Wave 6 2025 Release Plans

Overmare -

Hello, Stable Dwellers!

We’re nearly halfway through 2025. Lots of work has been going on behind the scenes, but so has a lot of conversation about the current and future development of Ashes of Equestria. So today we’re updating the community on some important changes and plans in regards to the release of Wave 6 and future waves.

Previous Waves

For most of Ashes’ development, we have followed a Wave based release cadence, where each wave included new content, improvements, and gameplay changes that came as we continued to expand the game. However, as you may have noticed, the time between Wave releases has lengthened considerably, with Wave 5.5 having released back in July 2019. A proper, finished build of Wave 6 to the same scale as previous releases has been a whole different beast to tackle.

With more work still to be done for Wave 6, and with our aspirations for Wave 7 and onwards still coming together, we realised we had to change our methods in order to improve development speed, get the necessary feedback from players, and allow you, the Overmare Community, to actually experience what we have been working on.

So what are our plans going forward?

Wave 6 - New “Development Builds”

Our previous plans for releasing the full Wave 6 and future Waves, which will showcase our evolving vision for Ashes of Equestria as major features arrive, are still going ahead. These will continue to be our main releases, and we aim to have Wave 6 release in 2026.

However, we will also be releasing something else in between...

Starting this year, we will now also be making what we are calling “Development Builds” of Wave 6 available for public download.

These Development Builds provide work-in-progress snapshots of the current state of development that show off various additions and changes towards a full release. They will be nowhere near polished nor complete. As such, expect unfinished content, missing assets/features, bugs, and performance issues. There may also be existing things we may intentionally leave out of these builds, like certain story elements, content for future waves, or particularly broken or unstable mechanics we may be unable to correct in time for each release.

Playtesting and Feedback

We’re still discussing how player-driven QA will factor in, but whether you want to aid us during development by playing the game, or just simply want to see this particular slice of Ashes in its current state, these builds are for you! Or, if you’d rather wait for the intended Wave 6 experience but still want to keep up with development, don’t worry – we still plan to release our usual sneak peeks, progress reports, blog posts, and eventually, Wave 6 itself.

What to expect going forward

So when can you expect to see the first release of Wave 6 Development builds? Soon! For our first release, we want to make sure some key features are included, and the game can be properly playable. We’re currently aiming to release the first Development Build in about a month.

We expect to put out a Development Build every 2 to 3 months as we continue to work on the game. Ensuring more consistent releases and increasing transparency about development through them has become our top priority.

As a reminder, our vision on what Wave 6 will contain has not changed. As we’ve mentioned previously, the final version of Wave 6 will feature a new, smaller (yet still sizable) test map non-canon to the full game, but including several fully voiced quests along with other additions, improvements, and fixes over the framework established in Wave 5.5. This level, which will also be the focus of the Development Builds, serves the studio as a platform to get our core RPG systems tested and working.

You can read more about it in our previous blog post here:

https://theovermare.com/ashes-of-equestria-wave-6-update-recruitment/

Recruitment

Development of a game of our scope takes time and talent, and we are always on the lookout for new members to join our ranks at Overmare Studios. This increases the amount of time we can put into Ashes, and decreases the amount of time our community will have to wait for each Wave, and by extension, the game.

For more details feel free to message us via Discord. More information can be found on: Overmare Application Form

You can apply for any of the open roles, but in particular we are looking for the following talents:

Environment Design

Updated generated Village houses (WIP)

Do you have experience with map making or terrain shaping tools in Unity, Unreal, or with map editors in other games like Far Cry or ARMA 3? We want to hear from you.

An Environment Artist's role is to help craft and design various terrains and locations from the macro level (terrain and layout), to the micro (clutter detailing of a house or a Point of Interest). In doing so, you help create the type of world and story we're telling.

Do note while we prefer applicants with Unity engine experience, we do take into account other map level experience, and one must have a desire to learn to use Unity.

3D Modeller

Modellers are tasked with creating all 3D models. Texture artists are tasked with adding visual detail to all of those models. Not all modellers must be texture artists, nor must all texture artists be modellers, but the requirements for each are largely the same. Applicants do not have to know all of these things, but we prefer if they can:

  • Make detailed, but optimized, low-poly models
  • Create semi-realistic textures
  • Bake normal maps using high-poly models (i.e., sculpted or otherwise modeled)
  • Create metallic and roughness maps

The programs and tools you choose do not matter so long as you can export models in FBX format. Please note, applicants MUST have an online accessible gallery to show off their work, such as a DeviantArt account, a Social Media page, or even a Google Drive folder.

2D Concept Artists

We are actively looking for artists who know how to design and draw a variety of entities, man-made objects, or organic objects, in a clearly readable style. The ability to use multiple art styles is a plus.

You should have a firm grasp of perspective, detailing, color, and the use of a digital art program (e.g., Photoshop, Clip Studio, or SAI). Traditional artists must own a scanner. Please note, applicants MUST have an online accessible gallery to show off their work, such as a DeviantArt account, a Social Media page, or even a Google Drive folder.

Audio/SFX Team

A good chunk of the  wasteland's immersion lies in its soundscape. This includes everything from creature noises to teapot collisions, dialogue stabs, to the wind whipping through the wasteland.

The role of an Audio/SFX member could include (dependent on the specific applicant):

  • Editing voice and dialogue assets
  • Field recording
  • Sound effect creation
  • Implementation with FMOD Studio
  • Engine implementation with Unity, C# and FMOD Studio

Must-haves for an SFX member:

  • Ability to create multiple revisions of an asset from critiques and feedback
  • Passion and/or talent for sound and audio for video games
  • Access to a DAW, and be competent in the chosen tool

Nice things for an applicant to have:

  • Experience in audio middleware (especially FMOD)
  • Experience in making videos games (doesn’t have to be audio related)
  • Experience in audio for video games
  • Audio related experience outside of video games

Final Notes

We hope these changes to releases allow us to focus on our development of Ashes while allowing you guys to have an early chance to play what we have been working on and plan to do over time.

If you still have questions or thoughts on what's been discussed in this blog post, you can check out the following social media platforms:

Discord

If you still have questions in regards to applying to The Overmare Studios, about Wave 6, the project in general, or you just want to talk with like minded fans, come check out our Discord.

It has been our primary location for Ashes of Equestria. We post regular updates and announcements there, so if you want to stay informed or chat with fellow fans, please come join it!

Twitter/X

We’re also on Twitter/X. Follow us there to keep up to date on any new announcements, or sneak peaks of our development for Wave 6 and beyond.

BlueSky

Finally, we are also on BlueSky Account for those who prefer alternative social media sites. It’s still relatively new but we will keep it as updated as the rest of our social media platforms.