Lviv-based studio Hologryph has unveiled the first demo of its multiplayer shooter SAND at Steam Next Fest.

The first SAND demo allows you to try out the PVP mode and get acquainted with some of the gameplay scenarios that will be in the full version of the game. In teams of up to 6 people, players will create and modify their own movable fortress – the Trumpler – and face off against other teams in a treasure hunt.

SAND is set in an alternative dieselpunk version of the early 20th century, where humanity travels the stars and space expansion is led by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Once a jewel among the Kaiser’s extraterrestrial colonies, the planet Sofia lies in ruins after an environmental catastrophe that left the planet’s oceans completely evaporated. Only the most daring – or rather insane – treasure hunters travel through its deadly deserts and deserted cities. Alone or in groups, they compete with each other in search of lost riches.

Hologryph publishes demos primarily to collect player feedback, fix technical errors, and improve optimization. To improve the gaming experience for the Ukrainian community, the developers are specially allocating additional servers in Poland. Unfortunately, the developers did not have time to finish the Ukrainian localization for the demo, so it is available only in English. But the game will be released with Ukrainian localization.

SAND was created by a Ukrainian team from Lviv. The game’s art style and storyline honor the Ukrainian people and the richness of their cultural heritage. To create the alternate history dieselpunk universe of SAND, the developers were inspired by the history of Ukrainians during the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The Hologryph studio is owned by the publisher tinyBuild, and because of this, some pro-Ukrainian Steam curators record games from developers and publishers hostile to Ukraine. This is a misconception – tinyBuild is not a Russian company. One of the founders of tinyBuild, Alex Nichiporchik, was born in Latvia. The other two, Luke Burtis and Tom Brien, are Americans. Nichyporchyk’s surname is Ukrainian, and Alex once told us that his family is from Donetsk region. Yes, tinyBuild has been working with many indie studios in Ukraine and Russia since 2014, but after the start of the full-scale invasion, the employees of the Russian studios were relocated to Europe, and all ties with Russia were cut.

“Our principled position is that the company should not pay taxes to the Russian budget, have any financial ties to Russia, or have employees in Russia. Our publisher is in agreement with this position: tinyBuild has not only moved all of its employees out of Russia, but also terminated contracts with those who stayed or decided to return. We can confirm that all of these decisions remain in force today, and tinyBuild’s management is actively following them.

The team that helps us with SAND from tinyBuild does not have a single person in Russia. We would not be able to work with a company that pays taxes to the Russian budget, it is unacceptable for us.” – says Maxim Khrapay, head of Hologryph studio, in an interview with gamedev.DOU.ua