Istanbul-based developer CoreCrew Games and publisher Indie.io have launched their cooperative mining horror comedy game Coal Duty into Steam Early Access on August 27.

Miners are sent into the mines each shift to meet quotas under upper management's orders. While the demo version focused on surviving a single shift, the Early Access version makes escaping the primary goal for the miners. Miners can sneak into restricted areas during work or trade with smugglers in restricted zones, plotting their escape plan one shift at a time. The game features multiple escape routes, all leading to different destinations.

The working environment inside the mine comes with various hazards. The mine is divided into multiple biomes and three difficulty tiers, with more dangerous entities appearing the deeper the miners go. Dozens of creature species inhabit the mine. The proximity voice chat feature means that teammates' plans can be heard by the closest entity—which might not always be a teammate. Nobody will know what miners discover and fail to report, but falling short on quotas can lead to trouble.

CoreCrew Games expects Coal Duty to remain in Early Access for 12 to 18 months. The game's roadmap includes new escape routes and endings, new creatures, new biomes, expanded hub activities, and more tools and items. Players can voice their opinions on which content should be developed first via the developer's Discord channel, Steam discussions, and a feedback form. The price will not increase after Early Access concludes, and the game supports 13 languages from launch day.