Manor Lords Publisher Embraces GTA 6 Launch Date for Blacksmith Master

Ever feel like the entire gaming industry is running scared from GTA 6? Well, one publisher is actually running straight toward it. Hooded Horse, the folks behind Manor Lords, are set to launch their medieval management sim Blacksmith Master out of early access on November 19 — the very same day Rockstar's juggernaut hits shelves.

Most companies would call that suicide. Hooded Horse CEO Tim Bender calls it a strategy. In a recent LinkedIn post, he joked that people looking to "steal cars and gun down their enemies" might instead discover they actually want to "control little dudes hammering horseshoes." But then he got serious: "GTA will have absolutely no effect on Blacksmith Master's release. No harm at all."

Bender didn't stop there. He had some choice words for indie devs who panic about big launches: "Indie devs are too worried about launching around this or that big game. Sure, don't launch your AAA console-focused action-adventure on Nov 19, but otherwise no reason to worry." That's a pretty bold stance when GTA 6 is shaping up to be the biggest entertainment launch in history.

And it's not like the fear isn't real. Plenty of big-name games have shuffled their dates to avoid November. The Fable reboot's director recently implied GTA was behind its delay into next year. Meanwhile, tons of blockbusters are crammed into September like sardines. But as Bender points out, sometimes avoiding the behemoth just shoves you next to your direct competition.

So why is Hooded Horse so chill? Maybe because Blacksmith Master isn't competing for the same audience. If you're hyped for GTA 6, you're probably not also craving a cozy sim about forging war tools. But if you are? Well, November 19 just got a lot more interesting.

We'll find out soon enough how Blacksmith Master fares when it hits 1.0 on Steam. Will it be a hidden gem amid the chaos, or will it get buried under the avalanche of GTA 6 coverage? Either way, Hooded Horse is betting on the former.

What do you think? Is launching alongside GTA 6 brave or just plain crazy? And will you be picking up Blacksmith Master on November 19?