Experience the legendary adventures of a brave courier rider! Bond with your horse and tame the open wilds of 13th century Mongolia.
Latest Updates from Our Project:
2025: A Year in Review
9 months ago
– Wed, Dec 17, 2025 at 06:40:06 AM
Dear Backers,
Welcome to our final update for this year…. and what a year it was! From Kickstarter to Gamescom, from Alpha Playtest to Next Fest Demo, from a name change to a new Early Access date (March 3rd, 2026), this year was definitely a wild ride in all the best ways!
A Year in Review
Kickstarter
We kicked off the year by saddling up for this Kickstarter campaign and thanks to YOUR incredible support, we did not only reach our original funding goal of €60,000 in less than 20 hours, we actually managed to raced all the way to €504.798 from 8,889 Backers, making this one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns of the German games industry!
Even more important, by reaching many exciting Stretch Goals we can now add advanced hunting, additional horse breeds, yummy (and not so yummy) cooking, and even Falconry to the game.
Backer Exclusive Alpha Playtest
So far, over four thousand of you have saddled up and redeemed your Alpha Playtest on Steam access since its launch on May 15th, 2025.
Still having issues? Please write us a direct message on Kickstarter and we will get you into the Alpha Playtest!
Playtime has varied as much as horse breeds: 59% of Alpha riders have played for an hour or more, with an average playtime of 1 hour and 23 minutes. A few hundred of you have already spent 20–50 hours exploring the world. While we completely understand anyone waiting for a smoother trail, the insights from that dedicated 5% are super valuable, helping us fine-tune the experience for everyone. Thank you!
And here is a fun stat from the stables: our Alpha Playtesters have sent in over 13,000 bug reports so far! That’s a lot of hoofprints on the road to making this game the best it can be :)
Gamescom 2025
Another highlights this year was Gamescom in Cologne, one of the world’s largest gaming events. It was an unforgettable experience for us as developers, meeting so many of our fans in person and giving visitors the chance to try the game.
And as you may remember, we were also giving our Backers access to the Gamescom Demo via Steam, to make sure you do not miss out on Gamescom 2025.
However, we didn’t just bring a few gaming stations to the event, we brought an entire Mongolian Ger to set the scene! And our booth was alive with music from amazing Zolzaya Boldbaatar, whose horse-fiddle and traditional throat singing also enrich the soundtrack of our game.
October brought another big leap over the hurdles (we do hope you love puns *gg) as we opened the gates for everyone with a free public demo during Steam Next Fest!
Even though playtime was limited, over 50,000 players tried the demo, with many sharing their feedback and thus further helping us to shape the game.
After Next Fest we even hit the 200,000 Wishlists milestone… with over 250,000 Wishlists as of today!
They grow up so quickly (humble blush)
Press Coverage
The Legend of Khiimori also got noticed by the gaming press and we have had some wonderful coverage! Here’s your chance to catch up or revisit articles (please note: some of these are a few months old, so they may still mention our former title or outdated release dates):
GamesRadar+: “This stunning open-world horse game smashed its $65,000 Kickstarter goal straight away, and it's bringing my favorite part of Red Dead Redemption 2 to 13th-century Mongolia.”Read
Polygon: “Windstorm: The Legend of Khiimori has some of the most realistic horses we've ever seen in a game. 13th-century Mongolia is the setting for a horse game unlike any other.”Read
GamesRadar+: “This open-world game where you're a 13th-century Mongolian horse courier immediately proved more hardcore than anything Death Stranding 2 could offer”Read
IGN Germany:“Finally a good video game about horses? Windstorm: The Legend of Khiimori fulfills deep-seated wants”Read
PC Gamer: “…the most detailed steed mechanics I've ever seen - Be right back taking a quick course on horse genetics.”Read
Community Contests
Finally, we have recently hosted a few community contests in our Discord, and we couldn’t be happier with the results!
To celebrate our fans and end this ”A Year in Review” with a blast, we are showcasing the finalists of your incredible submissions below:
Contest Entry by Claudia1103#
Contest Entry by ampule
Contest Entry by agentequus
Alpha Playtest: Updated
Yes! The Alpha Playtest has been updated once again and just in time for the holiday season. Here we go #changelog:
Game World
Cartographer’s position is changed according to environmental update (in the tutorial mission)
Updates on western and southwestern side (e.g.: new paths, obstacles, beautification)
Gameplay & obstacle improvements for South Canyon
Added/Updates hostile areas + adjustments to surroundings
Iteration on lootable ruins + additional ruin POIs
Improved rain and wind weather visuals
Adjusted animal spawn rates (e.g.: wolves spawning at night, deer and rabbit hunting grounds only during daytime)
UI/UX
New icons (e.g.: for cargo, food, craftables, mission types)
Implemented Prestige progress bar
Camera zoom options are part of the settings now
Integrated Horse Training UI assets
Introduced settings for volumetric fog and depth of field
Implemented accessibility feature: highlight (hostile) animals when nearby
Gameplay
Introduction of „Fire Challenges“: 12 spots can be found in the EA area
Updated Horse Switch tutorial (e.g.: with four horse choices)
Much of this would have never been possible without YOUR support, passion, and trust: THANK YOU SO MUCH!
We wish each and every one of you “Happy Holidays!” and hope you find some time to relax and get ready for the new year, 2026!
Will you be playing our Alpha Playtest some more (or for the first time) over the holidays? We are grateful for your feedback and comments below or on our Discord!
Your Team at Aesir Interactive
PS: As it is that time of a year again, we are shouting out Clean Up Earth.
Clean Up Earth is a relaxing, feel-good co-op cleaning sim where players restore iconic biomes and watch nature return in real time. You can play solo for a mindful loop, team up 2–10 players for cozy, collaborative cleanups or even join 30+ players on vast community maps to feel the energy of collective action. Even better, the project aims to support environmental NGOs via partner-funded micro-donations tied to in-game progress. Don't hesitate to support the project!
The Road to Early Access
10 months ago
– Wed, Nov 26, 2025 at 05:38:54 AM
Dear Backers,
Time for another update! This one is mainly about the “Road to Early Access” and what we will be working on over the next few months. But first we want to share some fantastic news with you:
Steam Wishlist Top 200
The Legend of Khiimori has officially broken into the Top 200 most wishlisted upcoming games on Steam! Thank you all for your trust, help, and support :) Let’s see how high we can climb before Early Access on March 3rd, 2026!
Since our decision in October to move the Early Access from November 4th, 2025 to March 3rd, 2026 we have finalized our roadmap to make sure we make the best use of the additional time given.
The priorities we set ourselves are about adding new features as well as polishing what’s already there, so that the game feels great from the moment you start your adventure as a courier rider.
And you might even see a few surprises along the way that will make their way into the Early Access release, so please stay tuned!
1. Performance & Optimization
We are getting a lot of positive feedback for the look and graphics of The Legend of Khiimori. This makes us very happy and whileit is a big, detailed world, it can be quite demanding from a hardware perspective.
This is why we are working hard to make low and medium presets look better and run smoother.
Also, the game will let you know if:
Hardware is below minimum specs
Drivers are outdated
Game is installed on your HDD instead of your SSD
We have also added support for all major upscalers (DLSS, FSR, XeSS) and will support frame generation which further boosts performance and image quality. We are also constantly at work reducing hitches when playing the game.
Please try out different settings and see what works best for your preference and system. Our Steam Demo and Alpha Playtest versions already feature useful graphic and performance options!
2. Camera. Character. Controls.
From day one, we paid very close attention to Camera, Character, and Controls, in short “CCC”, as it is the heart of any game. We’ve been iterating like c-c-c-razy, and thanks to your feedback, we’re making big improvements.
Camera: Adjust the camera’s offset and distance from the character
Character: Want your horse to stop automatically when you dismount? Incoming!
Controls: Tons of options to fine-tune the controls
Once again, make sure to play around with the settings for a bit. And if you find a setup you love, share it with the community :)
3. World & Design
We are adding more depth and value to route planning. Some paths will be tougher, so you’ll need to decide: take the risky shortcut or the safer, but longer route?
Resource gathering while riding is getting an upgrade too! Think real-world Tenge Ilu, where riders snatch items whilst in full gallop. It’s wild, check out some Tenge Ilu here: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/l22ZKv7Lbag
New crafting recipes and better balance for existing ones
Extra mission types for more variety and a bigger challenge
Winter is coming (work in progress)
Rewards and Stretch Goals
As this is an Early Access release, more content and features (including Stretch Goals) will be added time after time until full release:
Stretch Goals will be added incrementally as we progress through Early Access.
Rewards (physical and digital) will mainly be done and sent at full release.
While a narrative is definitely planned, the Early Access will be a more system driven experience.
The BackerKit survey has not been sent yet, it will happen in early 2026. The survey will focus on your rewards and you will be able to choose from a wide variety of systems and regions for your copy of the game as well as update your shipping address if needed (and even edit it up until shortly before the full game launches).
Ongoing Contests
Don’t forget that we still have some nice contests ongoing with great prizes to win!
For example, you can win one of five exclusive seats for an hour-long digital lunch with some of the developers on The Legend of Khiimori via Gleam. The contest ends on Monday, 1st of December, 2025 at 11:59 PM CET.
It's Contest Time!
10 months ago
– Mon, Nov 10, 2025 at 04:49:07 AM
Dear Backers,
As the winds of Khiimori stir across the steppes, we’re thrilled to announce two exciting contests that are currently live, as well as more upcoming ones!
To highlight our successful Next Fest Demo (that is still available here!), celebrate our growing community and reward your support and creativity...
Contest LIVE #1: Gleam.io Giveaway - More Actions, More Chances!
Want to win one of five exclusive seats for an hour long digital lunch with some of the developers on The Legend of Khiimori?
Then lucky you, as we have launched a contest on gleam.io where you can complete multiple actions - from playing an hour of our Demo to following us on Twitch - to increase your chances of winning!
Contest LIVE #2: Fan Art Challenge - Win a Custom Metal Print from Displate!
Unleash your creativity and bring the world of Khiimori to life through your art!
We are calling all artists - whether you’re into paintbrushes or pixels - to whip up a piece of art featuring Naara, her trusty horse, and the settlement of Tov! You can go traditional or digital, just keep it human-made (no AI art, we’ll be checking!).
Fire up the demo, wander through Tov for some inspiration, and let your creativity run wild :)
Grand Prize: The winning artwork will be immortalized as a custom metal print from http://Displate.com
A stunning way to showcase your talent and love for the game!
Once all submissions are received, we will select the top three entries. These finalists will then be presented to the community for a vote to determine the winner!
More contests will take place until the end of the year, so make sure to keep a close eye on our Social Media channels and/or join our Discord: Join the Aesir Interactive Discord Server!
For example, we have an upcoming “Hardware” contest planned (that will be restricted to participants from Europe due to technical reasons):
We know that some of you are running the game on hardware below our required minimum specs, and we want to ensure you can experience The Legend of Khiimori in all its visual glory. That’s why we have once again teamed up with our hardware friends at MIFCOM to give away some vouchers worth €200 towards one of their high-end gaming PCs! That way you'll be fully prepared for the game’s Early Access launch on Steam and the Epic Games Store on March 3rd, 2026.
Once again, stay tuned to our Social Media channels below for more details and additional contests!
Upcoming hot contests on the horizon!
We can’t wait to see what you create and share. Whether you're entering one or more contests, thank you for being part of this ride :) Any questions? Please leave a comment below!
Alpha Playtest 1.8
11 months ago
– Fri, Oct 31, 2025 at 06:17:17 AM
Dear Couriers,
Three updates in three days? Isn’t that a little scary? Well… Happy Halloween!🎃
But seriously, with the announcement of the new Early Access date on March 3rd, 2026, we’re excited to show you how hard we are working on The Legend of Khiimori, and how we want to make the most of the additional development time!
Happy Halloween
Alpha Playtest 1.8
So, we have a treat for you today... The Alpha Playtest 1.8 is live!
It is an extensive update with new features, content and improvement (see patch notes below).
Contrary to the demo it will have no timer and the game will autosave (e.g. when entering the village of TÖV, nomad camping, or at certain POIs), however, manual saving will not be available in this version.
Important Reminder: NDA
Unlike the public demo, this build is covered by your NDA:
Do not publicly show or post any footage of the game.
Please don’t discuss it in the general areas of our Discord.
Share your feedback in the #playtest-a-feedback Discord channel only.
Please Feedback
As you know, your feedback is not only important to us, it’s at the heart of our journey together. We set out to develop The Legend of Khiimori in close collaboration with our backers, and your insights help shape the game every step of the way.
Please leave a comment below, or even better, head over to our Discord and share your thoughts in the #playtest-a-feedback channel (not in the general areas):
Added difficulty settings and rebalanced “Relaxed” mode.
Horseback Item Pickup - We have updated the interaction for item gathering - Now, referencing the ancient horse-riding skill of "Tenge Ilu", you must lean from your horse and snatch items from the ground as you pass them. Resources as highlighted with a light column when in range. Hold the ITEM COLLECT button to begin the action then RELEASE the button to snatch the item from the ground.
Improved horse behavior, including vertical movement, slope handling, stuck detection, and smoother transitions between walk, trot, and gallop.
Updated horse care system with new animations, tethering fixes, and more responsive interaction prompts.
Introduced new breeding and foal reveal sequences, along with UI and animation improvements. PLEASE NOTE: The foal reveal sequence is bugged and the foal will not show up in the reveal.
Added autosave checkpoints during key missions and events.
Updated mission generation and NPC behavior for courier and cartography quests.
Adjusted stamina, training triggers, and horse stat progression.
Refined terrain impact on movement and sprint restrictions on dangerous surfaces.
World and Environment
Major polish passes across multiple biomes and landmarks, including improved navigation meshes, terrain smoothing, and fixed floating assets (although some minor ones are still being found, please let us know if you find any).
Added new lootable chests, hidden collectibles, and discoverable locations.
Enhanced lighting and foliage to improve readability and reduce dark or blue-tinted vegetation.
Updated sound design for environmental ambience, animals, and biome transitions.
Improved navmesh and collision around villages, rivers, and mountain paths.
Loot me!
Why did the ghost become a pirate on Halloween? Because he heard there was spooky loot to plunder!
User Interface
Overhauled inventory and crafting menus: cleaner tooltips, new icons, improved navigation, and better controller support.
Added Horse Overview UI and updated balance, weight, and condition displays.
Refined Yam Courier and Mission menus with new visuals and input prompts.
Added WIP Breeding UI, foal reveal presentation, and better feedback when using or dragging items.
Fixed multiple issues with tutorials, tooltips, subtitles, and controller input.
Updated text across the entire game for clarity and consistency.
Balance your Inventory
Craft to Survive
Audio and Visuals
Balanced overall sound mix and ambient volume.
Improved voice lines and sound concurrency for horses and NPCs.
Updated visual effects for lighting, particle systems, and post-processing.
Added dithering to hair rendering for smoother appearance.
Improved dialogue cameras and general cinematic presentation.
Performance and Stability
Optimized skeletal mesh and animation systems to reduce hitches.
Disabled costly features (like tessellation) on specific AMD GPUs for stability.
Improved physics, occlusion, and texture streaming performance.
Fixed several crashes related to mission loading, UI transitions, and item interactions.
Miscellaneous and Quality of Life
Updated all engine versions to Unreal 5.6 for better performance and stability.
Added AZERTY keyboard support and new accessibility options.
Reworked camera framing, zoom levels, and field-of-view options both on foot and horseback.
Added new icons for cargo, buffs, debuffs, and various UI elements.
Fixed numerous spelling, naming, and localization errors throughout the game.
Known Issues
There are some issues with the rendering of shadows as you walk toward them.
Some tutorial icons may appear misaligned on ultra-wide resolutions.
Rare animation blending issues may still occur in steep terrain transitions.
Certain NPCs may briefly pause during conversation camera changes.
You can check your horses' hooves while riding, which leads to a broken animation (Halloween special… just kidding)
(no comment)
So, excited to try out the updated Alpha Playtest? Ready to share your valuable feedback with us? We’re all in this together!
Breeding Insights and Demo Highlights
11 months ago
– Thu, Oct 30, 2025 at 06:08:40 AM
Dear Couriers,
Today’s update is about breeding insights and demo highlights - or breeding highlights and demo insights - we've got you covered either way!
Say “Hello!”
Demo Success
We are thrilled to share over 54,000 players tried the Steam Next Fest Demo! The Legend of Khiimori even made it onto Steam’s “Most Played Demo” list for the event.
Even more exciting: we’ve now crossed 200,000 Wishlists on Steam!
This is a huge milestone for us! Your enthusiasm, curiosity, and love for this game have shown that the audience is not only real: it is growing, vibrant, and passionate.
We hope you have tried our The Legend of Khiimori Demo on Steam during Next Fest earlier this month. If you haven’t had a chance to dive in yet, don’t worry: we’ve decided to keep the Demo live a little longer!
Thank You!
Demo Insight: Performance
One interesting insight from our analytics: 70% of all players are running the Demo on hardware below the minimum requirements, but many of you are playing on High or Ultra settings. Please be aware that this might be causing stuttering or lag for some of you.
If that’s the case, we recommend heading into Graphics Settings and switching to Low or Medium presets. Under “Show Advanced,” you can tweak individual settings to find what works best for your setup.
We’re working on better presets and performance in general, but in the meantime, this can really help improve your experience. While results may vary depending on your hardware, these adjustments can often help provide a smoother experience.
Performance Tip: Adjust Graphics Settings
Breeding Horses is Relevant
The Demo’s time limit makes it a bit tricky to explore long-term features like Breeding, but it’s absolutely worth checking out! You can replay the Demo as often as you like, and thanks to Steam Community User Gooseberry, there’s a handy guide to help you reach the breeding mechanics quickly:
Breeding horses is not a “cosmetic”, it’s a “play to win” ;) You could think of it a little like an RPG skill tree, exploring better stats and unique traits. And it is not just about stronger horses: it is about building a diverse stable suited to different challenges, from sturdy, cold-resistant mounts to speedy ones for rather urgent missions, and much more.
Breed. Feed. Succeed.
Have you tried breeding yet? Found a favorite horse? Discovered a cool moment in the Demo? Please drop us a message below!
