Project Gorgon received its December 18, 2025 update from Elder Game LLC introducing version 2 of the character model creator preview with dozens of new color options, many new facial and body sliders, finalized hairstyle selections including space buns and pigtails, plus the annual Ri-Shin winter holiday event where NPCs give gifts to players who’ve reached Friend favor level. The update also includes significant Fire Magic buffs making Fire Walls actually viable, disabled mastercrafted boost recipes pending feedback, and various fixes for the quirky sandbox MMORPG that’s been in development since 2009 and somehow continues receiving active updates despite being one of gaming’s most obscure titles.
- Character Creator V2 Finally Lets You Look Human
- Ri-Shin Holiday Event Gives Free Stuff to Friends
- Fire Magic Gets Massive Buffs Because It Sucked
- Mastercrafted Boost Recipes Disabled Pending Feedback
- Quality of Life Changes Nobody Asked For But Appreciate
- The Inexplicable Survival of Project Gorgon
- FAQs
- Conclusion
Character Creator V2 Finally Lets You Look Human
The character model creator reached version 2 with what Elder Game describes as basically the version we’ll launch with, meaning this represents the finalized customization system that will ship when Project Gorgon eventually leaves early access after 16 years of development. The most significant change is dozens of new color options for skin, hair, eyes, and other features, addressing complaints that previous versions offered too few choices for creating diverse characters in a fantasy MMO where you can literally turn into a cow.
However, Elder Game explicitly stated they cannot provide full freedom on colors with saturation sliders or RGB selectors because their system tracks colors as palette indexes and overhauling that would be a massive undertaking. This technical limitation frustrates players accustomed to modern character creators offering unlimited color customization, but for a two-person indie team working on ancient code, palette-based colors represent a reasonable compromise between variety and development feasibility.
Hair underwent controversial changes from two-tone colors to single-tone, which Elder Game claims is intentional and temporary. Base characters get limited to one color, but two-tone hair will return in the future available via a different means, presumably through gameplay unlocks or cosmetic purchases. Whether players accept this explanation or view it as downgrade disguised as planned feature remains contentious, especially for those who spent hours perfecting two-tone hairstyles that no longer exist.
Many new sliders expand customization depth with face options including lower face depth, chin rotation, eyes depth, eye shape covering inner eye, outer eye, upper eyelid, and lower eyelid, plus nose rotation, nose twist, and mouth rotation. Body sliders now control neck, upper arm, lower arm, belly, breast, hips, upper leg, and lower leg proportions, letting players create substantially more varied body types than the previous limited options that made everyone look generically athletic.
Finalized hairstyles include some popularly requested options like space buns, pigtails, and Rakshasa dreads returning after previous removal. However, some old hairstyles disappeared permanently after Elder Game decided what types of styles should belong to which races, eliminating options that didn’t match racial aesthetics. Players who selected removed hairstyles in saved presets had them automatically converted to the most similar now-available style, which sometimes resulted in characters looking completely different than intended.
Rakshasa ears became scalable and rotatable, addressing longtime complaints that cat-person characters couldn’t properly customize their most distinctive feature. Fae gained Foliage, which are plants and flowers sticking out of heads and bodies, though Elder Game acknowledges visual weirdness that will be addressed in future updates. Whether Fae foliage looks charming or ridiculous depends entirely on implementation quality when the feature is finished.
Ri-Shin Holiday Event Gives Free Stuff to Friends
The annual Ri-Shin winter holiday event runs through December celebrating when the god of trees saved humanity and elfanity from unspecified catastrophe. Rakshasa weren’t included in the original salvation because they hadn’t arrived yet, but Elder Game graciously permits them to participate anyway. In each city, townsfolk wearing festive Ri-Shin hats offer quests helping with festivities, presumably involving decorating trees and spreading holiday cheer in ways that only Project Gorgon’s bizarre writing could deliver.
The people of Alharth celebrate new year by giving Friends gifts, meaning any NPC you’ve reached Friend favor level with gives you a present the first time you speak to them. These gifts range from it’s the thought that counts to extraordinarily generous depending on the gifter, creating incentive to maintain high favor with numerous NPCs rather than just focusing on the few offering best rewards. Some gifts are equipment with randomized treasure effects, so players should have preferred combat skills active when speaking to NPCs to influence what gear they receive.
This holiday mechanic demonstrates Project Gorgon’s deep NPC favor system where every NPC tracks relationship status through gifts, quests, and dialogue choices. Reaching Friend favor requires substantial investment, making holiday gifts feel earned rather than just logging in for participation rewards. The randomized equipment with treasure effects also incentivizes speaking to multiple NPCs rather than just grabbing one gift and ignoring everyone else.
Fire Magic Gets Massive Buffs Because It Sucked
Fire Magic received substantial buffs focused on making Fire Walls viable combat pets instead of mostly cosmetic summons that died immediately. Taunty Fire Wall no longer deals reduced damage compared to regular walls while being much more taunty, addressing the fundamental problem where the taunting version was strictly worse than standard Fire Walls. Fire Walls also gained damage vulnerabilities and resistances, treating them more like actual pets with strategic strengths and weaknesses rather than fragile temporary obstacles.
New and revised treasure effects improve Fire Wall gameplay including feet and mainhand mods making Molten Veins and Flesh to Fuel restore 145 health to any pets including Fire Walls within 20 meters instead of 10 meters. A new feet and legs effect makes Fire Walls’ attacks deal plus 100 direct damage while granting them Burst Evasion plus 43 percent with Fire Wall reuse time reduced by 3 seconds. The revised hands and ring effect gives Fire Walls plus 310 percent taunt with Melee Evasion plus 20 percent and heal plus 100 health every 5 seconds alongside the 3 second reuse reduction.
Exotic Firewall Research recipes gained an additional exotic firewall to discover, expanding build variety for dedicated Fire Magic players who previously felt the skill lacked depth compared to other magic schools. These changes collectively transform Fire Walls from annoyance into legitimate combat strategy, though whether they’re now overpowered or just finally viable won’t be clear until players test extensively in actual combat scenarios.
Mastercrafted Boost Recipes Disabled Pending Feedback
The foretold and mastercrafted item enhancement recipes were temporarily disabled while Elder Game addresses feedback received during the recent Statehelm beta. These recipes let players boost high-end equipment to even higher power levels, but apparently the beta revealed balance problems or implementation issues requiring revision before going live. Elder Game also postponed converting equipment to the new system, meaning items remain unchanged and players won’t lose progress or need to adapt to new mechanics yet.
This decision demonstrates responsible development where instead of forcing broken systems live and dealing with backlash, Elder Game acknowledges problems and delays until fixes are ready. For a game with a small dedicated player base, maintaining trust through transparent communication matters more than hitting arbitrary deadlines. Players would rather wait for working features than deal with half-finished implementations that require multiple patches and create frustration.
Quality of Life Changes Nobody Asked For But Appreciate
The UI setting Show Interactible Names became Interactible Names, a dropdown offering All, Important Only, or No interactibles as options. Default is Important Only, which hides certain clutter-inducing interactible nameplates that previously made busy areas visually overwhelming with floating text everywhere. Hovering over objects whose nameplates are hidden now shows their nameplate temporarily, letting players find what they need without permanent visual clutter.
If players die with primary active combat skill higher than level 30 but don’t know Transmutation, the death box now includes a special message suggesting they learn the skill by talking to Kalaba or Makara. This addresses the common problem where new players don’t understand Transmutation’s importance for extracting treasure effects from unwanted gear, leading to inventory bloat and missing optimization opportunities. Small tutorial touches like this help Project Gorgon’s notoriously obtuse systems become slightly less impenetrable for newcomers.
The bug preventing newly-acquired skills from showing in the Skills window was fixed, eliminating confusion where players learned skills but couldn’t find them to level. First Aid 10 now requires higher tier First Aid Kits with revised crafting recipes for Amazing First Aid Kit replacing Coarse Cotton Yarn x2 with Healing Potion x1, and Astounding First Aid Kit requiring additional Healing Potion Extreme x1 while yielding 2 kits instead of 1. Higher tiers of Field Surgery now cast in 2 seconds instead of 3 seconds, making emergency healing more viable during combat.
The Inexplicable Survival of Project Gorgon
Project Gorgon’s continued development in 2025 represents one of gaming’s most improbable survival stories. The game entered development in 2009 by husband-wife team Eric Heimburg and Sandra Powers, both former MMO developers who worked on Asheron’s Call and other online games before deciding to create their own sandbox MMORPG. The project started as hobby development funded through personal savings with the dream of recapturing old-school MMO design philosophy before World of Warcraft homogenized the genre.
The game launched on Steam Early Access in March 2018 after nine years of sporadic development, featuring intentionally dated graphics, complex interconnected systems, and design choices that actively reject modern MMO conventions. Instead of streamlined quest hubs and linear progression, Project Gorgon throws players into a sandbox world with hundreds of skills to level, favor systems with every NPC, and the ability to permanently transform into animals including cows, spiders, and deer that change how you play fundamentally.
Sandra Powers died in October 2023 after battling illness, leaving Eric Heimburg as the sole full-time developer on a project that was already barely sustainable with two people. Development slowed dramatically but never stopped, with Eric continuing to push updates, respond to community feedback, and work toward the eventual full release that may never actually happen. The December 2025 update arriving over two years after Sandra’s death demonstrates Eric’s commitment to finishing what they started together regardless of impossible odds.
Project Gorgon survives through a small but passionate community that appreciates what the game offers that no other MMO provides: genuine sandbox freedom, complex interdependent crafting and progression systems, writing that’s actually funny rather than trying too hard, and mechanics that reward experimentation over following optimal guides. The graphics are terrible, the UI is clunky, performance is inconsistent, but none of that matters to players who just want an MMO that treats them like intelligent adults capable of figuring things out without constant hand-holding.
FAQs
What is Project Gorgon?
Project Gorgon is a sandbox MMORPG in development since 2009 by former Asheron’s Call developers Eric Heimburg and Sandra Powers. It features old-school MMO design with hundreds of skills, complex crafting, NPC favor systems, and the ability to transform into animals that permanently change gameplay. It launched on Steam Early Access in 2018.
What is the Ri-Shin holiday event?
Ri-Shin is Project Gorgon’s annual winter holiday celebrating when the god of trees saved humanity. During the event, townsfolk wear festive hats and offer quests. NPCs with Friend favor level give players gifts ranging from basic items to generous equipment with randomized treasure effects when spoken to for the first time.
What changed in Character Creator V2?
Version 2 adds dozens of new color options for skin, hair, and eyes, many new facial and body sliders including eye shape and body proportions, finalized hairstyles like space buns and pigtails, scalable Rakshasa ears, and Fae foliage. Hair changed from two-tone to single-tone temporarily, with two-tone returning later via different means.
Did Sandra Powers die?
Yes, Sandra Powers, co-creator of Project Gorgon, died in October 2023 after battling illness. Her husband Eric Heimburg continues developing the game as the sole full-time developer, pushing updates and working toward eventual full release despite the project becoming significantly harder without her.
What are Fire Wall buffs?
Fire Magic received substantial buffs making Fire Walls viable combat pets. Taunty Fire Wall no longer deals reduced damage, Fire Walls gained damage vulnerabilities and resistances, and multiple new and revised treasure effects improve healing, damage, evasion, and taunt capabilities while reducing reuse timers.
Is Project Gorgon still in Early Access?
Yes, Project Gorgon remains in Steam Early Access after launching in March 2018. The game has been in development since 2009 with no confirmed full release date. Elder Game LLC states the December 2025 character creator represents basically the version we’ll launch with, suggesting eventual release plans exist.
Can you really turn into a cow?
Yes, Project Gorgon features permanent animal transformation curses including cow, spider, deer, pig, and bat forms. These aren’t temporary buffs but fundamental changes to how you play, with different skills, equipment restrictions, and NPC reactions. Some players intentionally stay as animals permanently rather than seeking cures.
How many people play Project Gorgon?
Steam Charts shows Project Gorgon typically has 100-200 concurrent players with peaks around 300-400 during updates. The playerbase is small but dedicated, consisting mainly of older MMO veterans who appreciate the game’s old-school design philosophy and complex interconnected systems.
Conclusion
The December 18, 2025 update for Project Gorgon represents another improbable chapter in one of indie gaming’s most fascinating survival stories. A game that’s been in development for 16 years, launched on Early Access 7 years ago, lost one of its two creators to illness, and maintains a playerbase measured in hundreds rather than thousands somehow continues receiving substantial updates including character creator overhauls, holiday events, and major combat system revisions. Eric Heimburg’s commitment to finishing what he and Sandra Powers started together demonstrates either admirable dedication or stubborn refusal to accept reality, but either way, Project Gorgon persists.
The character creator reaching version 2 with finalized features suggests Elder Game is actually working toward full release rather than indefinite Early Access limbo. The dozens of new color options, expanded sliders, and finalized hairstyles represent substantial improvements over previous versions that made everyone look generically similar. However, technical limitations preventing full color freedom and the temporary removal of two-tone hair demonstrate compromises necessary when a solo developer works with ancient code built before modern customization expectations existed.
The Ri-Shin holiday event continuing annual tradition despite Sandra’s absence shows Eric’s commitment to maintaining the game’s charm and community traditions. The gift system rewarding players who invested time building NPC relationships exemplifies Project Gorgon’s design philosophy where effort gets rewarded and systems interconnect meaningfully. Randomized equipment with treasure effects creates incentive to speak with multiple NPCs rather than just grabbing one gift and logging off, encouraging exploration of the favor system.
Fire Magic buffs transforming Fire Walls from useless to viable demonstrate responsive balance adjustments based on player feedback and actual gameplay data. Making Taunty Fire Wall deal full damage while being much more taunty fixes the fundamental problem where specialized versions were strictly worse than base versions. The new treasure effects creating synergies with pet healing and damage mitigation turn Fire Walls into legitimate combat strategy rather than cosmetic obstacles that die immediately.
The decision to disable mastercrafted boost recipes pending feedback revision shows responsible development prioritizing quality over arbitrary deadlines. Rather than forcing broken systems live and dealing with backlash, Elder Game acknowledges problems and delays until fixes are ready. This transparency builds trust with the small dedicated community that would rather wait for working features than deal with half-finished implementations requiring multiple patches.
What makes Project Gorgon’s survival so remarkable is that by every conventional metric, the game should have died years ago. The graphics look dated compared to 2018 releases let alone 2025 standards. The UI is clunky and unintuitive. Performance is inconsistent. The solo developer situation makes sustained content creation nearly impossible. Yet somehow Project Gorgon persists through sheer force of will and the dedication of players who recognize that no other MMO offers what this weird game provides.
The appeal comes from design philosophy rejecting modern MMO conventions in favor of old-school sandbox freedom. Instead of quest hubs guiding you through linear progression, Project Gorgon throws you into a world and expects you to figure things out. Instead of limiting players to a few combat skills, it offers hundreds of skills to level with complex interactions. Instead of making NPCs quest dispensers, it gives them personalities, preferences, and favor systems that unlock unique rewards. This design feels outdated to players raised on World of Warcraft, but to MMO veterans who remember when games trusted player intelligence, it’s refreshing.
The animal transformation system exemplifies Project Gorgon’s willingness to implement mechanics that other developers would reject as too niche or punishing. Becoming a cow isn’t a temporary buff or cosmetic choice but a permanent curse that fundamentally changes how you play with different skills, equipment restrictions, and NPC reactions. Most players would hate this, but Project Gorgon targets the specific audience that loves weird experimental systems over safe predictable design.
Whether Project Gorgon ever leaves Early Access or just continues receiving updates indefinitely until Eric Heimburg retires remains uncertain. The character creator being basically the version we’ll launch with suggests full release plans exist, but 16 years of development creates skepticism about whether that launch will actually happen. Either way, Project Gorgon will likely continue as long as enough players support development through purchases and subscriptions, serving the small community that appreciates what it offers regardless of mainstream success.
For gaming historians and developers, Project Gorgon represents a case study in sustainable indie development where passionate creators with vision can maintain projects for decades despite impossible odds. Sandra Powers’ death in 2023 could have killed the game permanently, but Eric’s decision to continue alone demonstrates that some projects become more than just commercial products. They become legacies worth preserving even when logic says to quit and move on.