August-September 2026: funding; art direction; holidays
Dearest reader, I hope you had a restful and refreshing summer because this DevLog got a lot to say.
Looking back at my plans at the start of the year, the Demo was supposed to hit Steam in November. But things changed, as they do, in a beautiful and unpredictable way:
I had to keep things quiet until all the due diligence was done, the contracts were signed, and the funding body lifted the embargo on the public announcement.
And here it is!
I may have done a little dance and shed a tear when I learned the news.
Having done service work for another visual novel company to raise funds to further DWB playtest 2.0 on my own, I was fully ready to make a smaller version of the game. Still delightful, but much smaller than what I had envisioned.
IndieDev 2025 helped me realise what the game could potentially be, and now UK Games Fund will help bringing it to life.
But enough of funding talk, this must be terribly boring for you as a player.
What getting funding means is:
NEW TIMELINE
playtest 2.0 : December 2026 / early January 2027
official 1hour+ Demo release: April 2027
NEW ART DIRECTION
all memory flashbacks and memory shards will be fine analogue pencil drawings. My hands have been itching for real-world art materials, and I can now allocate time for some truly special artwork!
slight animation - I am allocating time to learn Alight Motion to bring some subtle effects throughout the game to make it more immersive
NEW MUSIC
I'll be able to afford talented musicians to bring in more original OST
MINI-GAMES
Nothing terribly complicated, but I'm bringing on a programmer who will make your life with GMOuse a lot more fun, and you inhabiting Sky a touch more interactive.
DWB is still a casual game, but sometimes it'll invite you to participate more actively, if you like.
With all these changes, the funding, and the team in place, I was finally content to take my first holiday since May 2025.
I am now ready to dive back into the cute and dangerous world of DWB.
Join me there for the closed playtest in the end of the year! 🫶🏻🌸🐁
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