DUCKSIDE: Everything We Know

Here’s one for you: machine gun-wielding ducks, but in a war-torn dystopia that’s heavily inspired by Rust and DayZ. If that’s the sort of thing that you could happily clip your feathers to, then boy, have we got news for you. As it turns out, tinyBuild is working on a new type of open-world sandbox-survival game, and it’s called, well, DUCKSIDE—a game that will merge the best of crafting, base-building, and PvP with an entirely fowl-centric world. In other words, it’s DayZ with ducks, and it’s currently shaping up to arrive on PC at some point in the distant future.

“Over 10 million ducks get killed per year by hunters, a statistic that would be much lower if ducks were combat trained,” the blurb reads in part. “Enter DUCKSIDE, a persistent world survival game like DayZ or Rust… but you’re a duck, and so is everybody else.” Fair enough.

As it currently stands, tinyBuild has yet to lift the veil on any form of concrete release date. Still, if you’re keen to learn a bit more about, well, whatever this is, then be sure to read on. Here’s everything we can tell you about DUCKSIDE ahead of its Steam debut.

What Is DUCKSIDE?

To cut to the chase, DUCKSIDE is an upcoming MMO crafting-survival game, and one that’ll allocate human intelligence to ducks—a not-so combat-hardened creature that, until being lumbered with an assault rifle, never would’ve thought to put two and two together. This time around, however, it’s the ducks that have control over the monopoly, and they’ll stop at nothing to secure their rightful place in the food chain. And if you think that’s odd, then wait till you get a load of its gameplay features.

“DUCKSIDE isn’t just about surviving; it’s about getting into the mind of a duck,” the developer writes in a press release. “Being a duck. Feeling the cold steel of a machine gun on your feathers. And the peace of mind that comes with settling down after a long day, in a house you built out of trash that you’d looted off some guy’s corpse.” Again, fair enough.

In the words of tinyBuild: “Imagine DayZ or Rust, but you’re a duck. A persistent world survival game with player-versus-player, player-versus-environment, crafting, base building, and hat-wearing ducks, wielding weapons.” Hey, no judgments here.

Story

If there is a story here, then we’ve yet to figure out what on earth it is. From what we’ve gathered, though, it appears that it’ll base itself around something of an uprising; the ducks have gone feral, from the sounds of it, and they’re looking wreak havoc on a few humans’ daily lives. But, that won’t be the only unruly force of nature, apparently. If what we’re hearing turns out to be correct, then these ducks will also be at war with themselves.

“Play alone or create a flock with other ducks to build, explore, fight, and survive together. Ducks are fiercely territorial, so encounters with opposing ducks can and will often result in some feathers being ruffled. Not to mention all those “humans” stationed around the island that don’t seem to think it’s as fun being shot at by ducks as it is shooting ducks, you’ll need to deal with them too.”

Gameplay

DUCKSIDE will play out in a similar fashion as its survival-crafting peers: there’ll be a huge map to drop into, and a plethora of natural resources to scavenge, utilize, and mold into weapons, bases, and other fortifications. It’ll be a survival game at heart, so naturally, you can expect to see a great deal of PvP and PvE action.

“Put those webbed feet to use or take flight across an expansive island, where valuable resources and treasures await any ducks fortunate enough to discover them,” the game’s description adds. “But remain vigilant, as both fellow player ducks and the featherless (who refer to themselves as “humans”) will stop at nothing to prevent you from laying your wings on any valuables at their expense.”

Development

Join the flock.

Sign-ups for DUCKSIDE's beta are open on Steam! pic.twitter.com/e2pGNBq0TP

— tinyBuild (@tinyBuild) April 5, 2024

Developer tinyBuild first teased the outlines for its upcoming project earlier this month, at which point the prolific studio lifted the veil on a slew of in-game screenshots and even a nifty gameplay trailer, to boot. Unfortunately, that’s about as much as the team was willing to let slip; the release date is still a bit of a mystery. If all goes according to plan, though, then the game should, with any luck, arrive on PC at some point in either late 2024, or early 2025. Don’t quote us on that, though.

If you’re a little unfamiliar with tinyBuild, then just know this: it’s the same team that created Hello Neighbor. If you’re looking to unravel a few more of the team’s past projects, then be sure to check in with their official handle here.

Trailer

Not quite satisfied with tinyBuild’s introductory spiel? Don’t sweat it — there’s a trailer for DUCKSIDE already afloat, and it captures the essence of the game surprisingly well. Need we say more? You can check it out for yourself in the video embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

DUCKSIDE has yet to receive a release date. Does this scratch out the possibility of it ever arriving on consoles? Not yet. Having said that, as it’s still early days, we can’t say for certain whether or not it’ll eventually find its way to the likes of Xbox or PlayStation. Fingers crossed, though.

Interested in staying up to date with DUCKSIDE? If so, then be sure to check in with the team over at tinyBuild for all the latest updates via their official social handle here. If anything does change ahead of its global debut, then we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of DUCKSIDE when it arrives on Steam? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.