Matrix Games

Welcome to the Resistance!

It has been a year since we released Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance and I wanted to touch on the year just gone, and the year ahead of us. First off, I would like to give a personal thank you to all the players who joined us on the journey. It’s been great seeing your feedback and thoughts. This feedback helps us shape the game as we move forward.

2024 - Legion Arrived

So, we released the game on 21st February 2024. The last year saw new Skirmish and Multiplayer modes added (Assault, Scavenger, Domination) as well as a number of new maps. We also brought a new campaign Map into the fold, letting us find out a little more about Kondo’s wife.

The year ended with the release of “We Are Legion”, the new campaign DLC that saw the story continue but from the perspective of the Machines. We were truly happy with the response that the DLC got, and it was great fun seeing people's reaction to the story and where it went.

2025 - Legion Rises

So, in the Dark Fate movie, Grace tells Dani that Legion arises in the mid 20’s. So, get ready everybody because we’re almost there. But what have we got planned for the game for 2025. We have officially released this year's Roadmap and I want to explain a few of the new features, DLC’s and updates that we will be releasing this year. But, just to outline, many of these are still going through phases of development, so please don’t send the killbots after me if anything I say is changed in the final releases.

Early 2025

RTS Fest Demo

Let’s start with the past. We released a demo earlier this year in January for the Steam RTS Fest. This demo included 1 mission from the main game, and the first mission from the new “We Are Legion” DLC that was released in December 2024. The demo also included the ability to join multiplayer games, with the hope that we’d get a few people fighting each other online.

We have been trying to highlight the multiplayer in the game, but we honestly do find, due to the game being primarily a single player campaign and so with the majority of players playing the campaign, that with the pool of players looking for multiplayer games at any point means that the MP lobbies often seem empty. Multiplayer is something that we continue in trying to improve, as the multiplayer gameplay is such fun for players who want to go head to head. There are groups on Discord and Steam that regularly play Multiplayer, so if you are interested, see if you can hunt them down.

SPRING 2025

Multiplayer and Skirmish update

The next update that is coming this Spring will include new functionality for Skirmish and Multiplayer. One new feature the team is adding is customisation elements to the Reinforcement functionality. This allows you to create your own unit and army presets, alter available units and generally much more freedom in the setup of reinforcements within both Skirmish and Multiplayer. This takes some of the new functionality that was seen in the last DLC and expands on it.

SUMMER 2025

New paid content: Conquest Mode DLC

There have been many requests for the addition of a more ‘sandbox’, less linear option. Something a bit more open ended. Well, Summer will see a new mode available, that will allow players to continue to build the Resistance on a Strategic Map, with various sectors and locations under the control of different factions (mainly the threat of Legion). 

Each faction will be attempting to take or defend sectors alongside the player's faction, and it is up to the player to manage their army, and choose which sectors and territories to attack, and which to defend where necessary. We will see returning factions like the Integrators, the Movement and the Cartel. And there will always be the Marauders that will swoop in on isolated sectors.

There will be options to recruit units from the other factions, not Legion, of course.

Various mission types will appear on different areas, such as Assault, Defence and Domination, but also some other specific missions like Rescue or Assassination.

The new Conquest Mode will tie into the current game story, occurring after the events of the “We Are Legion” DLC. So, with Church out recruiting elsewhere, it is up to you to control the Resistance.

Free Content Drop

Although the features to be added here are still being finalized, the team are wanting to add a few extra modes to some of the maps in Skirmish and Multiplayer modes. For example, extending the Scavenger Mode that is only currently available on the Abiquiu map to a few more maps, as well as adding the much requested ‘Endless Mode’ for Skirmish and Multiplayer. Endless Mode games will continue until all zones have been captured by one side (no time limit). 

Please keep watching for further information on this content drop, as the actual final content is still in discussion and planning, so may change.

WINTER 2025

New paid content: Story Campaign DLC

Last year we released the Story Campaign DLC “We Are Legion”, following on from the base games campaign but playing from the perspective of Legion. This year, we release the next Story Campaign that will continue the story further. We finished “We Are Legion” with <spoilers> Church heading North to continue recruiting factions and people into the Resistance. 

The new Story Campaign will continue from there, playing as Church and the Resistance.

Without giving too much away, <more spoilers> expect to see the next evolution of the Legion Rev. If you have seen the movie ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’, you will have seen the Rev 7’s in action fighting against Grace in the ‘future flashback’. Blades and speed. Don’t let them get close because they will slice up your infantry. 

The technology discovered at Galveston will also start to be integrated into the Resistance, with Augmented soldier tech starting to become available for your troops or integrated into vehicles.

We are also going to be heading north, heading up into Canada to face a new threat there from Legion. 

More information about the new Story Campaign will drop in the run up to its release, so do watch out for further updates.

And that will be some of the game's highlights of 2025. There will be more intel about what is coming dropped in the coming months, and I am always available to answer questions on the official Terminator: Dark Fate - Defiance Discord channel.

2025. Is this the year that the future becomes the reality