early Access experience should appreciate the trade.