Lunar Software hosted an Ask Me Anything session on the r/Games subreddit on December 9, 2025 at 18:00 GMT to discuss Routine, their first-person sci-fi horror game that launched December 4, 2025 after a remarkable 13-year development journey. The indie studio’s Aaron, Jemma, and Pete answered community questions about the game set on an abandoned lunar base designed around an 80s vision of the future, their experiences during development hell, and lessons learned bringing a decade-plus passion project to completion.
Routine released simultaneously for PC via Steam, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and as a day-one Xbox Game Pass title priced at twenty-four dollars and ninety-nine cents. The game explores a mysterious incident that left a lunar mining facility silent and abandoned, with players investigating the base while surviving hostile robots using a special multifunctional device. After years of silence following its 2012 announcement, Routine became legendary in indie gaming circles as a seemingly cursed project that would never release, making the actual launch feel surreal for fans who had followed the game since its original Gamescom reveal.
The 13-Year Development Journey
Routine was first announced in August 2012 at Gamescom, generating immediate buzz for its distinctive 80s retro-futuristic aesthetic inspired by films like Alien, Moon, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. The game was greenlit on Steam through the now-defunct Greenlight program and initially scheduled for spring 2013 release on Windows and OS X. However, the small indie team at Lunar Software encountered development challenges that turned months into years, with the project repeatedly missing announced deadlines.
By 2017, Lunar Software had stopped providing regular development updates, leading many to assume the project was quietly cancelled. The studio confirmed in 2018 that development continued despite ongoing challenges but provided no timeline. The radio silence lasted until June 2022 when Routine was dramatically re-announced at Summer Game Fest, revealing the team had overhauled various aspects including narrative, gameplay, art design, and crucially, transitioned from their original engine to Unreal Engine 5.
What Caused the Delays
While the AMA likely addressed specific development challenges, common factors in extended indie development cycles include scope creep where initial visions expand beyond team capacity, technical debt from choosing engines or tools that prove inadequate, funding issues requiring team members to work other jobs while developing part-time, perfectionism preventing release until every element meets impossible standards, and burnout from years of work without the validation of player feedback or commercial success.
The engine migration to Unreal Engine 5 alone would have required months or years of work rebuilding systems, reimporting assets, and adapting gameplay to the new technology. The departure of original audio designer Mick Gordon in 2024 also suggests internal challenges where key contributors left before completion, requiring remaining team members to either take on additional roles or bring in replacements mid-development.
Routine’s Distinctive Horror Approach
Routine distinguishes itself from typical horror games through its emphasis on atmosphere and immersion over cheap scares. The developers explicitly state the game doesn’t rely on jump scares, instead focusing on gradually building tension and subverting player expectations to maintain constant unease. This approach aligns with atmospheric horror classics that understand sustained dread proves more effective than momentary shocks that become predictable.
The 80s vision of the future aesthetic creates believability and relatability despite the fantastical setting. Rather than gleaming high-tech surfaces, the lunar base features chunky CRT monitors, analog switches, clunky spacesuits, and utilitarian corridors that feel grounded in real space program design philosophy. This retrotech aesthetic makes the environment feel like a place where people actually lived and worked, increasing emotional investment when discovering what happened to the base’s missing crew.
Limited UI and Player Guidance
Lunar Software designed Routine with minimal user interface to maximize immersion. Rather than constant health bars, objective markers, and minimap clutter that reminds players they’re in a video game, Routine trusts players to pay attention to environmental cues, audio signals, and their own memory to navigate and survive. This design philosophy fundamentally changes how you navigate each area according to the developers, requiring many playtests to refine the balance between challenging players and frustrating them.
The approach demands more from players than hand-holding modern games but rewards engagement with a more intense, personal experience. When you discover a terminal containing crucial information or solve an environmental puzzle without an objective marker telling you exactly where to go and what button to press, the satisfaction feels earned rather than given. This respect for player intelligence creates the immersive horror world Lunar Software envisioned.
Gameplay and Survival Mechanics
Players explore the abandoned lunar base from a first-person perspective, investigating what caused the facility to go silent and surviving against hostile robots that consider you the primary threat. The core tool is a special multifunctional device used to fight enemies, interact with the environment through hacking terminals and opening locked doors, and perform various context-specific actions. This unified tool design reinforces the limited UI philosophy by reducing weapon-switching menus and inventory management that break immersion.
The game features non-linear exploration where multiple paths through the base exist depending on player choices and discovered information. Unlike linear horror games that funnel players through predetermined sequences, Routine allows investigating areas in varying orders based on curiosity and survival needs. This structure increases replayability as different players experience events in different sequences, potentially discovering information that contextualizes earlier encounters differently.
Reception and Community Response
Routine launched to generally favorable reviews from critics appreciating the atmospheric horror and distinctive aesthetic. The fact that the game actually released after 13 years generated considerable goodwill from communities that had followed its troubled development, with players relieved Lunar Software persevered through development hell rather than abandoning the project like so many long-delayed indie games.
The day-one Xbox Game Pass inclusion dramatically expanded the potential audience beyond horror enthusiasts who might purchase the game on Steam. Twenty-four dollars and ninety-nine cents represents a fair price for an indie horror experience, but the zero additional cost for Game Pass subscribers removes barriers for curious players who might not commit to buying an unknown title from a debut studio. This accessibility helps Routine find the audience it needs to succeed commercially after the massive time and resource investment.
The Launch Blog
Lunar Software published a launch blog detailing Routine’s development journey, likely expanding on the challenges faced, lessons learned, and emotions surrounding finally releasing a project that consumed over a decade of their lives. The AMA invitation specifically mentioned this blog, suggesting it provides essential context for understanding the development story beyond typical marketing materials. These candid developer retrospectives offer valuable insights for aspiring game developers and curious fans wanting to understand what goes into creating games.
The blog probably addresses questions about whether the 13-year journey was worth it, how the team maintained motivation during the darkest periods, what they would do differently knowing what they know now, and advice for other indie developers facing similar challenges. These lessons transcend Routine itself, contributing to the broader indie development knowledge base that helps future creators avoid similar pitfalls.
The Mick Gordon Situation
Mick Gordon, the acclaimed composer behind Doom 2016, Doom Eternal, and Prey soundtracks, was originally attached to Routine as audio designer. However, Gordon left the project in 2024, just before the game’s December release. While specific circumstances weren’t disclosed, Gordon’s departure from Doom Eternal under controversial circumstances involving disputes with id Software and Bethesda suggests he may have creative or professional differences with collaborators.
The loss of a high-profile contributor like Gordon so close to launch could have derailed Routine, but Lunar Software clearly found solutions to complete the audio design without him. The AMA likely addressed this situation if community members asked about it, though developers typically avoid publicly airing grievances about former collaborators regardless of circumstances. The final game’s audio quality will demonstrate whether Gordon’s absence impacted the experience or if Lunar Software successfully maintained their vision.
What the AMA Covered
While the specific questions and answers from the December 9 AMA aren’t detailed in available sources, the announcement post invited discussion about Routine itself including gameplay mechanics, story elements, and design philosophy, experiences at Lunar Software navigating 13 years of development, the game development process generally with insights applicable beyond this specific project, and horror gaming broadly, discussing what makes horror effective and influences on Routine’s approach.
The developers Aaron, Jemma, and Pete represented Lunar Software, providing multiple perspectives on the development experience. Having three team members participate ensures diverse viewpoints on technical challenges, creative decisions, and personal experiences rather than a single filtered narrative. This openness demonstrates confidence in their work and willingness to engage honestly with the community that supported them through the long journey.
Lessons for Indie Developers
Routine’s 13-year development and eventual successful release offers crucial lessons for aspiring indie developers. First, persistence matters but knowing when to cut features or pivot is equally important. Lunar Software’s decision to switch to Unreal Engine 5 and overhaul systems showed willingness to make painful but necessary changes rather than clinging to sunk costs. Second, community communication during difficult periods maintains goodwill even when you have no good news to share.
Third, external support through publishers like Raw Fury provides not just funding but expertise in marketing, QA testing, and certification that small teams lack. Fourth, having a distinctive vision rather than chasing trends helps projects stand out and attract passionate audiences willing to wait for quality. Finally, managing scope and being realistic about team capacity prevents projects from spiraling into decade-long development cycles that exhaust creators and stretch budgets beyond sustainability.
FAQs
When did Routine release?
Routine launched on December 4, 2025 for PC via Steam, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, and as a day-one Xbox Game Pass title priced at twenty-four dollars and ninety-nine cents.
When was the Routine developers AMA?
Lunar Software hosted an Ask Me Anything session on r/Games on December 9, 2025 at 18:00 GMT (19:00 CET, 10:00 PT) where developers Aaron, Jemma, and Pete answered community questions about the game and their development journey.
How long was Routine in development?
Routine was in development for over 13 years, first announced at Gamescom 2012 with an initial spring 2013 release target. Development challenges and an engine transition to Unreal Engine 5 delayed the game until December 2025.
What is Routine about?
Routine is a first-person sci-fi horror game set on an abandoned lunar base designed around an 80s retro-futuristic aesthetic. Players investigate a mysterious incident that left the base silent while surviving hostile robots using a multifunctional device.
Is Routine on Xbox Game Pass?
Yes, Routine launched day one on Xbox Game Pass for PC, console, and cloud on December 4, 2025, allowing subscribers to play at no additional cost beyond their subscription.
Who developed Routine?
Lunar Software, a small indie studio, developed Routine over 13 years. Raw Fury published the game, providing support to bring the long-delayed project to market.
Does Routine have jump scares?
No, the developers state Routine doesn’t rely on jump scares. Instead, the game focuses on gradually building tension and subverting expectations to create sustained atmospheric horror.
What happened to Mick Gordon’s involvement?
Mick Gordon was originally the audio designer for Routine but left the project in 2024 before the December 2025 release. Specific reasons for his departure weren’t publicly disclosed.
Conclusion
Lunar Software’s December 9, 2025 Reddit AMA celebrating Routine’s launch represents a triumphant moment for a development team that persevered through 13 years of challenges, setbacks, and periods where the project seemed destined to join the graveyard of cancelled indie games. The fact that Routine not only released but received generally favorable reviews and day-one Game Pass inclusion demonstrates that persistence combined with willingness to make difficult decisions like switching engines and overhauling systems can lead to success even after years of struggle. The game’s distinctive 80s retro-futuristic aesthetic, emphasis on atmospheric horror over jump scares, and immersive design philosophy with limited UI shows Lunar Software maintained their creative vision despite pressure to compromise during the long development. For the indie development community, Routine serves as both cautionary tale about scope management and inspiring example of what dedication can achieve when developers refuse to give up on their dreams. The AMA provided opportunity for Aaron, Jemma, and Pete to share their journey, answer burning questions from fans who followed the project since 2012, and offer insights that will help future developers navigate similar challenges without spending 13 years in development hell. Most importantly, Routine’s completion vindicates everyone who believed in Lunar Software when skeptics assumed the project was vaporware, proving that sometimes the games we wait longest for do actually arrive and justify the faith placed in passionate creators pursuing ambitious visions against all odds.