Metal Thunder

Metal Thunder is an Early Access game developed solo by Tolga at Dumbbell Games, launched on November 1, 2024. The game has been on a steady — if personally disrupted — march toward a 1.0 release. The developer has been remarkably transparent about a string of personal hardships that slowed progress: a move and illness in early 2025, burnout and a divorce over summer 2025, and a serious herniated disc (20mm) that struck in October 2025, leaving the developer largely bedridden through early 2026. Each time, Tolga returned with an explicit statement that the game is not abandoned and that 1.0 is coming. The most recent developer post, dated July 16, 2026, is a substantial patch notes catch-up covering everything shipped since the previous notes — tripled run modifiers, a near-doubling of upgrade card types, a new "Identify Targets" realism mode, major weapon rebalancing, AI overhauls, performance improvements for Steam Deck, flight stick support, and more. The developer acknowledges the communication gap and attributes it to personal circumstances (grief following the loss of a grandmother, ongoing back injury limiting sitting time), while confirming the work never stopped. As of June 7, 2026, the developer stated that 1.0 is "very close" and coming "before the end of the summer," with the base price rising to $14.99 at launch. Campaign mode — described in the April 2026 update as the "next on the runway" and the primary remaining deliverable — has not yet shipped. The Zombies mode that was in testing as of April 2026 has since launched (referenced in the July 2026 patch notes via the main menu now transforming for the ZOMBIES game mode). The game is actively being developed, with the most recent communication just three days ago (July 16, 2026). The stated 1.0 release timeline of before end of summer 2026 is still current and unretracted.