RUTHLESS RETURNS: PRESS COPY (ENGLISH)
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All text below may be quoted or used as-is in editorial coverage.

ONE-LINER
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Ruthless Returns is a free satirical strategy game about modern business:
build an empire, or tear down the one next door.

SHORT DESCRIPTION
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Ruthless Returns is a free satirical strategy game about modern business.
You play one of 14 entrepreneurs and build your company over three fiscal
years through simultaneous drafting. You can bet on great products,
investments and happy employees, or go after your rivals with lawsuits,
media storms, poaching, lobbying and tax havens. The player with the most
cash after the third fiscal year wins.

FULL DESCRIPTION
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Ruthless Returns is a satirical business strategy game built around
simultaneous card drafting: everyone makes their decisions at the same
time, so you are never waiting through five separate turns. Over three
fiscal years, one to six players build companies, and the richest
entrepreneur at the final reckoning wins.

There is no single strategy you have to follow. You can build a strong
company with good products, smart investments and decent working
conditions. But you can also spend your energy on your rivals: sue them,
plant evidence, poach their key employees, start media storms, pull
political strings or move the money offshore.

The satire is grounded in things you already know from real business
life: patent lawsuits, the war for talent, lobbying, greenwashing, media
management and aggressive tax planning. In the game they become concrete
strategic choices. One card, for example, lets you choose between paying
for proper parental leave, which strengthens your company in the long
run, or taking the far more cynical route and pocketing the cash now.
Which one is the right call depends on the situation.

The game is free on Steam and in the browser, where it also runs on
phones and tablets. Steam and browser players share the same online
lobbies, and the game supports solo play against AI, shared screen, and
team modes (2v2, 2v2v2, 3v3). Ruthless Returns began as a physical board
game, and a physical edition is in development.

FACTSHEET
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Title:         Ruthless Returns (Danish title: Regnskabets Time)
Developer:     South Harbour Studios, Copenhagen, Denmark
Publisher:     South Harbour Studios (self-published)
Release date:  15 August 2026 (Steam). Also playable free in any browser
               at ruthlessreturns.com.
Price:         Free. All current content is included, no purchases.
Platforms:     Steam (Windows) and browser (desktop, tablet, mobile).
               Full crossplay: Steam and browser players share the same
               online lobbies.
Players:       1 to 6. Solo vs. AI, online multiplayer, shared screen.
               Team modes: 2v2, 2v2v2 and 3v3.
Match length:  Under 30 minutes. First games run longest while you learn
               the cards; experienced players are much faster.
Genre:         Satirical business strategy, simultaneous card drafting
Languages:     English and Danish, both fully voiced
Content:       214 unique cards, 14 voiced entrepreneurs, 4 free
               expansions (The Board, The Headhunters, The Lobbyists,
               The Entrepreneurs), 63 Steam achievements
Origin:        Began as a physical board game prototype in 2022.
               A physical edition is in development.

ABOUT SOUTH HARBOUR STUDIOS
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South Harbour Studios is a small Copenhagen-based studio from
Sluseholmen, created as the home of Ruthless Returns and future
projects. The studio is run by Thomas Lay, who created the game together
with his wife, Diana C. L. Ruthless Returns is its first release.

CREDITS
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Game design:               Thomas Lay & Diana C. L.
Development:               Thomas Lay
Art direction & marketing: Thomas Lay
Card artwork & voices:     AI generated (Midjourney, ChatGPT and ElevenLabs)
Publisher:                 South Harbour Studios

LINKS
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Website:  https://ruthlessreturns.com
Press:    https://ruthlessreturns.com/press
Steam:    https://store.steampowered.com/app/4958640/Ruthless_Returns/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ruthlessreturns
Contact:  press@ruthlessreturns.com
