Mutant Football League - Fanatics Club Newsletter

MFL Fanatics Club FIRST LOOK - September 2023:

Greetings, Mutant League fans!

As we kick off the NFL season, we're here to provide you with an update on all things Mutant Football League. We reached out to you on our social media channels, asking for your burning, itching questions (you should really get that looked at), and we've selected some of the most intriguing and popular ones to answer. But before we dive into the Q&A, let's bring you up to speed on where we stand in the development process.

Big blue is coming for you!

We had high hopes of delivering at least an early access version of MFL2 to all of you before the start of the season, but unfortunately, that wasn't possible. As many of you may already know, our development team is primarily based in Kyiv, Ukraine. The ongoing war that Russia has unleashed has had a significant impact on our development efforts. While some of our team members are still in Kyiv, others have been scattered across Europe, from Spain to Sweden, and even the United States. The process of relocating our team members has presented both challenges and rewards, but we're grateful to report that everyone is safe. #SupportUkraine

Despite the hardships imposed by the war, we've been making good progress on the game. We're nearing the point where we'll be inviting some of our dedicated players to help us playtest the game, but we'll provide more details on that shortly.

Your support and enthusiasm continue to drive us forward, and we can't wait to bring you an incredible Mutant League experience with MFL2. Thank you for your patience, understanding, and unwavering dedication to the game.

Now, some news and then we’ll jump to the Q&A you've all been waiting for!

MFL2 screenshot of the Lost Wages Invaders throwing a long bomb.

A Special THANK YOU for Mutant Football League Fans!

MFL1 Roster Update

Last year, we announced that there wouldn't be any more updates for Mutant Football League 1 (MFL1). However, due to some unexpected delays in bringing you MFL2 early access this fall, we wanted to express our gratitude for your support.

So, here's what we have in store for you:

Get ready to dive back into the gridiron action with a brand-new 2023 roster update for MFL1! to keep your MFL1 experience exciting and up-to-date.

But that’s not all…

We're also unveiling an epic Complete Bundle! For those who haven't had the chance to experience the Mutant League world, we're introducing the ultimate Mutant League bundle. It combines MFL Dynasty with all available DLC in one affordable package. It's the perfect opportunity to discover the thrills of Mutant League for the first time.

Both of these will be available in October across all platforms.

MFL2 screenshot of the Midway Mutants at the Malice Hellboys

Calling All Mutant Football League Fanatics and Die-Hard Players!

MFL2 Elite Test Team on Steam (November)

We're on the hunt for the true MFL enthusiasts and dedicated players who can help us shape the future of MFL2. We're assembling a select “elite” team to playtest MFL2 in a closed Steam environment and provide us with valuable feedback on the game.

Here are some key details -

Closed Playtesting: This is your chance to get an early look at MFL2, but please note that it will be focused on the core game's online multiplayer and single-player modes. Features like Dynasty won't be included in this initial phase.

Your Feedback Matters: Your feedback is invaluable to us. We're counting on you to identify and report any game issues, glitches, or areas for improvement. Your insights will play a crucial role in making MFL2 a fantastic gaming experience.

Help Us Make MFL2 Great: By participating in this closed playtesting, you'll be an integral part of the development process. Your dedication and passion for Mutant Football League are what drive us to create an outstanding game.

We'll be reaching out to the chosen few who will join this exclusive playtesting team. It's a unique opportunity to get hands-on experience with MFL2 before anyone else and contribute directly to its development.

Requirements:

An NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) will be required – you will not be able to discuss or share any details of the game with anyone until we go public with those features.
You cannot currently work for another game studio, developer, or publisher.
You can help us test when it is convenient for you.
It will be a small group of around 10-15 players to start.
You should be a good player and already understand the game.
You will need a decent PC to run the game.
You will need to communicate effectively with the team.
Communications and feedback to the devs will be through forums.
Everyone helping us will get a game credit in MFL2.
Everyone helping us will get an exclusive MFL2 Elite Test Team Shirt
Everyone helping us will get to pick and name their own player who will be in MFL2.

If this sounds interesting please send us an email and tell us why you should be a member of the MFL2 Elite Test Team to: info@digitaldreamsent.com

MFL2 screenshot of an armored sand worm at the Malice Hellboys stadium

Community Questions - These are questions that the community has been asking us on our social media sites.

R. Workman: What would you say are the biggest improvements that you're working on compared to the original game?

Mendheim: Without spilling the beans or going too deep on our feature set, I’ll respond with high-level overview answers to this one.

The graphical improvements are significant. The game now looks as good as it plays. You can look at the screenshots in this newsletter. The unretouched screenshots provided in the newsletter are just a taste of what's in store. While there's still work to be done, the visual experience is shaping up to be truly impressive.
Engaging Metagame: Get ready for a compelling metagame that will captivate players both online and offline. This addition promises to elevate the fun and competitiveness of playing against other Mutant Football League players. It's a feature that's sure to keep players immersed and coming back for more.
Characters in MFL2 are about to burst with personality and uniqueness. From visual damage that reflects their on-field battles to different hairstyles and tattoos. Upgraded players undergo visual changes in the game, sporting larger armor and unlocking new levels of customization to enhance their visual style and unique badassery.

D. McCall: Can't wait, I hope you guys cover on how the on-field gameplay and presentation has improved as well as go over some dynasty mode details and reveal more player races.

Mendheim: We're taking the brutality of tackling and hitting to the next level. In MFL we can do things that other football games can't. That's our superpower – so when designing the game, we push that aspect to the limits. Making the hits bigger with better camera work during the violence. We’ve also added a lot of post-play sequences.

While we won't be introducing a slew of new species types for the release of MFL2, our commitment is to include all the species types that fans loved in MFL1. Our focus has shifted towards making each individual player truly unique and customizable. This is a significant step forward in enhancing player immersion and diversity. We understand the importance of new species types to our community, and we've taken the approach that allows for greater player customization, offering a bigger bang for the buck. Developing this technology has been a substantial undertaking, and we're excited to showcase the results.

I’ll be sharing some Dynasty Supreme features later in this newsletter.

K. Hofer: Aside from being excited for MFL2, I am hoping that in the future we'll get Mutant Hockey League. What are the chances that will happen one day?

Mendheim: The chances are very strong. The entire team wants to work on a different Mutant Sports game. We’ll keep supporting MFL2 with Live Ops but we will be working on a different sport project. The community wants hockey. We usually do what our community wants. Stay tuned.

T. Heins: Most recent gameplay video?

Mendheim: Sorry, we can’t show videos yet. It's essential to strategically time these reveals to ensure the game gets the coverage it deserves from major video game sites who want to be the first to show the game. If we start showing MFL2 videos we will hurt our chances to get coverage. This is why we haven’t released any videos yet.

B. Edmonson: This looks so amazing. Is there a longer pre-game presentation now and a new halftime mini-game?

Mendheim: We do have a cool new opening leading up to the kickoff but I’m not sure if that’s what you mean by pre-game. Halftime mini-games are here to stay. We're hard at work developing a couple of new mini-games that will be featured in the halftime show.

J. Small: Really excited for this one after how great the 1st game turned out! I know it's probably too early in development to say for sure yet, but what release date do you think you'll be aiming for?

Mendheim: We are targeting next Fall 2024.

C. Allison: What are some of the new game plays? Will there be a draft at the beginning of the season?

Mendheim: Here are a few new features for Dynasty Supreme.

2 League Structure:
- Pro League (32 Teams) – The best, most successful teams (default Parody Teams).
- Minor League (16 Teams) – Weaker, less successful teams (fantasy MFL teams / Orcs of Hazzard, etc.) and User-created teams (with unique names and generic logos).

Player Drafts
- There is a snake draft at the start of every season.
- All Dynasty teams draft 7 new rookie players to their team at the start of every season.
- Rookie players will have different skill ratings (they will NOT all be the same).

More Interesting Player Management
- Player contract management (manage and negotiate salaries – will be casual and entertaining).
- When players reach a certain XP level, they will want a new contract negotiated.
- After their third season, players' skill attributes start to decline (10% to 25% skill attribute reduction every season thereafter) but their salary does not.
- Older players eventually get cut or retire.

S. Goodman Jr: Will this also be on the switch?

Mendheim: Not initially at release. It’s a technology issue and nothing more. We love the Nintendo Switch platform.

C: McLaughlin: Will there be a more "simulation" style franchise mode? Being able to draft, having contracts, computer teams adding and losing players over time.

Mendheim: I mentioned above some of the new features will include player contracts, etc. but nothing in a Mutant Sports game is “simulation” – everything is about entertainment. Our player issues and contract negotiations are going to parody professional sports in humorous and over-the-top ways. It’s also going to be simplified and casual. MFL at its core is an arcade style game.

C: McLaughlin: The dynasty mode in MFL1 is a cool idea, but can be tough and you're the only team that changes. It would be awesome to just choose a team as is and go through multiple seasons.

Mendheim: Interesting idea, if I have this correctly, you want Dynasty to be more like other football game franchise modes. In those, you pick your team and the players have their current ratings instead of their ratings being dropped down to a lower level and then earned as you play. We’ll bounce this idea with the team.

Thank you everyone for submitting your questions. We'll answer more questions in our next newsletter and sorry if you did not get your question answered this time around.

Well, that’s a wrap! We’ll send out another newsletter in November! Thank you for your support and awesomeness!

MFL2 screenshot of an armored sand worm at the Cardinal Sins stadium

In MFL2 the stadium info screens now show you what the field hazards look like.