What a wild day yesterday was, and I'm truly sorry about all of it. It was a result of my own stupidity, for certain, and I will definitely make sure nothing like this happens again.
As stated in yesterday's announcement, the game was accidentally released in full instead of the demo version that was supposed to be released for the Steam Next Fest, and was made available for a low price of $2.69, which is much lower that I intended this game to be valued at.
As of a few hours ago, Steam Support has stepped in and made the game unavailable for purchase, leaving only the demo version that I intended to release. They've also told me that that when the game is actually ready for its future release, they will give me a second wave of release visibility, so hopefully this will hurt the game's final release less that I had initially feared.
I also very much appreciate the reception that I've gotten from those of you that have bought or seen the game in this embarrassing time. Those of you that have given positive reviews and let me know that you're willing to overlook this situation and reserve judgement for the final version, I can't thank enough. My worst fear in all of this was that the game would get a negative reputation for this, and thus lose out on a lot of its potential, and I'm very grateful that you're all so understanding and patient. I'm happy for those who are enjoying the game as it is now, and I'll work to make the final version even better.
That said, the game sold about 2400 copies yesterday while it was available, and I have no power to forcefully refund or revoke those purchases. They were valid, and I can only accept that they happened and work to provide what I can for those customers in exchange for their business.
I hold nothing against any of you who may have bought the game. Consider the low price an apologetic gesture of sorts for selling this unfinished product before it was ready. I'll be updating the game over time as it gets closer to being worthy of a REAL release, and I'll try to make sure you guys have access to the latest version over time.
I've added a "disclaimer" to the game's current build, notifying anyone who plays it past the demo content that the game is unfinished past that point and hopefully letting them know what to expect.
To answer some questions\comments I've seen:
- I don't have a release date scheduled for the final game yet. Recent events have shaken up a lot of my plans, and I'll have to announce the date later.
- I do plan to release a Soundtrack DLC for the game when it re-launches, which I haven't decided on a price for yet. It will not be a "donation DLC" for those who want to make up for the low price they paid for the game's early release, but you can treat it as such if you like, or alternately, you can buy the game on another platform such as itch.io.
- Despite everything that has already happened, I don't plan to change the game to an "early access" state. My intent is as before: to release the game in a finalized state once it's ready, and even though a lot of it is now leaked out to the world, I want the majority of players to experience the game for the first time once it's in its best state.
Once again, thank you to everyone for your patience and understanding, and I'll try to make a game you can all be happy with.