Greetings, Earthlings
Today I want to share with you an update on the direction of our upcoming title "Summer at the Edge of the Universe." If you've been following us for a while, you probably know that we've been working on this game for quite some time, and have had to delay its estimated release more than once. Well, it's looking like we're going to have to do that one more time. We're also going to be modifying the scope and format of the game a bit, to help us actually get it out the door.
When we started, the plan was for Summer (or as we call it, "Samayuuni") to be our longest game by far, with three fully unique and separate routes. As it turns out, we may have bitten off more than we can chew. Originally, we had intended to work on Samayuuni alongside our other projects, but we've found that that model just doesn't really work for our team. A lot of people's life circumstances have changed, including availability to work on projects. Things certainly aren't helped by the fact that it's gotten more expensive to make our games, but they sell much less than they used to. So, what are we gonna do about it?
First and foremost, we've made the decision to alter the structure of the game. Instead of three routes with their own set of planets that the characters visit, we're going to unify things into a single "voyage," following what was originally going to be Quinn's route. However, instead of the story solely focusing around Summer and Quinn's relationship, you'll still be able to pursue a relationship with Quinn or Hanna, or deepen your friendship with Izzy. So in other words, there are still unique endings based on which character you want to get close to, but the journey along the way will cover the same planets no matter what. We're also going to be switching engines, from Naninovel back to our more familiar Ren'py. This will allow more of us to work on the game when needed, since a lot more of our team are familiar with using Ren'Py compared to Nani.
All that is the absolute minimum, at least. To help us complete the game, we're planning to bring it to Kickstarter later this year or in early 2027. The funding goal will just encompass that primary voyage. However, we intend to add one or both of the other routes as additional voyages in the stretch goals for the campaign. If we hit them, we'll be able to add back in the set of planets originally intended for Hanna's and Izzy's routes, making them an alternative journey that Summer and the gang can choose to embark on. Like the base voyage, you'll be able to pursue a relationship with whichever character you want, regardless of which trip you're on. If we hit these goals, we'll probably release them as DLC to the base game or as future updates, rather than them being present on initial launch.
I know that might be a little confusing, so to summarize (or Summerize): we're reducing the scope of the game, with the possibility to add back more through crowdfunding, but you'll still be able to spend time with your choice of Hanna, Quinn, or Izzy. This isn't a decision we make lightly, but we think it's the best way to actually get the game completed, and not just be constantly pushing it back.
If you've been waiting for Samayuuni for a long time, thank you and we're sorry. We hope you'll continue waiting a bit longer. If you're new to our games or not familiar with Summer, then perfect! Your countdown timer starts now, and hopefully won't need any resets. All of us working on the project still deeply love the characters and story and want the best for them, and to make the game the best that it can be. But we also need to recognize our limits, financial and otherwise, and make sure we continue to do things in a sustainable way. So, hopefully for the last time, we appreciate your patience and support with this title. We promise we'll make it worth the wait.
