I got the inspiration for this post from a tweet I saw days ago. It made me wonder if WoS is still as fresh in the minds of fans as it was when the game first released, because the hype around it definitely seems to have died down a bit. Personally, I’m happy this game exists at all, because for years a project like this felt impossible. Exploring Sodor, driving the engines, and seeing these locations brought to life is something many fans have wanted for a long time. At the same time though, I also feel like the game leaves a lot to be desired. It has a strong foundation and a lot of potential, but I do understand why many people feel it was rushed or underdeveloped in certain areas. Some fans enjoy the game for what it is, while others came away disappointed because they can see how much bigger and better it could become with more updates and support. I’ve shared my own thoughts plenty of times already, so now I’m curious to hear from everyone else. Now that some time has passed since release, how do you honestly feel about the game? Do you still enjoy it, or has the excitement faded for you?
Having completed everything in terms of stories and challenges, I'm still coming back occasionally to run a few timetables and just chill. I still enjoy it for what it is. Really hoping we'll get an update on future content at some point
I do have to agree with your sentiment. As much as this game is riddled with flaws and still has a lot that needs to be fixed, I’ve got to say it’s good therapy. Just chilling while running the trains up and down the main line or branch line feels relaxing. It’s honestly the perfect paradise for Dovetail Games fans, Thomas & Friends fans, people somewhere in between, or just train fans in general. I’ve also got to say, the puffing sounds make for some really good ASMR. However, I’ve been holding off until we get more content because the game still feels incomplete. I haven’t really done many story missions or timetable runs yet. Still, whenever I’m bored or stressed, I always hop on and play Wonders of Sodor to relax or just listen to the engines puffing along. Honestly, the game feels therapeutic for train fans, especially kids. It’s a relaxing experience that parents could probably appreciate too, despite the overly specific controls and signal system that still drives me insane.
PC Steam version - 55 currently in game, 24 hour peak = 60. TSW - 877 currently in game, 24 hour peak 1219, Old TSC - 824 and 1016. 'nuff said.
As wonderful as it is in so many ways... I don't how long it can sustain itself without more characters or at least more locations. It's a wonderful idea for a game and it looks beautiful, but I fear that there are only so many times we'll be able to run the same characters up and down a main line and one branch line. Yes the game hasn't been out long and yes DLC will be coming soon (hopefully) but it appears that most people have already done all that there is to do. Once the entire island is opened up and we get the rest of the "cast" then I think the game will realise its own merit and provide an enormous amout of fun for a very long time!
I'll be honest; I don't really know what those numbers mean. Could you clarify it please? I'm not good with numbers and statistics.
I share the exact same sentiments as you do. The frustrating part is that this game clearly has an amazing foundation. Visually, it’s beautiful, immersive, and feels like the kind of Thomas game fans have wanted for years. But the lack of content really drags it down. One branch line and only six engines just isn’t enough to keep people invested for long once the missions and activities are finished. I honestly feel like the game should’ve launched with the main cast and multiple iconic branch lines, while fan-favorite or recurring characters could’ve been saved for future DLC. If we had the main 12 engines and more locations at launch, I don’t think the community would be nearly as frustrated right now. Instead, the game feels rushed and incomplete despite all of its potential. What makes things worse is the lack of communication from Dovetail. Fans have made it very clear across every platform that they want more content and more transparency, yet the responses we get are usually vague PR statements without any real explanation of what’s coming next. That uncertainty is what’s making people nervous. The reason people are frustrated is because they care about the game and see how much potential it has. I genuinely want this game to succeed and become something people can keep coming back to for years. I’m not giving up hope on it — I just hope Dovetail doesn’t give up on it first. Right now, I feel like the lack of content has pretty much turned me off this game. In the first few days that I got it; I've pretty much held off on the missions because I want more characters to show up. I want Wonders of Sodor to feel more realistic and fuller, because right now it feels sparse and almost dead.
Theres lots more TSW and TSC content to keep people coming back, WOS is just base game at the moment, down the line [pardon the pun] there will be more returning players for the DLC’s
The numbers refer to the number of players active; currently active is at the moment the check was made, and 24 hour peak is the highest number of players in the 24 hour period leading up to the time the check was made.
Okay, thank you. Now that I understand the numbers, I can see why Wonders of Sodor may not be doing as well as Dovetail’s other games. If that’s true, then this should be a wake-up call for them to start focusing on more content. People say we’re being impatient, but in a game like this, content is what keeps players coming back. Thomas & Friends is known for its wide variety of characters and railways, and that’s exactly what this game needs more of. The foundation is great, but the lack of content is what’s holding it back. I really want this game to succeed, so I just hope Dovetail doesn’t treat it like an afterthought. More content would not only help the players, but help the game grow financially too. More characters and locations means more money in their pocket!
I don’t want to turn this into a lecture, but communication is important in any job, especially in game development. Players are always going to have questions, concerns, and requests, and Dovetail needs to be prepared to address them. If communication isn’t there, it becomes hard to keep people invested. Right now, the lack of communication is hurting player engagement. When players feel ignored or left in the dark, they slowly stop caring, and once the audience starts drifting away, the game itself can begin to lose momentum. That’s how games end up flopping. Even simple transparency and updates can go a long way toward keeping a community engaged and hopeful for the future. I can’t really feel bad for Dovetail that they're going to make it harder on themselves and players to get a full answer about what's to come next.
I actually really want Thomas to be a success as ultimately all revenue coming into DTG can only be good for all their titles. However I fear, as we have seen with so much of the TSW DLC (and this is effectively one of those in all but name), great potential is frittered away with no forward thinking or ongoing supplemental packs to keep the interest alive.
I'm starting to see what you mean. I feel like Dovetail can only bring Wonders of Sodor up with DLC's. The game itself has a good foundation, but the game is like the car, and the hype and DLC's are the gas to keep it running. With both of these aspects not in full capacity, the game doesn't have momentum right now.
I'm sure DTG would love to be able to just crank out more content, but I'd be willing to bet that navigating the giant Mattel bureaucracy and approval process is even more fraught with peril than trying to model reality well enough to satisfy the sim community. Mattel will undoubtedly be protecting its cash cow IP with heavy scrutiny, vicious attack dogs and even more vicious NDAs. Star Wars and Harry Potter licensees will sympathize.
Mattel could definitely be a major barrier, but at the same time, if they were completely against this game growing, they probably wouldn’t have allowed Dovetail to make it in the first place. And honestly, if everything was purely up to Mattel, I’m surprised they haven’t heavily pushed characters like Nia or Rebecca instead of focusing on the engines fans constantly ask for. I understand the concerns, and truthfully, I share some of them myself. But I still think Dovetail will try to work reasonably with Mattel, and hopefully that leads to a steady stream of new characters and content over time.
I hope as well it's a success for DTG ,it's a big name with alot of potential, However dare I say it that right now DTG have it in the hand to make it a success ,if it fails because of lack of support from patches dlc etc then it will be thier own making, (Ps ,I'm assuming that all licensing is fully in the hand for all the locos etc ,so they have full scope for delevopment) Thinking again over it, ok it's not been out so long but you would have thought there would have been a barrage of content for it by now
Your points are absolutely dead-on. Mattel may own Thomas & Friends and approve what can be used, but Dovetail Games is still the studio making, publishing, and supporting the game. So naturally, the responsibility for the game’s long-term success falls mostly on them. That’s why fans are becoming frustrated. It’s not just about wanting content quickly — it’s about wanting communication and reassurance that the game has a future. People expected more teasers, announcements, roadmaps, or DLC hints by now, especially considering how much interest the game had at launch. The reason people care so much is because the foundation is genuinely good. A lot of fans bought the game after seeing gameplay online and immediately saw the potential in it. But right now, many players feel like the game still needs more engines, locations, and activities to truly feel complete, which is why some people have even slowed down playing while waiting for more content. For me, I just held off on the missions until we got more. The game just felt incomplete to me, and I want a full complete game to do the gameplay. It honestly feels like they’re trying to dodge blame or make the issue seem less serious than it really is. At the end of the day, Dovetail Games made and published the game, so the responsibility falls on them to support it properly. Fans can’t really be blamed for wanting more content when this is Thomas & Friends. Six engines were never going to satisfy people long term. I understand the game has only been out for a few months, but by now people expected at least some kind of roadmap, DLC tease, or clearer communication. Fans were asking for more characters before launch, so Dovetail should have known the demand would be high. I want to sympathize with them, but it’s hard to fully defend the silence when they keep avoiding the bigger questions about DLC and Switch support.
Same. They have a good basis but I'm kinda disappointed at the developer's silence since the (only) patch. Some items listed on the patch notes were just straight up not fixed; I'm thinking about the signal posts/gantries camera collision for instance. I stopped playing TSW since like TSW3 and switched to Simrail. I bought WOS because Thomas and Friends nostalgia and genuinely did have some fun playing it, but it seems like the same issues you find with TSW and DTG are translated into WOS. I've been playing running train and it's been a real eye opener as to what TSW/WOS could have been lol. We'll see what they do with the game and if they add content, though since there's no communication from them we can only speculate.
I started playing a couple of weeks after release, and haven't been able to put it down since! I've done all the stories, collectibles and shunting challenges, and am working my way through the timetables, and really enjoy myself whenever I play. That being said, I am running to the end of timetable mode. Percy, James and Diesel are all done, and Emily is almost done. All I've really got left is a few back-and-forth trips with Gordon and Thomas on their respective lines. I definitely think it's time for DLC to be announced, if there's going to be any. I agree with a lot of what JJ said - this game has an amazing foundation, and has incredible potential to make Dovetail a lot of money going forward, and could balloon into a HUGE game full of different lines and engines. It's just super important to give us at least a sign that something new is coming. If I were Dovetail, I'd simply post a no-context image of a new engines in-game, but with the engine itself blacked-out. Imagine the excitement a silhouette of Duck would create!
Oh man, I know exactly how you feel. I've said this so many times that I feel like a broken record, but it genuinely feels like Dovetail has left the community in silence since the last patch. I don't want to sound harsh, but the game still feels incomplete. Six characters and a single branch line were never going to keep players engaged for the long term. As someone with no train simulator background, I bought Wonders of Sodor because of nostalgia and had a lot of fun, but I quickly started noticing the issues. Free roam is often restricted by signals, the branch line can be unstable, and there's simply not enough content to keep the experience fresh. What's frustrating is that I know Dovetail is capable of much more. The foundation is there, and the game has a lot of potential, but it feels like they're not fully capitalizing on it yet. This isn't meant as an insult—it's because I genuinely want the game to succeed. We're nearly three months in, and I think many of us feel the same way: we want this game to thrive. We see the potential, but it needs more content, more communication, and stronger support if it's going to reach the level we know it can.
Absolutely. I think a lot of people have enjoyed this game, and for good reason. The timetables are innovative, free roam is fun, and the atmosphere is incredibly immersive for longtime fans. However, I think we've reached the point where many players have had their fun with the current roster and routes and are ready for something new. I don't think wanting more after two or three months is ungrateful or impatient. If anything, it shows that people care about the game and want it to grow. While nobody expects major content drops overnight, it is surprising that we haven't gotten at least a small teaser or hint about what's coming next. The silence is starting to feel less concerning and more frustrating. I also really like your silhouette idea. A shadowy teaser of the next engine would be a great way to build excitement without giving everything away. It would be like the classic "Who's That Pokémon?" segments and would get the whole community speculating about what's coming next.
