TorchCon 2026 is a love letter to the Torchlight Infinite community but is the community writing back?

Idols crafted from solid gold, entire rooms concealed behind movable walls, and a dramatic thunderstorm raging in the middle of it all - these probably aren't things you'd expect from an annual convention for a mobile game, but that's exactly what happened over the weekend at TorchCon 2026.

As you might expect from my headline, the event was mostly XD Games reporting to our collective masters, AKA the Torchlight: Infinite players. I was on the ground at the West Bund Art Centre in Shanghai, China - and on that fateful evening on July 11th, in the midst of the developers pushing for everything there is to look forward to for the aRPG's new season, I witnessed an entire community very passionately pushing back.

Under the spot(torch?)light

Now, I don't mean to say the players are raising their pitchforks against the devs - far from it, in fact. While TorchCon 2026 began with a cool photo wall with cosplayers and a bunch of season-themed mini-games, the main event was essentially the developers bravely putting themselves in the direct line of fire. Sure, you'd expect the team to offer a slideshow of stats and updates and whatnot (which they did), but you wouldn't expect the team to sit there on stage to answer any question - and I mean any - that the audience throws their way.

This, to me, shows remarkable commitment from the team to prove they're really listening, and they're holding themselves accountable for everything. The players spared no one - they raised their issues on everything from monetisation to character nerfing mercilessly, and the dev team answered to the best of their ability. Apart from balance and economy, I was happy to hear someone raising their concerns on mobile optimisation, to which the devs promised continuous improvements on battery, speed, and resolution.

At the end of the day, disgruntled players simply mean they've emotionally invested in the game that much, and it's reassuring to know the team is as invested in its community as they are.

A renewal of vows, so to speak

Of course, once the hour-long Q&A session was over, the audience got to join in on a lucky draw where monitors, controllers, and even an Alienware-sponsored laptop were given away. I did what I could to remain a fly on the wall, and it was lovely to see just how in-theme the wristbands they gave us were. They would basically light up in different colours during the draw, and the vibes felt very much like, I'd imagine, how Jupiter described a particular Mewtwo-catching segment during Pokémon Go Fest Copenhagen last month.

And with everyone raising their arms at the same time, Torchlight's "may your light torch the night" slogan never felt truer.  

Now, as for the aforementioned "love letter" in my title - apart from the fact that I got myself a bunch of stationery items during the trip and am still in a bit of a letter-based hangover - it's a metaphor I'm using for a reason. For one thing, the mini-games you get to play are themed after previous seasons, and clearing them lets you earn some currencies you can use to trade for merch at the Trade Shop. For another, the hallway leading up to the main stage was a tribute to the IP's projects through the years, ending in a bunch of stations set up where anyone could play the past games to their heart's content.

As for the slideshow, it's dubbed the Annual Design Team Report for a reason, too - it was a bit of a state-of-the-nation address, if you will, from Torchlight: Infinite lead designer Yurui Wang. The presentation told us just how much the devs love listening to player feedback, especially since they've mentioned 101 revisions for progression systems, as they not only try to fix issues but also do their best to prevent them from even happening in the first place. The formula, as they've put it, for their "long-term blueprint" is to let players return, let players have fun, and let players trust them. They never save the good stuff for later, is what they're trying to say, and they treat each season like it's the last.

According to the presentation, they've got surprise collabs planned too, and in order to connect with the players, the designers themselves need to be core players of the actual game to check pain points wherever they can. They've claimed to have read every single complaint out there, and if that's not a commendable commitment to a relationship, I don't know what is.

The afterlife of Afterlight

The highlight was the Q&A for me, but for most of the players, I'd imagine the highlight is the actual preview of the new SS13 Afterlight that's launching on July 16th. They got us all on our feet, marching through a wall that split into two and into an entire section of the hall I didn't even know was there. An impressive live performance on breaking out of chains and petals falling from the sky (they did actually shower the entire audience with petals towards the end) later, and the stream kicked off with everything the season has to offer, including new hero Tide Whisper Selina. 

It all ended with limited-edition merch before everyone stepped out of the hall buzzing with infectious energy, which was doubly electrifying given the typhoon just outside. 

So, going back to my own question from the very beginning - with Torchlight: Infinite renewing its love and commitment to its community, is the community doing the same? 

Based on what I've witnessed, I think it's safe to say the answer is a resounding yes. No relationship is ever perfect, and there are always bound to be ups and downs, but seeing how the team is actively doing what they can to make things work - and how the players are responding - is proof of how long a relationship will last. And if they keep this up, I don't doubt that there is, indeed, life after the Afterlight and beyond.

Or, if nothing else, you'll at least be happy to know they gave out special Torchlight: Infinite codes to celebrate the event - and nobody can resist the allure of free stuff, amirite?