Ten years after the release of The Long Dark and seven years into the development of the Wintermute campaign, Hinterland Studio is preparing for the final push. The fifth and final episode, titled The Light at the End of All Things, will not be released by the end of the year as planned, but it now has a final date — March 31, 2026.
The developers explained that most of the content is already complete, but there are still unfinished cutscenes, a soundtrack, and final polishing of the missions is required. The team decided to "take a couple of extra months to perfect the episode, optimize it, fix bugs, and get it certified on consoles." At the same time, the studio presented a new teaser showing key locations and hinting at the end of the story.
The fifth episode promises to be the largest in the series: according to Hinterland, it contains "two to three times more story and cinematic content than the fourth." Players can expect new territories and a more linear presentation, but without losing the atmosphere of single survival for which The Long Dark is valued.
And although Wintermute is coming to an end, the history of the world will continue. Hinterland has already announced a sequel — Blackfrost: The Long Dark 2, which will feature co-op, urban areas, and a sanity system. The project will be released in early access in 2026.
The video is available at the following link.