11 Bit on Frostpunk: 1886 — remakes, scale and why climate is a question of progress

11 Bit is moving forward with Frostpunk: 1886, an upgraded Unreal Engine reworking of the studio’s signature survival city-builder. In conversations about the project director Maciej Sułecki reframes climate issues as a matter of societal progress rather than a narrow AI debate, while also engaging with questions about scale and design philosophy.

• Frostpunk: 1886 is billed as a "remake plus plus": a polished recreation that modernises the original's systems and presentation using Unreal Engine.
• The original game’s tightly constrained design—where settlement layout and resource flow are central—stands in contrast to later expansions and sequels that encouraged wider sprawl and political complexity.
• 11 Bit acknowledges a crowded market for boutique remakes, acknowledging concerns about the industry leaning on nostalgia cycles rather than new directions.
• Frostpunk 2 took the series toward expansionist mechanics and factional politics, highlighting how the franchise has shifted from austere survivalism to broader societal simulation.
• Sułecki’s perspective reframes climate change conversations: he suggests the issue is bound up with how societies progress and organise themselves, not simply the technical tools they use.