January 2026 Blog: Marchenghast, Connemara & Horse Feedback

Marchenghast

By Stacy Place (Game Director)

It’s time for our third update about the upcoming new area, Marchenghast! The initial release is drawing near, and there will now be multiple releases, so I’d like to share the details with you.

We knew going into this project that it would be large, and after every brainstorming comes the scoping down to reality. Even then, during production, you begin to scope down further, and the “Nice to Haves” start getting crossed out as the project's complexity becomes more apparent. In the case of Marchenghast, we realized that to hit our goal of opening the area in February, we would have to cut so much that it would start negatively impacting the experience. That is not what we were aiming for.

So, we decided to split the project into two chunks. The first chunk will still happen in February! Marchenghast will make its debut on February 11th, along with the initial experience. The following week, on February 18th, the journey will continue with the release of the next part of the content. The second chunk will also be released over two weeks, but they will come a bit later. Right now we’re aiming for April/May, after the Equestrian Festival. 

Splitting the releases gives our team the additional time they need to deliver a fun and meaningful new area. For players who experience this as we release it, that might be a disappointment, and I can relate; patience is not my strong suit. For those who begin their Marchenghast journey later on, the split will not be noticeable at all. After listening to the team’s concerns and striving to make our efforts worth the value to you, we feel this is the right call, and we hope that you, our players, will understand and enjoy this new adventure!

Connemara

By Lotta (Freelance 3D Artist)

Hi there! My name is Lotta (not to be confused with Lotta the Art Lead) and I’ve been a freelance 3D artist for Star Stable the past year. I’ve had the honor to work on the remake of the first Generation 3 Horse, the Connemara!

Once Upon A Time…

Did you know The Connemara, or Capaillín Chonamara in Irish, was once an endangered breed? The Connemara Pony Breeders' Society was established 103 years ago, 50 years after a devastating famine left Ireland with few farmers and even fewer horses. Thanks to this registry, the Connemara breed was preserved and is still thriving today. They still honor the old European terms for coat colors, which caused me quite some confusion during the making of the coat variants. Not only do they call what I know as “buckskin” a “dun”, the registry also allows for roan. Those seemed so elusive in the breed that for a while I wondered if they even existed today at all, or if “roan”, like ”dun” was used differently when the breed was established. It turned out, that roan does indeed have the same name now and then! 

Cute Connie Conformation!

Through our research, it became clear that Connies are intelligent and hardy, and tend to be especially popular as showjumpers. This is why we have chosen to go with a sporty build. It was many players' request to have them on the larger side, so we made them as high as their registry allows. 

To get a good base for the silhouette and the textures of the Connemara, I made a rough sculpt first. Due to many different influences of other breeds in the Connemara, their head shapes can vary quite a bit. We chose a slightly more dainty head shape, combined with a thin neck and a broader chest, conforming to the breed standard. At this stage, the connie was completely bald…

…But not for long!

When we were still researching what kind of identity this horse should have, I made some sketches to explore different kinds of mane styles, and how they could shape the Connie’s personality. In the end, we decided on one wavy and one straight, simple look, on the shorter side, since they are not known for their long, lush manes. I wanted to include at least one wavy option as a nod to their part-iberian ancestry!

To make these equines fit the world of Jorvik, I paid extra attention to their eyes. As all Star Stable horses, they have a human-like iris that can be colored like the rainbow, perfect to make the coat hues pop a little! These were very early color sketches:

I hope you enjoyed this little peek into the 3D art process of this little horse! They were an absolute delight to work on, and I hope they bring you as much joy in the game <3 

From Instagram to Jorvik

By Hanna (Social Media, PR, and Communications Manager)

Hey! We’ve seen a few questions pop up on our socials about how player feedback actually makes its way into horse development. Short answer: it really does. Long answer: here we go.

Before we start production on a new horse, we head to our socials and ask you what you’re hoping for. Coat colors, body conformation, personality, riding style, the whole package. We collect a lot of opinions, wish lists, and very strong feelings. All of that feedback is incredibly important for our horse team before they begin. It helps ground the process in a real player perspective, combined with the expertise of our horse team.

When the horse team kicks off a new production, they start with a proper deep dive. That includes community feedback, historical research, real-life examples, and a look at what already exists in Jorvik and what might be missing. From there, they build a pitch where everyone aligns on things from coat colors, to celebrity personality inspo, to overall direction.

Let’s take the Connemara as an example. The top three most voted coat colors by players were:

• Grey fleabitten

• Grey dappled

• Palomino
  

Those all made it into the final selection of seven coats. And fun fact, those grey coats were among the top three most popular choices in the first couple of days after release. You called it!

For body conformation, the message was clear. Players wanted long, lean limbs with a muscular and refined build. If you’ve seen the Connemara in game, you’ll probably recognize that influence right away. Lotta and the team absolutely took that feedback to heart.

Personality wise, the top request was cheeky/goofy/playful. Which translated perfectly into those mischievous bucks and bouncy little moments. I may be biased, but it’s hard not to smile at them.

The riding style was a bit more split. We saw fairly even interest in dressage, eventing, show jumping, and all around. This is where the horse team steps in with extra research to decide on the final direction. Since Connemaras are popular show jumpers, that helped shape their final sporty build and movement, while still remaining suitable for any discipline. 

So thank you for answering our question boxes! We genuinely love being able to build something alongside the community. Have you met the new Connemara in Jorvik yet? And more importantly, did it live up to your expectations?