Expeditions: Samurai is coming to Early Access this August

THQ Nordic has announced an August 7 Early Access release date for Expeditions: Samurai on Steam. The publisher also revealed the tactical RPG's eight recruitable companions.

Developer Campfire Cabal has had a turbulent few years. THQ Nordic formed the Copenhagen-based studio in 2022 with veterans from the Expeditions: Rome team. Embracer Group's massive restructuring efforts nearly shut the developer down in 2023. A core group managed to keep the studio alive. They transitioned back into full production in early 2025 and are now weeks away from releasing their next project.

The game is an alternate history take on 1600s Japan. Real-life English navigator William Adams never leaves his home country in this timeline. Instead, the player beats him to the punch. You arrive on the Dutch ship De Albatros as the newly elected leader of a privateer crew. The arrival drops you directly into a civil war nearing its climax.

Building the crew

The party roster includes a mix of European arrivals and local fighters. You can recruit Antje the burglar, Piet Ruisch the brawler, Kage the ronin, Johan the duelist, Étienne Durand the priest, Tora-Hime the onna-musha, Fūma Ishiko the shinobi, and Raina the sawbones.

The characters have clashing ideologies and religious backgrounds. Étienne suggests Catholic confession to his crewmates. Johan openly admits he does not care what his subordinates think of him. Ishiko views the rest of the crew as incompetent but sees them as a better risk than dealing with local Jesuits. Managing these conflicting personalities is a core part of the gameplay loop. Piet takes a blunt approach to problem-solving:

"My plan is to enter a building and get information. If people want to stand in my way and get shot about it, that's their problem."

Characters have dedicated skill trees for abilities and perks. You can build relationships with the crew over the course of the campaign. These bonds can develop into friendships, rivalries, or romances. Your dialogue choices and actions determine the outcome.

Tactics and stealth

The tactical combat system allows for simultaneous movement and attacks. This entry adds stealth mechanics and environmental interactions to the series formula. You can split up the team in real-time to set up ambushes before combat officially starts. Previous games in the franchise relied heavily on direct confrontation. The addition of stealth means you can thin out enemy numbers or bypass certain encounters entirely. Clever use of gadgets will likely be necessary on higher difficulty settings where enemies have a massive numerical advantage.

The setting lets players mix standard pirate arsenals with traditional Japanese weaponry. There is also a crafting system for building items and experimenting with different loadouts.

The road to release

Campfire Cabal plans to keep the game in Early Access until the first quarter of 2027. The studio wants to use the testing period to refine the new mechanics and balance the upcoming co-op mode.

The Expeditions games have always occupied a tight niche of historical fiction mixed with turn-based tactics. Moving the setting to Sengoku-era Japan gives the studio a fresh canvas. After surviving corporate restructuring, Campfire Cabal finally gets to show what they have been building.