Horses of Hoofprint Bay: Gamescom 2026 & Saddle Controller

2026 exhibition photograph, not a retail-controller demonstration. Published by the game’s developers. Image source.

Watch full-release gameplay: A New Generation of Champions! | Horses of Hoofprint Bay [FULL RELEASE] — JayPlays, published November 4, 2026.

English-language general gameplay reference. It is not a dedicated tutorial, historical beta recording, device benchmark, or proof of the specific behavior discussed below.

Where the 2026 showcase took place

The Horses of Hoofprint Bay gamescom showcase paired a horse-management game with a saddle that worked as a controller. That distinction matters if you discovered it after the exhibition: the 2026 event has passed, and the full Steam game launched on November 4, 2026. This Horses of Hoofprint Bay gamescom guide explains the confirmed booth location, experimental hardware, and development context, with no upcoming appearance confirmed in the supplied announcements.

Thogli Studios exhibited through Games Bavaria in Cologne. The official event entry and the developer’s August announcement identify the same hall, although their booth references differ slightly.

Exhibition detail	Confirmed information
Event	gamescom 2026 in Cologne
Exhibitor	Thogli Studios
Shared exhibition presence	Games Bavaria
Hall	10.2
Official gamescom booth reference	E-051
August 21 developer booth reference	E-051g
Featured installation	Custom saddle controller

Both booth references are worth preserving when checking archived information. The official gamescom product entry gives Hall 10.2, E-051, while the August 21 release-date announcement specifies Games Bavaria booth E-051g. The available material does not explain the suffix difference, so there is no reason to invent a more detailed floor-plan interpretation.

For anyone researching the gamescom location now, these are historical exhibition details. The August invitation offered visitors an opportunity to meet the team and try the latest development version. It does not establish future booth availability, a recurring demonstration schedule, or another public opportunity to use the saddle.

How the custom saddle controller worked

The centerpiece of the gamescom presentation was its homemade saddle controller. According to the official event entry, sensors responded to physical leg pressure and rein input, letting visitors interact with the demonstration through riding-related movements.

The developers had described a homemade riding simulator earlier that year, following their appearance at GG Bavaria in Munich. Their March 20 update credited programmer Theresa with building that controller using sensors and an Arduino computer.

Hardware detail	What the cited sources establish
Leg pressure	Explicitly described in the gamescom product entry
Rein input	Described in both the gamescom entry and March update
Seat input	Described in the March account of the earlier simulator
Sensors and Arduino	Identified in the March construction account
Retail availability	No purchase option established by the cited material
Conventional gamepad support	Not established by the exhibition hardware

The source dates matter here. The March account provides background on the team’s controller project, while the gamescom entry specifically confirms leg pressure and reins for the exhibition. Neither supplies a complete technical specification for the August installation.

The documented inputs suggest why the device suited a horse game: visitors could use physical cues associated with riding. However, the sources do not explain exact input mappings, calibration, sensor placement, or how accurately the setup reproduced real riding aids. A description of the hardware cannot support claims about its responsiveness or realism.

There is no confirmed retail saddle-controller offering in these sources. Likewise, the installation does not certify support for an Xbox controller, PlayStation controller, or another conventional gamepad. If hardware compatibility determines whether you can play comfortably, the exhibition demonstration alone does not answer that question.

What the August development updates reveal

The exhibition happened while the game was still being developed. In its August 12 update, the team said several additions had been implemented and were undergoing testing and balancing. The same post still described unfinished visuals and further work on tutorials, polish, quests, and trail environments.

That makes the update useful context for the booth, but it is not a complete inventory of everything each visitor could access. The supplied announcements give no exhibition build number or detailed list of enabled activities.

Confidence training and individual horses

The August update described a revised confidence system, including warning icons before some unprompted gait changes. It also introduced desensitization training, in which players approached an unsettling object while responding to a horse’s curiosity or worry.

Horse personality traits were another addition. The developers gave examples involving dirt accumulation, injury tendencies, and occasional gait changes. They presented these as variations within existing systems, with the goal of giving horses more individuality.

Those descriptions explain the direction of development at the time. They do not provide launch-version probabilities, training times, or a complete trait list.

Competition and stable progression

Cross-country competitions were described as a demanding activity for horses with substantial strength and endurance. The August design included occasional route choices between shorter, harder paths and longer alternatives with easier jumps.

The update also introduced Prestige as a progression measure connected to activities such as building upgrades, competition results, and horse care. Its described effects included access to horses, tack choices, and trail rides.

When comparing gamescom coverage with the released game, treat those August details as dated development evidence. The November store description independently confirms cross-country competition and inherited personality traits, but the cited launch material does not verify every earlier balancing detail.

From the exhibition build to the November release

The gamescom build belonged to a development period between the earlier public demo and the October demo update. Keeping those versions separate helps explain why older advice about progression or save compatibility can conflict with newer information.

Version or milestone	Relevant distinction	Save-transfer evidence
February demo	Earlier public demo, preceding later rebalancing	Saves do not transfer to the full game
August gamescom build	Development version offered at the exhibition	No transfer arrangement stated
October demo	Updated introduction limited to 25 in-game days	Saves transfer to the full game
November 4 full release	Released game with no gameplay day limit	Official FAQ confirms October demo compatibility

The October 9 announcement is particularly useful for returning players. It said the revised demo would more closely represent the beginning of the full game, including lower starting horse stats and a slower pace of advancement compared with the earlier demo.

It also announced additions such as walking horses, accompanying foals, Caprilli tests, desensitization training, additional trail environments, and expanded markings. These details document the October demo’s intended content. They should not be retroactively treated as a checklist of what every gamescom visitor experienced.

Demo save compatibility depends on the version. The official FAQ confirms that October demo saves work with the full game, while February demo saves do not. An older March statement that demo saves would be incompatible predates the revised October demo and should be read in that context.

The October announcement also said both demo versions would remain available after release, with the February version accessible through a separate Steam branch. For someone continuing an existing demo stable, identifying the version is therefore more useful than relying on when they remember first downloading it.

The November 4 launch announcement confirms that release actually occurred. Earlier phrases such as “scheduled for November” or “expected by the end of the year” describe past plans. The official FAQ also confirms that the full version removes the demo’s gameplay day limit.

How to play after seeing the gamescom showcase

If the gamescom saddle caught your attention, the next step is to look at the game’s broader stable-management structure. The project was introduced as a hand-drawn, 2D point-and-click game about developing a small yard through horse care, training, competition, and breeding.

The official Horses of Hoofprint Bay Steam page provides the released product listing. The supplied November 5 snapshot confirms Windows and Linux support, with no native Mac version listed.

Part of the released game	What the current store description confirms
Horse care	Grooming, hoof care, and treatment of scrapes and injuries
Training and competition	Building strength and confidence; show jumping and cross country
Trail riding	Forest, beach, and mountain settings
Breeding	Inheritance involving coloring, white patterns, and personality traits
Stable management	Building upgrades and staff for horse care and training
Customization	Character and tack colors, plus accessible files for visual modifications

These systems give the exhibition demonstration its wider context. Riding supports a longer progression loop: you train horses, enter competitions for prize money, and invest in your yard. Breeding adds decisions about future horses, while staff help manage a growing herd.

The store description also identifies an in-game equestrian library. That is useful context for readers attracted by the saddle’s connection to real riding: the developers describe an interest in educational accuracy while allowing compromises for enjoyable gameplay.

Choose the right starting point

For a first look, the October demo is the relevant version because its saves can continue into the full game. The developers said it would remain available after launch, although the cited material does not document its installation process on every supported system.

For returning players, the official FAQ offers several practical adjustments:

Try easier competition settings if progression feels demanding.
Adjust Prestige gain through the difficulty options.
Enable auto-jump if jump execution is causing difficulty.

These are documented options, so there is no need to assume that enjoying the game depends on reproducing the exhibition’s physical controls.

The November 5 US store snapshot lists a regular price of $26.99 and a 15% discount to $22.94. Those figures are dated; the available evidence does not establish when the discount ends.

Finally, the developers describe the launch as a finished release without a major-content roadmap. The FAQ leaves possible additions and DLC undecided while committing to addressing bugs and minor requests as needed. Base a purchase decision on the available game and demo, rather than expecting additional disciplines or breeds to arrive later.

FAQ

Where was the gamescom booth?

The 2026 exhibition was in Hall 10.2 at the Games Bavaria presence in Cologne. The official gamescom entry lists E-051, and the developer’s August 21 announcement lists E-051g. That appearance has passed; the cited sources announce no upcoming event.

Can you buy the saddle controller used at the event?

The cited material does not establish a retail version or purchasing option. It describes a custom exhibition installation using sensors and riding-related inputs. Its existence also does not confirm conventional gamepad compatibility for the released game.

Does progress from the gamescom demonstration transfer?

No transfer arrangement for the exhibition build is stated in the cited sources. The confirmed save-transfer rules concern the public demos: October demo saves are compatible with the full release; February demo saves are not.

Is the full game available now, and on which platforms?

As of November 5, 2026, the game has launched on Steam, with Windows and Linux listed as supported platforms. Its release date is November 4, 2026. The FAQ gives no confirmed release dates for Mac, mobile, or consoles, and the full game has no gameplay day limit.

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