Stardock to Publish Colonus, a Medieval City Builder

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Badhenke Studios' upcoming city builder combines deep production chains, exploration and villagers' lives.

PLYMOUTH, Mich., Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Colonus is a cozy city-building game with a strong emphasis on exploration, production chains, and the lives of individual villagers. Blending relaxing gameplay with meaningful challenges, it offers a different kind of city builder, focused on discovering new lands and establishing thriving colonies across a world of diverse islands and environments.

The game begins after a group of villagers becomes stranded on an unfamiliar island when their carrack is destroyed. As their leader, players must help them rebuild by gathering resources, constructing buildings, developing professions, and exploring beyond the shores of their new home.

As the colony grows, players can discover new islands, overcome environmental challenges, establish additional settlements, and build the production chains needed to support them. Rather than requiring constant micromanagement, Colonus allows players to guide one or several colonies through broader policies and long-term decisions.

At the heart of Colonus are its villagers. Each villager has individual needs that must be fulfilled, making their happiness and quality of life central to the success of the colony. Exploration, a fresh approach to farming, policy-driven management, and a distinctive visual style further separate Colonus from traditional city builders.

"Colonus has all the hallmarks of an addictive, laid back, city-building experience," said Brian Clair, Director of Publishing at Stardock Entertainment. "I've been a huge city-building fanatic over the years. When you lose hours in a game without noticing, you have something truly special. After talking with Badhenke, we knew that we wanted to work together on Colonus."

"With Colonus, we want to create a city builder that feels relaxing without becoming passive. Players will explore an inviting world, establish colonies across its islands, and build settlements around the needs and happiness of the villagers who call them home," said Henrik Eriksson, founder of Badhenke Studios. "Stardock has a deep understanding of strategy games, both as a developer and a publisher, which made them a natural fit for Colonus. From our earliest conversations, they understood the kind of experience we want to create and shared our excitement for the game. Their experience and support will help us reach the full potential of Colonus."

Colonus is now available to wishlist on Steam and is set to launch in early 2027.

For the latest information on updates, community initiatives, and future content, visit the official Steam page.

About Stardock

Stardock is a pioneer in the strategy gaming genre headquartered in Plymouth, Mich. that has been developing and publishing strategy and simulation games since 1993, starting with the original release of Galactic Civilizations. Stardock's recent hits include Sins of a Solar Empire, Ashes of the Singularity, Elemental: Fallen Enchantress, and Offworld Trading Company. Learn more at www.stardock.com.

About Badhenke Studios

Badhenke Studios is an independent game studio based in Sweden, founded in 2025 by Henrik Eriksson. After a decade in tech, including working at Spotify and running his own startups, Henrik decided to pursue his childhood dream of making games professionally. The two-person team is now developing Colonus, its first commercial game.

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<p>Badhenke Studios' upcoming city builder combines deep production chains, exploration and villagers' lives. PLYMOUTH, Mich., Oct. 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Colonus is a cozy city-building game with a strong emphasis on exploration, production chains, and the lives of individual villagers....</p>

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