Ten days ago we announced that Android support for SeaWar Sandbox V1 ends on September 26, 2026. This post covers the other half of that decision: the Windows build reaches end of support in September 2026 as well.
We are doing both platforms on the same timeline rather than dragging one out, because a half maintained game is worse for everyone than a clearly finished one.
What end of support means here
It means we stop shipping updates. No new builds, no patches, no compatibility work, and no new features. The installer comes off the download page in September.
It does not mean the game stops working. SeaWar Sandbox V1 is offline software. There is no login, no account, no license check, and no server that has to be alive for you to sail. Once it is installed, it is yours, and it will keep running as long as Windows keeps running programs of its generation. We have no remote switch to flip, by design.
The precise split
- Ends: new builds, patches, fixes, the public installer download, and launcher updates that deliver the game.
- Continues: your installed copy, your local saves, the full campaign from raft to Demon Lord, and offline play with no connection.
- Stays online: this website, the SeaWar guide, the news archive, and the legal pages, including the EULA.
About the launcher
The Phalangix Launcher was built to deliver and update our games. When SeaWar reaches end of support, the launcher stops having a SeaWar update to deliver, which is a quieter change than it sounds. If the game is already installed through it, it stays installed.
The launcher itself is not being retired. It was always meant to be the studio's delivery channel rather than one game's installer, and it has a job to do beyond SeaWar. More on that in a later post.
Why September, and why both platforms at once
SeaWar Sandbox V1 shipped as a complete game. That was the promise on the front page of this site from the beginning: ship complete, no early access, no roadmap of features that might arrive if enough people buy in. It launched finished, it was free, and it did what it said.
A finished game does not need indefinite maintenance. It needs to work, and it does. What it would need indefinite maintenance for is the platform underneath it drifting: new Windows builds, new driver behaviour, new install policies. Keeping ahead of that drift on two platforms is a full time job on its own, and it is a job that produces nothing new.
So we are being direct about it. Rather than let the game rot quietly while we pretend it is still supported, we are naming a date, telling you exactly what changes, and spending the recovered time on the next project.
What we learned building it
SeaWar was the studio's first shipped product, and it taught us things no amount of planning would have:
- Combat readability beats combat complexity. Players forgive a shallow system they can read at a glance and abandon a deep one they cannot.
- Movement is the whole game. If a ship does not feel good to steer in the first thirty seconds, nothing downstream saves it.
- Distribution is a product problem, not a chore. Getting a build onto someone's machine is as much design work as the build itself.
- Single player has a ceiling. The best moments people told us about were the ones they wanted to share with someone, and there was nobody to share them with.
That last one shaped everything about what we are doing next.
What to do before the date
- Install it now if you want it. It is free and it is on the download page until September.
- Keep a copy of the installer somewhere of your own if you reinstall Windows often.
- Back up your saves if you have a run in progress.
- Finish the campaign. The guide will walk you through the mission chain if you are stuck, and it is not going anywhere.
Questions we have already been asked
Will the game stop working after the date?
No. There is no license check, no activation, and no online requirement. Windows will keep running it long after we stop touching it.
What if I reinstall Windows next year?
Keep your own copy of the installer. After September we are not hosting it, so the file you saved is the file you will need.
Will SmartScreen still warn me about the installer?
Yes, and it always did. The build is not code signed, which is expensive for a studio at this size and is the honest reason rather than an excuse. The download page explains how to verify the checksum if you want to confirm the file is the one we published.
Does the launcher stop working?
No. It simply stops having a SeaWar update to fetch. Anything already installed stays installed.
Will SeaWar go open source?
Not currently planned. The codebase is closed and a large part of it is being carried forward into the next project.
Can I still get support if something breaks?
You can always reach us through the contact page, and we will read it. What we cannot promise after September is a patch.
Why we are announcing it three months early
Because a two week notice is not a notice, it is a formality. Three months is enough time for someone who installed the game in May, forgot about it, and comes back in August to still have every option open.
It also lets us be specific rather than vague. A studio that says "we are winding down support at some point" is really saying "we have already stopped and have not admitted it". A date on a page is a commitment you can check us against, which is the entire reason to publish one.
The short version
Windows support for SeaWar Sandbox V1 ends in September 2026, on the same timeline as Android. Nothing is taken away from anyone who already has it. The game was finished when it shipped and it stays finished.
What we do with the freed up time is the interesting part, and we will have more to say about that shortly.