- 13/09/2026 Patch Notes - 13 September 2026
Hey Guys,Have done a few fixes more around game display based on feedback: - Added more display options to settings- Full screen, windowed and a variety of screen sizes- Cleaned up a few bits of UI that were in bad positions If you notice any issues you run into, let me know so I can fix them,Cheers,Ethan.
- Primus #20: Every 10 Ranks, You Have to Defeat Them - 1 August 2026
Hey Guys,This week I worked on all the 10 Gatekeeper Challenges that are within the full game. Making combat stances, abilities, passives and ensuring each Gatekeeper fight feels uniquely different. Here's how it went:If you’d like to support the game, wishlist the game and support me on YouTube:👉 Primus👉 My Game Dev YouTube👉 My WebsiteThanks again for checking this out.I’m looking forward to sharing progress with you each week as I work toward the full game release!– Ethan
- Primus #19: Here’s My Gladiator Game After 4 Months - 25 July 2026
Hey guys,This week I fell ill but wanted to use this as an opportunity to show you more of what the game looks like so you've got a better idea for where we are at.Here's more on this:If you’d like to support the game, wishlist the game and support me on YouTube:👉 Primus👉 My Game Dev YouTube👉 My WebsiteThanks again for checking this out.I’m looking forward to sharing progress with you each week as I work toward the full game release!– Ethan
- Primus #18: Gladiator Expeditions, The Arena Announcer & Animations - 18 July 2026
Hey Guys,This week was spent working on the gladiator expedition map, improving the visuals, the generation and more. I also added the arena announcer voice overs as well as beginning to work on idle animations for gladiators.Here's how it went:If you’d like to support the game, wishlist the game and support me on YouTube:👉 Primus👉 My Game Dev YouTube👉 My WebsiteThanks again for checking this out.I’m looking forward to sharing progress with you each week as I work toward the full game release!– Ethan
- Primus #17: Fixing My Biggest Bugs In Primus Yet - 11 July 2026
Hey guys, This week we had a few major bugs to fix, from my entire game looking visually crushed to the screen being too zoomed in. I was able to fix most of them but 1 still remains. I plan to release the demo this week as long as I can find a solution to this issue in time.Here's how it went: If you’d like to support the game, wishlist the game and support me on YouTube:👉 Primus👉 My Game Dev YouTube👉 My WebsiteThanks again for checking this out.I’m looking forward to sharing progress with you each week as I work toward the full game release!– Ethan
- Primus #16: Demo Approved - The Push For The Release - 4 July 2026
Hey guys,With the demo approved (third time lucky) we're nearing the point of the demo release. The demo release will likely get pushed till next week but I aim to get the demo trailer out tomorrow. I share more in the video below:If you’d like to support the game, wishlist the game and support me on YouTube:👉 Primus👉 My Game Dev YouTube👉 My WebsiteThanks again for checking this out.I’m looking forward to sharing progress with you each week as I work toward the full game release!– Ethan
- Primus #15: Building the Dungeon for My Gladiator Game - 27 June 2026
Hey guys,This week I focused on adding the Dungeon Crawler aspect to Primus. As it felt the game was more of constant fights and recovery rather than a dungeon.I also worked on putting in tutorials and fixing various issues along the way, here's how it went:If you’d like to support the game, wishlist the game and support me on YouTube:👉 Primus👉 My Game Dev YouTube👉 My WebsiteThanks again for checking this out.I’m looking forward to sharing progress with you each week as I work toward the full game release!– Ethan
- Primus #14: UI Overhaul With Chat GPT To Polish My Game - 20 June 2026
Hey guys,This week we did some nice UI polishing, focusing on making the game visuals feel more gladiator-themed.Where I had Chat GPT make the HUD images based off the screenshots I gave it to then put into my game.Here's how it went:If you’d like to support the game, wishlist the game and support me on YouTube:👉 Primus👉 My Game Dev YouTube👉 My WebsiteThanks again for checking this out.I’m looking forward to sharing progress with you each week as I work toward the full game release!– Ethan
- Primus #13: Primus Didn’t Make The Steam Fest. But That’s Fine - 13 June 2026
Hey guys,So unfortunately the Primus demo won't be out in time for the Steam Fest, and will likely take another week or so to get out.However this isn't an entire loss for a few reasons I discuss in my latest devlog:If you’d like to support the game, wishlist the game and support me on YouTube:👉 Primus👉 My Game Dev YouTube👉 My WebsiteThanks again for checking this out.I’m looking forward to sharing progress with you each week as I work toward the full game release!– Ethan
- Primus #12: I Have 9 Days To Fix My Failed Steam Demo - 6 June 2026
Hey guys,Was a bit of an adventurous week with progress.The game demo didn't get approvedThe combat is still having issuesWe only have 9 days to get this fixed in time for the steam festMaybe I've bitten off more than I can chew by trying to get this demo out in time, but I talk more about the situation in my recent devlog below:If you’d like to support the game, wishlist the game and support me on YouTube:👉 Primus👉 My Game Dev YouTube👉 My WebsiteThanks again for checking this out.I’m looking forward to sharing progress with you each week as I work toward the full game release!– Ethan
- Primus #11: I’ve Spent 160 Hours Building a Gladiator Dungeon Crawler - 30 May 2026
Hey guys,So, we are officially about two weeks away from needing the demo ready for Steam Next Fest, and it’s honestly terrifying trying to turn a bunch of separate systems into something you can actually play.In this devlog, you’ll see:The Combat Stasis: Combat technically worked, but it felt way too static and visually failed to sell the intense vibe of gladiators attacking and defending.New Stances & Core Loops: Built out unique combat stance sprites (inspired by Darkest Dungeon) so gladiators actually shift poses for different abilities, redesigned the action icons, and mapped out the gatekeeper boss progression.🎥 Watch the full Devlog #11 here:If you’d like to support the game, wishlist the game and support me on YouTube:👉 Primus👉 My Game Dev YouTube👉 My WebsiteThanks again for checking this out.I’m looking forward to sharing progress with you each week as I work toward the ful…
- Primus Devlog #10: AI Bloated My Gladiator Game. So I Simplified It - 23 May 2026
Hey guys,So, I accidentally bloated my gladiator game with too many AI-generated systems, completely lost the core vision, and had to spend the week aggressively deleting my own features to save the game before the demo deadline.In this devlog, you’ll see:The Trap of AI Feature Creep: How easy it was to use AI to spin up half-baked mechanics, like historical festivals and complex house management, until the game stopped feeling like a game and just became a massive pile of ideas.The Great Project Purge: Stripping the game back down to its brutal gladiator dungeon crawler roots, cleaning out the fluff, and preparing the ranking loop and gatekeeper bosses (like a war elephant with archers) for the upcoming Steamfest demo.Progress by Destruction: The ironic realization that the most productive week of development I've had lately involved writing absolutely zero new features and instead mas…
- Steam Deck Compatibility - 20 May 2026
Steam Deck CompatibilityPrimus is not steam deck supported.The game is designed primarily for Windows PC. For the best experience, I recommend playing on Windows PC.Cheers,Ethan.
- Primus Devlog #9: Hitting My Biggest Roadblock Yet - 16 May 2026
Hey guys,So, we hit our biggest roadblock yet. It turns out that building features super fast with AI tools can backfire, leaving the project buried under a mountain of half-finished systems and loose ends right as the demo submission deadline looms less than three weeks away.In this devlog, you’ll see:The Trap of "AI Clutter": Dealing with massive feature creep and realizing that just because tools like Cursor let you build something quickly, doesn't mean you should.Scoping the Demo Scene-by-Scene: Aggressively deleting, merging, and simplifying code to lock down a tight core gameplay loop featuring the first two gatekeeper bosses.Desperate Miro Board Sketching: Resorting to drawing terrible, incoherent sketches on a digital whiteboard just to find an ounce of clarity when the Trello board stopped helping.If you’d like to support the game, wishlist the game and support me on YouTube:👉…
- Primus Devlog #8: The Game Is Finally Taking Shape - 9 May 2026
Hey guys,So, we’ve reached that "weird stage" where all the individual pieces of the game, the combat, the arena, the festivals, finally exist, but they don't quite fit together perfectly yet. This week was all about the "clean up" to make sure everything actually feels intentional.In this devlog, you’ll see:The UI Struggle: Realizing the old HUD was way too crowded and chaotic (a recurring ghost from my first game) which made the management systems feel way more complicated than they actually are.A Massive Polish Pass: Redesigning the HUD to be compact and readable (inspired by Darkest Dungeon) and pivoting the game’s direction away from a "dungeon crawler" into a more authentic, political "Gladiator Simulator."The Unexpected Pivot: Admitting that the dungeon crawler mechanics I’d been forcing into the game just didn't fit the gladiator vibe, and decided to scrap them entirely just 3 w…
- Primus Devlog #7: Creating 27 Head Of House Individuals To Lead Your Faction - 2 May 2026
Hey guys,So, trying to make nine different factions feel like more than just palette-swapped rivals has been the mountain to climb this week, turns out giving a world "soul" requires a lot of image making and 27 very opinionated leaders.In this devlog, you’ll see:The Struggle for Identity: Moving past basic stat buffs to ensure every faction feels alive. It’s one thing to give a faction a different color; it’s another to build unique politics, styles, and AI behaviors that actually make them feel like dangerous rivals.The Head of House System: I’ve built out 27 unique Head of House individuals (three for each of the nine factions). Each leader comes with two unique passive traits and a "Decree"—an active ability that can change the tide of combat, like the Gilded Hand using money to manipulate the crowd or the Iron Vanguard using raw martial buffs.The Art of the Deal (and the Insult): I…
- Primus Devlog #6: Adding Roman Festivals & Tours - 25 April 2026
Hey guys,So, I hit a massive mental roadblock for about four days this week, leaving me completely stuck on where to take the game until a deep dive into Roman history opened up a whole new path for the gameplay loop.In this devlog, you’ll see:The Mental Wall: Overcoming a multi-day creative slump and deciding to scrap annoying percentage-based RNG in favor of travel events where the player has definitive control over the outcome.Festivals & Rivalries: The implementation of a new "touring" system where you travel to festivals, manage a morning-to-night cycle of preparation and hype, and navigate complex political alliances (or betrayals) with eight rival factions.The Rockstar Life: My discovery that Roman gladiators essentially went on touring circuits like modern athletes, dealing with everything from noble invitations to getting sick or ambushed on the road.🎥 Watch the full Devlog #6…
- Primus Devlog #5: Releasing 11 Animals Into My Game To Cause Mayhem - 18 April 2026
Hey guys,So, I’ve been diving deep into Roman history, well, asking Gemini about it, to figure out exactly how many toothy, clawed beasts I can legally (and technically) cram into a tile-based arena.In this devlog, you’ll see:The Great Ability Overhaul: Realizing that moving to tile-based combat means I have to go back and rewrite almost every gladiator ability and passive I’ve already built so they actually play nice with the new movement system.Release the Beasts: I’ve added 11 different animals including lions, tigers, and even elephants with archer towers. I also implemented a new crowd event system where the audience can randomly decide to "Release the Beast" mid-match to spice things up.The Glitchy Gate: I tried using AI video generation to create cinematic animal entrances. The lion looked great, but the way the arena gate opened was so physically "weird" and broken that I’m stil…
