Hello, players,
We understand that Chapter Three has been delayed well beyond its original release date, and we know there have been concerns among you.
The main reason for the significant delay in Chapter Three's progress is that the story has grown much larger than we anticipated. Unfortunately, we currently lack the funds to expand our studio. We sincerely apologize to all of you who have been patiently waiting.
We still need a few more months to complete it. Here's a detailed progress report:
The main reasons for the slow progress are twofold:
1. The work on the game's text and flow has been primarily handled by the same producer.
2. A substantial amount of time in the initial stages was devoted to addressing the mobile platform's launch and updates.
In conclusion, it became evident that launching and updating the mobile version alongside DEEP FOG was premature. Therefore, we have decided to temporarily remove the mobile version. We no longer have the resources to cope with the constant demands for app updates. We will revisit the issue of releasing the mobile version after completing the first five chapters.
Progress-wise, we expect to have a fully executable and playable game framework by late August to early September. However, there's still a substantial amount of scene artwork to be completed. Most of the images we're creating right now are closely related to critical plot points, so we don't have many non-spoiler images to share. Starting in mid-September, we will dedicate all our efforts to completing the remaining artwork and animations, with the hope of releasing a more content-rich preview around Halloween during the Steam Halloween sale in late October.
We plan to continue producing the remaining artwork and animations until the end of December, alongside work on music and sound effects. The timeframe for this portion of the process is uncertain, but we ideally hope to conclude all aspects of Chapter Three by the end of this year. However, there's still the challenge of translating the game into other languages, which could potentially push the official release to January or February of next year. We can't guarantee the exact timing but will do our best.
Apart from income generated through Steam Early Access, the DEEP FOG has no other funding sources. Early Access purchases haven't met our expectations, with most players choosing to wait until they see more progress before purchasing. We understand that early adopters who have waited patiently may be disappointed. Besides offering slight discounts during special sales events, we will continue adjusting the price with each chapter release to ensure our earliest supporters receive the best possible pricing.
In conclusion, we didn't foresee that Chapter Three of the DEEP FOG would take this long to produce, largely due to our inexperience in accurately assessing the production process. We apologize once again for the delay. In addition to expediting the production of Chapter Three, we will use this experience to plan and produce the remaining chapters more diligently. Thank you for your love for the DEEP FOG, and we hope the upcoming chapters will provide you with an even better gaming experience.