Bellum Pre-Order Announcement

This post serves as a text supplement to our recent Pre-Order video. Additional clarifications are written in italics.

Major Updates, Pre-Orders, and the Road Ahead

This is Bellum’s biggest announcement yet. We’re revealing some critical team additions, key features, our development roadmap, pre-sale information, and answering some of the most important questions we’ve seen from the community.

But before we jump in—on behalf of the studio, thank you for all of your support and feedback so far. The response to our first devlogs has been incredible, and every member of our team has felt the energy and encouragement. We’ve read every comment, every message—and it means the world to us. Now let’s start with a major update to the team behind Bellum.

New Team Members

Operator Drewski and Wendigoon have joined Bellum as partners and investors.

These aren’t just familiar names—they’re passionate fans of the genre who share our vision for immersive, tactical gameplay. Their experience with hardcore shooters and belief in this project bring fresh energy and momentum to what we’re building. We’re grateful to have them on board—not just as creators, but as partners and early supporters of Bellum. And speaking of support—there’s one question we’ve heard more than any other:

How Can I Get Involved and Support the Project?

In response to these passionate requests, we’re excited to announce that pre-orders for Bellum are officially live starting today. If you’ve been itching for this news, grab your edition and support the project now at playbellum.com/store but if you’re still deciding, here’s a full breakdown of what this entails.

Until now, Bellum has been powered by friends, family, early investors, and a tight-knit team of developers who share a single goal: stay independent and build the ultimate tactical experience. We’ve made a conscious decision to limit publisher involvement especially given how publishing deals have impacted other titles in the past.

Our goal is to retain full creative control, stay true to our vision, and remain accountable to the people who matter most: the players. Naturally, you might be wondering: Why not launch a Kickstarter or traditional crowdfunding campaign?

The answer is simple: Because Bellum will be completed—no matter what.

Completion of this project doesn’t depend on hitting crowdfunded milestones. This isn’t a concept—it’s a commitment. But honestly, we completely understand the hesitation around supporting early access tactical shooters in today’s landscape.

If you’re not ready to jump in just yet, we totally understand that. It’s exactly why we chose a pre-order model over traditional crowdfunding. We wanted to make it clear: Bellum’s development isn’t reliant on your early purchase.

Our goal with pre-orders is twofold: to offer access to closed testing sessions and exclusive rewards to those eager to support the project—and to reinvest those resources into growing the team and accelerating development.

Pre-Order Editions

Now that we’ve covered the why, let’s take a closer look at what early supporters receive and what discounts are available. Bellum pre-orders are structured across three tiers, with a single limited Founders edition. All editions come with a flat 20% discount during the pre-order period, which runs until Early Access, currently targeted for the end of this year.

We understand there was some confusion regarding the term “Open Beta” where individuals were made to believe the “Open Beta” was free. We have changed the term from “Open Beta” to “Early Access” to avoid this confusion.

Standard Edition

Our Standard Edition starts at $35.99 USD and provides players with Early Access. This edition is a simple way to jump in now, show your support for the studio, and take advantage of the pre-order discount.

Regional pricing and account upgrades are planned. In the interim, any upgrade or edition inquiries should be sent via email to [email protected]

Deluxe Edition

For those looking for more content and perks, the Deluxe Edition comes with:

• The Digital Art Book and Soundtrack
• Access to the Closed Beta targeted for this Fall

• The Closed Beta will remain up and playable until Early Access.

• The Deluxe Watch Skin
• The Deluxe Glove Skin
• The Deluxe M4A1 Weapon Skin
• The Deluxe AK-74M Weapon Skin
• The Deluxe AKM Weapon Skin

Additionally, anyone who pre-orders the Deluxe Edition or higher will have their name included in the game credits.

Reward redemption forms will be sent out via email closer to delivery. In that form you will receive more information on how to redeem your pre-order rewards and if you’d like to submit your Username or Real Name for the credits. Usernames are subject to approval.

Supporter Edition

This brings us to our third option, the Supporter Edition. A premium tier, the Supporter Edition comes with everything from the Deluxe Edition and more.

The Supporter Edition rewards include:

• Access to the Closed Alpha targeted for this Summer

• Closed Alpha will be tested in a series of controlled sessions.

• Server Priority Queue access

• Currently, server join priority is as follows:

      Server Admins > Server Whitelist > Priority Queue User > Standard Users Please note that this only affects full servers. Standard edition players can always join a server with open slots immediately.

• Submit an Objective Name

• Reward redemption forms will have a section to submit a possible Objective Name. This Objective Name will be tied to your account. While playing, the game will select a random Objective Name from the list of Supporters who have joined the match. Upon placing down an objective like a COP or Hideout, the game will use the name selected. (IE. COP Karmakut). Objective Names are subject to approval.

• Name on the Training Map Wall

• Reward redemption forms will have a section to submit your Username or Real Name for the Wall. Usernames are subject to approval.

• Exclusive Supporter M4A1 Weapon Skin

• Exclusive Supporter AK-74M Weapon Skin

• Exclusive Supporter AKM Weapon Skin

• Exclusive Supporter M249 Weapon Skin

• Exclusive Supporter PKM Weapon Skin

• Exclusive Supporter RPD Weapon Skin

As you might have noticed all of our weapon skins are designed to be authentic and grounded, and we vow to keep it that way.

Founder Edition

Lastly, for the most dedicated fans and collectors, we’re offering a limited Founder Edition—an exclusive tier with only 500 copies available.

In addition to everything included in previous tiers, Founders will receive:

• Two extra Standard Edition keys to share with friends
• Exclusive access to the Founder Discord, where they can connect directly with the Bellum team and participate in exclusive chats

• Access to the Founder Discord will require signing an NDA. This helps protect the exclusive content and discussions that Founders have paid for, and ensures that leaks do not undermine the value of that experience.

• Access to all Founder Playtests

• Founder Playtests include controlled play sessions before the Closed Alpha and all future updates.

• A serialized Founder Challenge Coin
• Faction coins for both Rangers and Russian PMCs
• Three unique patches—representing:
• • • The ASIF Western Coalition
• • • The SATYR Faction
• • • Bellum Morale Patch

A quick note about the Founder Edition physical items: At this time, we are only covering shipping within the U.S. due to the unpredictability of international tariffs, duties, and shipping costs.

If you are located abroad and are interested in a Founder Edition, please reach out to us via email at [email protected] and we will do our best to navigate shipping fees with you.

Now, you probably have even more questions regarding pre-orders—so let’s take a moment to address them.

Will Bellum Be on Steam?

The short answer is: not at launch. Bellum is available exclusively through our website— playbellum.com. As a small, independent studio, we’ve had to make strategic decisions about where and how we launch—and stepping away from Steam comes with a few key advantages.

Most importantly, we’re not losing 30% of every sale to platform fees. That savings goes straight back into development—more talent, more updates, and deeper investment into the features that matter.

We’re also able to own more of the player experience—from our custom launcher to direct server integration—giving us more flexibility to innovate and improve based on your feedback.

Launching off-platform also lets us explore features like temporary game keys, so you can invite friends to try Bellum with you—without needing to purchase up front.

And to be clear: launching outside of Steam doesn’t mean we’ll never be on it. If and when the time is right, we’ll make that move. But for now, we’re focused on building a strong foundation, directly with the players who care most.

To expand more into the thought process behind launching off of Steam:  

• Right now, we’re focused on a very specific niche: hardcore tactical FPS players who are also comfortable supporting early and watching the game grow. We feel launching on Steam too soon might dilute that focus or attract the wrong people.
• Thanks to our strong presence in the creator space, we can reach that niche directly without relying on Steam discoverability.
• Launching off-Steam gives us more flexibility with pre-order rewards and supporter tiers.
• It also allows greater control over features like multi-server queueing, buddy key distribution, and other planned features.
• Our team has real experience running backend and server hardware infrastructure for game studios through awn.gg.
• Saving Steam’s 30% cut right now gives us more resources, which really matters at this stage. It allows us to hire more developers and artists to ramp production faster.
• A Steam launch would make more sense once we’ve built momentum, can pique mainstream interest, and polished the product.
• We’re building our own review system for transparent feedback and accountability.
• We’ve heard your questions about refunds, currently our refund policy allows for a full refund up to 96 hours after your access tier unlocks. We are planning to adapt this policy to include playtime in the future.

What Factions Will Be Playable in Early Access?

Let’s walk you through everything you can expect. Early Access will feature three distinct factions:

• The U.S. Army’s Ranger Regiment
• The Russian mercenaries known as SATYR
• The guerilla fighters of al-Zalaam

Each faction brings its own identity, tactics, and arsenal—and while they’ll all launch with a curated set of assets, their capabilities will expand as development continues.

The Rangers field a specialized arsenal of modern American firepower—and at Early Access launch they’ll sport the M4 Block III, M249 SAW, M240, M320 grenade launcher, M72 LAW, and Carl Gustaf. Their loadouts are designed to support a versatile, multi-role playstyle, from close-quarters breaching to long-range suppression.

SATYR mercenaries take a more modular, unorthodox approach. Their gear emphasizes flexibility and customization, starting with weapons like the AK-74M, PKM, GM-94 grenade launcher, and the iconic RPG-7.

At the other end of the spectrum, the al-Zalaam insurgents embody asymmetric warfare. Armed with a patchwork of rugged weapons—AKMs, RPDs, Type-80 machine guns, and GP-25 grenade launchers—they reward ambush tactics, terrain mastery, and hit-and-run maneuverability

What Features Will Be Available in Early Access?

Early Access will launch with our primary gamemode: Occupation. Occupation is built around dynamic, territory-based gameplay where player decisions—not scripted events—drive the outcome. Conventional forces will battle with guerrilla factions in an asymmetric counter-insurgency fight across a zone called the Area of Operation.

Victory can be achieved in three ways: attriting the enemy’s manpower to zero, displacing them from the AO, or generating enough influence through constructed objectives.

In Occupation, logistics plays a critical role—and it’s built around managing three core resources: manpower, which provides respawns, materials to construct outposts and generate influence, and munitions to handle weapon resupply. Teams start with a limited pool of resources stored at their main base, but to use them, they must be physically transported to forward positions like Hideouts and Combat outposts. Once delivered, these resources allow you to build, resupply, and respawn at those objectives.

Once vehicles are introduced, supply runs and convoys become a real tactical challenge—and each faction will have one dedicated logistics squad built into the team structure, specifically for this role. Players will need to plan routes, coordinate supply runs, and avoid enemy ambushes—because without logistics, holding the AO will be impossible.

Occupation is a session-based mode. Rounds average one hour and are capped at two. No two matches will be the same, as players shape the mission in real time through their choices and coordination. For a full breakdown of Occupation, check out our previous devlog: Dialing in the Details.

Highlands Map

All of this takes place on our first official map: Highlands—a 4 by 4 kilometer terrain featuring rolling hills, chokepoints, clustered villages, and dense towns. The map is designed to support both sustained long-range engagements and intense close-quarters combat, giving every weapon a distinct role in the fight. But Bellum’s depth doesn’t stop at terrain or objectives. Let’s talk about the systems—because that’s where the experience truly comes to life.

Advanced Medical System

The Early Access launch includes an advanced medical system built for tactical gameplay. Wounds vary in severity and location—limbs, torso, or head—and each injury demands the right treatment. Players will triage their teammates using bandages, tourniquets, blood bags, and combat-use medications, all while managing conditions like heavy bleeding, incapacitation, and unconsciousness. Under fire, medical care becomes a high-stakes, hands-on skill—not a simple point-and-click.

Body Armor Simulation

Bellum also includes body armor simulation. Material type, impact angle, and kinetic energy all factor into whether a shot stops cold or punches through. What your target is wearing—and where you hit them—will determine whether they stay in the fight or bleed out on the ground.

Ballistics and Fragmentation Simulation

Our custom ballistics and fragmentation system adds another layer of realism unlike standard hitscan models. Bullets lose velocity over distance, penetrate based on caliber and material, ricochet depending on angle, and are pushed off course by wind at longer ranges. Explosives generate true-to-life fragmentation—each blast is different, and even a low wall or small piece of cover can be the difference between surviving or taking a hit.

Communication Tools

Communication is a cornerstone of Bellum’s gameplay. Players communicate through local proximity chat, squad channels, and platoon-wide comms—each serving a tactical purpose. Whether you’re coordinating a breach, calling for medical aid, or directing a multi-squad maneuver, clarity and timing matter. What you say—and who hears it—can change the momentum of a fight.

The command structure is just as detailed and intentional. Platoon leaders, squad leaders, and team leads have access to real-time tools for assigning objectives, marking targets, and managing the flow of battle. Leadership isn’t just symbolic—it carries real tactical weight, and good leaders can shift the momentum of an entire engagement.

To support this, we’ve built standardized systems into Bellum’s core design. Every faction follows a consistent squad structure, with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. This creates a shared language across teams and factions, reducing friction and making coordination more intuitive—even with players you’ve never met.

Whether you’re stepping into a fireteam or leading a full platoon, these structures are designed to empower teamwork, support communication, and make coordinated play feel second nature.

Crew-Served Mechanics

For those operating machine guns and rocket launchers, Bellum delivers true crew-served weapon mechanics. From belt-linking and barrel changes to assistant gunner reloads, these systems are built to be used as intended—with a team. When operated cooperatively, their lethality and effectiveness increase dramatically, reflecting the real-world power of coordinated team roles.

EWAR Update

And finally, Bellum’s Early Access launch introduces the first wave of electronic warfare tools—starting with drones. These assets can scout enemy positions, provide overwatch for advancing squads, or help coordinate synchronized assaults. As development continues, EWAR will evolve into a full-fledged tactical layer, reshaping how battles are fought.

This is just the beginning. Early Access lays the foundation—but with your feedback and support, Bellum will continue to evolve into something far greater.

What are Bellum’s Next Steps for Development?

We’ve received a lot of questions about what’s coming next—so we’ve put together a short-term roadmap to give you a clearer picture. Keep in mind that this doesn’t include smaller updates, patches, or content we’ll drop along the way.

We’re aiming to hit five major milestones over the next year- each building on the last.

Milestone One - Heavy Firepower. We’re introducing shoulder-fired systems and under-barrel grenade launchers with multiple ammo types, including frag, HE, and thermobaric. You can expect crew-served functionality out the gate with systems like the RPG-7 and Carl Gustaf—bringing more firepower and tactical depth to the battlefield.

Next, we turn to construction—allowing squads to dig in, reinforce COPs and Hideouts, and reshape the battlefield. This system also lays the groundwork for deeper logistic mechanics that will be expanded over time.

From there, we’re enhancing our EWAR systems. Expect more B-TAK functionality, the introduction of drone platforms, and the first wave of countermeasures—all designed to expand the tactical playing field.

Following EWAR, we’ll focus on Command systems. This includes formalizing platoon leadership roles, enabling off-map support like airstrikes, and implementing key enabler positions such as JTACs and forward observers.

By this stage, Bellum will have a solid infantry foundation—paving the way for ground vehicles as maps grow in scale and complexity. The first wave of vehicles rolls in with MRAPs, technicals, and support trucks—engineered to keep your team moving, building, and fighting across the battlefield.

On that note, let’s shift gears and dive into some of the most common questions we’ve received about game design in Bellum.

How Will Bellum Encourage Teamwork?

This is one of the most important questions we’ve seen come up and we’re glad you asked. For those who know the genre, the true appeal of platoon-scale gameplay lies in the camaraderie and teamwork it demands from players.

Only a handful of games truly capture the magic of players communicating and coordinating on the battlefield. Bellum was built to capture and amplify that experience—and it all rests on three foundational principles.

The first principle is that information dictates the tempo of combat and directly drives how players interact as a team.

It sets the pace of movement, builds trust in leadership, and shapes the decisions a squad makes under fire. In Bellum, the information available to each player is intentionally limited—based on their role and squad. While some macro-level team data is still accessible to all players, it’s far less comprehensive than in other games. You won’t see every friendly icon on your map and you’ll have to work to determine the position of hostile elements. Gathering intel from downed enemies is a key mechanic in Occupation. Players will need to search their kills to reveal hidden objectives and cut through the fog of war.

Each match forces players to navigate uncertainty, adapt on the fly, and make decisions without perfect information on enemy starting positions or objectives. Players are expected to stay grounded in their squad’s reality—what they see, hear, and can feel on the ground. You’ll need to stay alert, communicate locally, and build situational awareness from the ground up—instead of relying on an all-knowing minimap every few seconds.

And when we talk about information, we don’t just mean map awareness.

Predictable known outcomes—like perfectly timed reloads, weapons that never malfunction, or damage values players can min-max—tend to create a more arcade-like experience. That kind of clarity strips away the uncertainty that real tactics are built on. It’s that ambiguity of outcome that drives real-world tactics and decision-making. And that uncertainty, by design, becomes a key driver of teamwork. Because in unknown situations, having teammates at your side doesn’t just help—it can mean the difference between life and death.

The second principle is that if you want players to engage in teamwork, coordination must be streamlined and rewarding.

The reality is that players will naturally take the path of least resistance. If lone-wolfing or min-maxing individual performance is the most efficient option, many will default to it—even in a team-based game. That’s why Bellum is built to make teamwork a functional necessity through core systems like buddy medical mechanics and crew-served weapon operation. Players operate at peak effectiveness when they work together.

But requiring teamwork isn’t enough on its own. If cooperation feels forced or repetitive, it becomes a chore. Our challenge as developers is to make team-based interaction not just necessary—but deeply satisfying.

That starts with giving players the tools and systems they need to operate as a cohesive unit. It’s also why Bellum’s faction structure and role design are deliberately standardized. When you join a session, you should instantly understand your role, know who you need to coordinate with, and see how you fit into the larger mission—every round, every time.

The final principle guiding Bellum’s design is that, ultimately, it’s our duty as a studio to define and uphold the standard of gameplay.

We’re not just focused on bringing new players into Bellum—we’re committed to ensuring they have the knowledge and support needed to thrive. That means working with veteran communities and creators, but also developing our own suite of informative content, in-depth tutorials, and a proper onboarding pipeline to help new players understand their roles and responsibilities.

In many games without clear structure or direction, players often clash with mismatched expectations, conflicting playstyles, and inconsistent match quality. In Bellum, we want to foster a shared understanding of how the game is meant to be played, so that every session feels cohesive and rewarding. We also plan to support player-run communities and servers directly, and we’re building a robust server browser to help players connect with groups that match their preferred playstyle. Whether you’re looking for a hardcore unit, a casual squad, region-based servers, or communities that share your experience level, finding your niche should feel natural and accessible.

As an indie studio, building out this infrastructure will take time—but it’s a core part of our long-term vision. We’re confident that our collective experience positions us to shape the gameplay style we envision—but reaching that goal means aligning a wide range of complex systems and design principles.

How Will You Handle Respawns?

One of our core design philosophies is that respawns should carry weight. While we recognize that Bellum is a video game and not every player can or should be expected to survive on a single life, we still aim to promote a sense of consequence.

We’re constantly tuning the manpower system to find the right balance between realism and playability. Importantly, manpower is not infinite, and different factions may have different reserves to reflect their tactical and logistical realities—adding a layer of authenticity to how each side plays.

We also believe that respawn penalties must feel personal. Players rarely value a shared team resource as much as a consequence that directly affects them. That’s why our systems are designed to reinforce individual accountability without undermining the team dynamic.

Finally, Occupation will not support a one-life game mode on release, however we’re very interested in developing an official hardcore variant in future.

Will Realism Get in the Way of Fun?

Fun means different things to different people. For us, it’s about depth, authenticity, and the satisfaction that comes from mastering realistic systems and tactics. Bellum isn’t here to deliver cheap visual thrills. It’s built to reward tactical thinking, communication, and real teamwork.

We’re not trying to retread the casual tactical space. That middle ground—where realism is mostly visual and teamwork is optional—is already saturated.

Bellum is for players who want more. More challenges. More coordination. More purpose behind every decision. By embracing realism, we create space for deeper, more impactful gameplay experiences and choices.

Take our crew-served systems. By modeling these weapons authentically, we give them real battlefield presence—lethal, distinct, and designed with a purpose. Weapons like the Carl Gustaf or M240 are devastating when employed by a well-coordinated team—but they come with weight, complexity, and real-world handling demands.

That tradeoff creates real tactical weight—and real moments of teamwork under pressure.

Will There Be Destruction?

In the short term, environmental interaction will be limited—primarily for performance reasons. We recognize the value of features like terrain deformation, destructible structures, and reactive environments, but they come with significant technical overhead that could impact stability and scalability. Right now, our priority is building out the core gameplay systems that offer the most meaningful impact.

That said, we’re already experimenting with dynamic environmental changes to boost replayability—and even exploring features like wildlife to add layers of visual and auditory unpredictability to the battlefield.

Looking ahead, we absolutely want to expand on environmental interaction—as resources allow and without compromising performance or player experience.

Thank You!

We know this was a lot to take in—so thank you for reading and for being part of this journey. Whether you’re ready to dive in now or just keeping an eye on our progress, we’re grateful to have your attention.

Bellum is being built by a team of players who care deeply about this genre—and your support means we can stay independent, stay focused, and keep building the tactical shooter we’ve always wanted to play.

If you’re ready to support us directly, pre-orders are now live at playbellum.com/store. Every purchase helps us expand the team and accelerate development. And if you’re not quite ready to commit just yet—we totally understand. We’re here to earn your trust by building something worth your time.

Still have questions? Join our Discord at discord.gg/playbellum —the FAQ is always being updated, and we’d love to hear from you. Thanks again for being here and we’ll see you in the next announcement.