<s>
At	B-Operating_System
the	I-Operating_System
Gates	I-Operating_System
is	O
a	O
4X	B-Application
strategy	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
by	O
Jon	O
Shafer	O
,	O
the	O
lead	O
designer	O
of	O
Civilization	B-Application
V	I-Application
.	O
Like	O
Civilization	B-Application
V	I-Application
,	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
played	O
on	O
a	O
hex	O
map	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
realizing	O
he	O
missed	O
being	O
able	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
instead	O
of	O
managing	O
its	O
production	O
,	O
Shafer	O
first	O
announced	O
At	B-Operating_System
the	I-Operating_System
Gates	I-Operating_System
in	O
2013	O
,	O
after	O
stepping	O
away	O
from	O
former	O
employer	O
Stardock	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Conifer	O
Games	O
released	O
At	B-Operating_System
the	I-Operating_System
Gates	I-Operating_System
on	O
January	O
23	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
after	O
spending	O
seven	O
years	O
in	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
his	O
work	O
on	O
At	B-Operating_System
the	I-Operating_System
Gates	I-Operating_System
,	O
Shafer	O
was	O
employed	O
at	O
Stardock	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
first	O
helped	O
the	O
company	O
redesign	O
Elemental	B-Application
:	I-Application
War	I-Application
of	I-Application
Magic	I-Application
,	O
after	O
its	O
initial	O
2010	O
release	O
received	O
poor	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
releasing	O
the	O
remake	O
,	O
Elemental	B-Application
:	I-Application
Fallen	I-Application
Enchantress	I-Application
,	O
in	O
2012	O
,	O
Shafer	O
received	O
an	O
opportunity	O
to	O
helm	O
his	O
own	O
project	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
also	O
reported	O
that	O
At	B-Operating_System
the	I-Operating_System
Gates	I-Operating_System
would	O
be	O
Conifer	O
Games	O
 '	O
first	O
title	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
be	O
scheduled	O
for	O
release	O
in	O
June	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
,	O
At	B-Operating_System
the	I-Operating_System
Gates	I-Operating_System
began	O
as	O
a	O
"	O
prototype	O
of	O
ideas	O
"	O
that	O
Shafer	O
wanted	O
to	O
try	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
cyclical	O
map	O
changes	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
seasons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
also	O
wanted	O
to	O
use	O
his	O
new	O
game	O
as	O
an	O
opportunity	O
to	O
improve	O
on	O
the	O
work	O
he	O
did	O
for	O
Civilization	B-Application
V	I-Application
,	O
criticizing	O
his	O
previous	O
attempt	O
at	O
AI	O
design	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
his	O
decision	O
to	O
let	O
map	O
tiles	O
be	O
occupied	O
by	O
only	O
one	O
character	O
unit	O
at	O
a	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alpha	O
testing	O
began	O
in	O
October	O
2013	O
,	O
with	O
Shafer	O
setting	O
a	O
revised	O
target	O
release	O
date	O
of	O
2015	O
,	O
stating	O
,	O
"	O
the	O
goal	O
with	O
[	O
At	O
the	O
Gates ]	O
is	O
not	O
just	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
strategy	B-Application
game	I-Application
that	O
not	O
only	O
breaks	O
new	O
ground	O
but	O
also	O
one	O
that	O
is	O
polished	O
at	O
release	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Inspired	O
by	O
other	O
games	O
like	O
Crusader	B-Application
Kings	I-Application
,	O
Shafer	O
began	O
adding	O
more	O
features	O
to	O
At	B-Operating_System
the	I-Operating_System
Gates	I-Operating_System
beyond	O
its	O
original	O
scope	O
,	O
significantly	O
extending	O
development	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Everything	O
just	O
completely	O
shut	O
down.As	O
the	O
game	O
became	O
increasingly	O
delayed	O
,	O
Shafer	O
took	O
on	O
a	O
position	O
at	O
Paradox	O
Interactive	O
in	O
May	O
2017	O
,	O
opting	O
to	O
split	O
time	O
between	O
developing	O
At	B-Operating_System
the	I-Operating_System
Gates	I-Operating_System
and	O
working	O
for	O
Paradox	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
seven	O
years	O
of	O
development	O
,	O
At	B-Operating_System
the	I-Operating_System
Gates	I-Operating_System
was	O
released	O
on	O
January	O
23	O
,	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	B-Operating_System
the	I-Operating_System
Gates	I-Operating_System
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
on	O
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	O
Gamer	O
wrote	O
,	O
"	O
Passive	O
AI	O
and	O
a	O
flawed	O
economy	O
ruin	O
what	O
could	O
have	O
been	O
a	O
refreshing	O
4X	B-Application
experiment.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
wrote	O
,	O
"	O
At	B-Operating_System
the	I-Operating_System
Gates	I-Operating_System
tries	O
some	O
ambitious	O
new	O
ideas	O
that	O
,	O
in	O
time	O
,	O
may	O
leave	O
a	O
mark	O
on	O
the	O
4X	B-Application
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	O
Informer	O
praised	O
the	O
combination	O
of	O
4X	B-Application
gameplay	O
with	O
roguelike	O
elements	O
.	O
</s>
