Hey there, dope fiends!  The horrendous US election period has somewhat passed and we're all still balls-deep in covid so what better time to drop the final release date and information about The Dope Game Remaster?

The remaster will be released on May 30th, 2021, which is the five-year anniversary for the game. This will give ample time to squash any weird bugs, put on more polish, get the Russian localization fixed up, and make sure everything else is updated and ready to go on day one instead of staggering releases.

For existing owners, it will upgrade the current version of the game. Existing owners will also be able to test out beta builds of the remaster leading up to the release. There is currently a "beta" branch that has the WIP version.

For new players, as per some conversations with the community, the game's price will be increased on May 30th, 2021 to $4.99. So if you are interested in getting it on the cheap, now is the time. Or any big sale after the Remaster's release since the on-going discount structure will stay in place.

Here is the final list of new features for the Remaster version:

• Classic Edition as a separate exe which can be started from main menu
• Multiplayer up to 8 people running around the streets of Starkham
• Customizable characters
• Complete graphical overhaul
• New engine and re-written code-base
• New area - The Starkham Docks
• New NPC - Jenkins; he sells various items to boost your game-play
• New sub-area - The Bootleg Shack
• Hospital allows healing your crew and you can sell organs
• Old Lady's drug fluctuations have been corrected, improved
• Brand-new police HEAT system
• Armor can be purchased, found, worn
• Upgraded API system to allow more drop/find with community
• Accessibility features
• All interfaces (HUD, inventory, Stashware, etc.) have been re-worked
• Various community suggestions have been added in

I'm sure there are a few other things I have forgotten to mention too.

The Stash DLC
The Stash will get a bunch of new updates; basically everything in there:

• Big addition to the artbook; containing new art and some comparisons
• Updated Android Edition to Remaster version as well as Classic version
• Face-lift for the thank-you note
• New wallpapers and updates to existing wallpapers, plus multiple sizes
• Old school terminal game is getting updates too

The only thing not getting an update in The Stash is the soundtrack. Speaking of...

The Dope Game OST
A brand-new official soundtrack will also hit the scene for $1.99. It will contain a liner note PDF as well as some new tracks that will be present in the remaster. All proceeds from the OST will go directly to Macabre Gandhi himself.

Beyond That
Other than all this, sometime in the Summer of 2021, I hope to get Steam Workshop enabled. Primarily for letting the community create their own localization versions, but to also allow customizing other aspects of the game such as backgrounds and character skins.

That is all for now. I will have more news as we march into 2021 and will roll out a few more test builds before the final release. Stay tuned!