The setting takes place on a distant colony with convicts working under the oversight of a governor and his or her marines.

Jason Morningstar wrote Durance for the Game Chef 2011 competition, the theme of which was William Shakespeare and its ingredients were "daughter," "exile," "forsworn," and "nature".

[3]: 304  These chosen elements caused Morningstar to reflect on the Colonization of Australia in the 1780s and 1790s, so he set the game in a penal colony on a remote planet.

[3]: 304  Morningstar like the version that he created for Game Chef, so in July 2011 he started preparing it in hopes of publishing it through Bully Pulpit.

[3]: 304  Durance (2012) was released months later in both softcover and limited-edition hardcover as the first hard-bound publication from the company.