ReVamp will start testing with a limited Discord playtest on October 29, rather than the broad Steam test Digital Sun had planned. The Moonlighter studio says it is wary of giving tens of thousands of players access to an unreleased build while games are reportedly being copied before their originals launch.

The studio will invite players in waves through its Discord community, with a public playtest now hoped for around January. That means Steam users who requested access will have to wait longer for a chance to try the game; Digital Sun thanked them for their patience and apologized for the change of plan.

Digital Sun’s decision is a practical trade-off for an indie team: keeping an early build contained may reduce the exposure it is concerned about, but it also delays the open testing that can help a game find players before launch. The developer had been preparing to let players try ReVamp near the end of October.

That early access matters beyond gathering feedback. A public playtest can put a game in front of potential fans well before release, a useful route to visibility for a smaller studio. Digital Sun has previously introduced ReVamp as part of the Triple-i Initiative showcase, where the game’s unusual blend of tower defense and Metroidvania was part of its pitch.

A smaller first test, with a public one still planned

Digital Sun describes ReVamp as a vampiric “Tower Defensevania.” The studio, known for the roguelike Moonlighter and RTS Cataclismo, is not cancelling the test outright: it is changing who can access the first build and how that access is distributed.

A battle scene from Digital Sun's tower defensevania game, ReVamp. – Image: ReVamp / Steam

Game Developer also reported that the studio had planned a public test to collect player feedback and metrics. Its account, alongside Eurogamer’s report, describes the same shift toward a more contained Discord test, following the studio’s concern that an exposed build could be reverse-engineered and copied ahead of release.

That concern sits within a broader argument about generative AI’s effects on game development. It is a live issue for studios weighing the value of showing work early against the possibility that material from a demo could be used to make a competing imitation. The debate reaches beyond ReVamp: Digital Sun’s choice is one example of how worries around AI are changing the way developers approach public-facing promotion and testing.

Public tests remain a familiar way for players to try games before launch, as with Knights of Frontier Valley’s second playtest. ReVamp’s first round, by contrast, will begin with a smaller audience and expand in waves. Digital Sun has said it would like to open the test to the public around January, but that remains its current expectation rather than a confirmed date.

ReVamp testing and launch dates Milestone Timing Details First playtest October 29, 2026 Discord access begins in waves Public playtest Around January 2027 Digital Sun hopes to open access Full launch March 25, 2027 ReVamp’s scheduled release

Digital Sun’s current schedule puts ReVamp’s full launch on March 25, 2027. The next confirmed step is the first Discord access wave on October 29.

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