Kicking Off 2026 and Strengthening the Foundations
January marked an important reset for Gods Unchained. It was a month focused less on flash and more on making sure the foundations we’re building on are solid — technically, creatively, and from a player experience perspective.
Across the team, the focus was on preparing upcoming content, improving stability, and tightening the systems that support long-term play. At the same time, we’ve been aligning internally on where the game goes next, ensuring that what we build in the months ahead connects cleanly to what’s already live.
Here’s a look at what we shipped, what we worked on behind the scenes, and why January matters as we move further into 2026.
Battle Pass Momentum and Ongoing Content Delivery
January saw the team fully focused on getting Battle Pass 10 live and polished, while also laying the groundwork for Battle Pass 11.
Alongside this, work continued on upcoming card releases, ensuring February and March content stayed on track without compromising quality. This earlier preparation also gives us more flexibility to experiment with how rewards, progression, and pacing come together across future passes — something we’re actively thinking about as part of our broader plans for the year.
Card Sets, Balance, and Iteration
A major portion of January was dedicated to iteration and balance — the kind of work that’s often invisible, but critical to how the game feels over time.
Key areas of focus included:
- Finalising upcoming February content and resolving balance issues that blocked testing
- Running extended playtests to recover lost iteration time and improve confidence
- Preparing the pipeline for future monthly balance passes
This month also helped the team validate some longer-term assumptions around cadence and iteration windows. Those learnings are feeding into how we plan future releases, with the goal of creating clearer rhythms for both competitive players and collectors.
January also marked meaningful progress on the upcoming February content. Alongside balance iteration and testing, work continued on the Mythic 1/1 card. Created in close collaboration with an artist, the Mythic’s design explores ancient forces awakening far from civilisation, tying directly into the themes unfolding in the upcoming release.
Above is an exclusive look behind the curtains! We explored many ideas and concepts with the artist, with the goal of creating a unique character that paves the way forward for future stories across Faenar.
Progression, Rewards, and Long-Term Systems
January also moved several longer-term systems forward, particularly around progression and rewards.
This work included:
- Continued development of Divine Tithings aimed at improving card population health
- Refinements to reward structures across Battle Passes and future releases
- Early preparation for roadmap updates that clearly communicate priorities and direction
Many of these conversations are about making progression feel more intentional — rewarding engagement while leaving room for different playstyles. You’ll start to see the outcomes of this thinking surface gradually, rather than all at once, as systems evolve and connect over time.
As promised we will be sharing a more detailed plan shortly, so make sure you stay connected in Discord or Twitter!
Staking
Staking makes a return to GU, and players are on their way to claiming backdated rewards. The full details are here in our Discord announcement. This has taken the team a tremendous amount of engineering effort, and we cannot be happier that we have rolled out staking on Immutable zkEVM.
The team knows that players have been eagerly awaiting the return, and are working to ensure that any immediate concerns are being investigated and looked into.
Stability, Bug Fixes, and Technical Improvements
Behind the scenes, engineering team spent significant time on:
- Bug fixes tied to recent releases
- Improving internal tooling and bug tracking workflows
- Addressing edge-case exploits and customer-reported issues
January included a series of targeted fixes addressing card interactions, tooltip clarity, and edge-case bugs that could disrupt gameplay. These updates focused on ensuring effects trigger correctly, interactions behave consistently, and visual feedback matches what players expect
Some highlights include
- Fixed Dragonshard Plate triggering its effect after its durability reached 0.
- Fixed Tomb Robber’s Afterlife only granting 1 card when controlling another Anubian.
- Fixed an incorrect Roar tooltip on Singsong Satyr.
Art, UX, and Presentation
Creative work continued steadily throughout January, as the team collectively prepares for February content release.
A consistent visual language and cleaner presentation remain a big focus, especially as new content types and experiences begin to take shape behind the scenes.
Creative work in January also included deep exploration of high-end illustration and concept development for upcoming content. This included extensive sketching and iteration on the Mythic illustration, focusing on scale, atmosphere, and readability across formats — from in-game cards to large-format marketing art.
Here’s an exclusive preview of the upcoming February release! Only available here in our monthly update!
Looking Ahead
January set the tone for the year: deliberate, focused, and grounded in iteration.
With Battle Pass content rolling forward, card sets deep in testing, and internal alignment improving around future priorities, the team is building toward the next phases of Gods Unchained with confidence — and with player experience front and centre.
Whether you’ve been playing consistently or just checking back in, we’re glad to have you with us as we move into what’s shaping up to be an important year for the game. We’ll see you again in February!
— The Gods Unchained Team