#Indie game funding sources

[sweecute-jamie]

Do you know which game avatar is this ? Checkout on https://Gamepodcasts.com and play online games

[reesdomain]

Wonder in Wonder Banner + Papergame’s (PG) iffy business practices drama

‼️Disclaimer‼️

I was gonna type out all my thoughts but I’m exhausted from earlier discussions. So I’ll just post some screenshots from other players both domestic and global who have pretty much summed up my thoughts. I’ll also post an additional method to providing constructive feedback. While this isn’t a hate post this also isn’t a post for corporate dick riding either. These issues are being raised by players globally and are valid. There’s a difference between making profits and milking. Please don’t come here making excuses for corporate greed and the disregard for player feedback trying to silence people who support this game and have gotten it to where it is now. INDIE developers with teams as low as one or two can do much more with less. I’m sick of y’all infantilizing multi million and billion dollar international corporations because you’re ignorant to the business industry and how it intertwines and operates within capitalism and the creative industry. ETHICS should still remain at the forefront.

YOU can be content with the bare minimum. YOU can tolerate getting played because “It Is WhAt iT is”. YOU can be content with less. WE want more. WE want the funding they get from us reinvested properly back into the game and to actually be listened to when giving suggestions on a game that WE are expected to buy and support. Mind you, it was players like us standing on business that got us the few improvements we did get including banners longer than 7 days and more substantial rewards… Also, I am a P2P because somebody needs to support female oriented creative works. So don’t accuse me of being a “spoiled F2P” either. That type of dick eating is why this genre of female oriented media can’t elevate. And don’t get me started on the growing racism and misogyny from players that only makes it harder for this type of media to grow the way it should.

Drama Summary: Primarily NA, CN, and EU fans have been having issues with how the game is being operated. Particularly in terms of lack of content, resources, and banners. All of which are falling on deaf ears at Infold/Papergames until they want to temporarily pacify players with “bandaid solutions”. There are now talks of another boycott from NA and CN players. The newest banner, “Wander in Wonder” has had a lot of negative feedback for this reason. Especially since most of the additions are getting broken down even more and slapped behind a paywall.

The below screenshots aren’t even a tenth of what’s been circulating on the major platforms, official pages, and Chinese platforms. But these are points that stood out to me. Here is an additional source for feedback.

[thecrazygamingzombie]

How Viviziepop kickstarted the third wave of indie animation.

Okay, I've been seeing a lot of people talk about the tweet below and how Viv doesn't deserve to take credit for the success of other indie animation projects online but the fact of the matter is...she does, in an indirect way at least.

First, let's start off with a brief history of indie animation:

everything started out on a site called newgrounds, I'm sure you've all heard of it. Created by Tom Fulp in the 90s to show case some of his half baked game ideas. Which eventually evolved into a place where indie creators could post anything they wanted without fear of censorship; the rating system that automatically removed any posts that dropped too low being the only source of quality control.

This gave indie animation it's initial foothold online but without any way of obtaining a revenue stream it never really moved beyond a fun hobby done to practice one's art/coding skills or just screw around with friends online.

This problem got more significant as time went on and many of the teenage artists that gave newgrounds it's inital success, such as RicePirate and Tom Fulp, grew into young adults who needed a revenue stream. Luckily they found one in the form of youtube.

With these monetization policies, many indie animators were actually able to go into animation practically full time. Their pre-existing income bolstered by that of youtube and what followed was a golden era of animation, just an explosion of content across the board. You had stuff like Eddsworld, Salad Fingers, ASDF movie, and tons of other creators bursting onto the scene.

all putting their content out there on Youtube for the world to see. All bolstered by revenue coming in from Youtube...but the good times never last

See, back then youtube's monetization policies were pretty simple: the more views your channel got, the more money you'd make. Great for short form animators and also great for clickbait youtubers who abused the system with deceiving thumbnails and titles!

To combat this, Youtube changed it's monetization policies in March of 2012: instead of being rewarded on view count, monetization would instead reward the time watched during a video. Which created a system where longer videos with frequent uploads were rewarded

In theory this was supposed to stop clickbait videos as people would just watch for a few seconds and leave. But in practice? It meant that animators were put at a heavy disadvantage as now they'd have to put in significantly more work for the same result.

This caused a complete and total crash of indie animation online. Between an unfair algorithm and the rise of gaming channels, most indie animators couldn't gather the same level of funding they could before and had to either quit or scale back.

Only the big name animators who could coast by on brand recognition such as Harry Partridge and TomSka among several others, or larger channels with dedicated teams similar to tv studios such as Mondo Media and Rooster Teeth. Were able to keep going.

This started a brief dark age for online animation until the advent of story time animators. People like Jaiden Animations, Swoozie, and TheOdd1sOut who relied on simplistic art styles with minimalist animation that focused on content reminiscent of old vlogs where the animators simply share stories from their everyday lives that allowed them to put out longer videos faster; thus working around the monetization system that had put so many animators out in the cold.

While they didn't solve the problem, in some ways they made it worse by starting a trend that attracted countless copycats, they did help sustain an interest in indie animation online and ensure there was a consistent audience for such a medium.

Now it wasn't a total wasteland mind you, as I said there were still plenty of animators who survived the purge. There were even a few channels such as Shut Up Cartoons and Mondo Media, again, that helped produce dozens of animated series from indie creators.

But even at it's best, these series were still very amateurish. The passion was obviously there but these were still very simplistic flash or stop motion animations with low budgets and small teams, focusing more on episodic skits than any sort of overarching plot

This environment of amateur passion projects, where animated series were usually very small scale and never really escaped from the limited sphere of youtube, went on for several years and kept the animation community alive. Until Viv posted Hazbin Hotel and brought about the third wave of indie animation.

Unlike the previous examples, Hazbin Hotel was a VERY different beast from most indie animation. Not only did it have an extremely distinct visual style but the animation was so fluid, so professionally made, it felt like something you'd see out of a mainstream studio. It felt leagues above the average indie project in terms of quality.

Now Viv had already a decent audience from her Zoophobia webcomic, her speed draws, and the die young video. So it wasn't like she was starting from nothing. But there was no denying that this new form of animation caught people's attention and caught it FAST.

You all can probably recall the explosion of discussion that surrounded the original pilot and how it was all the internet was talking about for awhile. Viv road that wave and used the momentum to launch 'Helluva Boss' another indie production with a similar style.

This made her even more popular, especially when she started cranking out new episodes of the latter series with the same high quality as before, and soon her fanbase swelled to millions. A fanbase that was more than happy to crowdfund Viv's work through patreon and merch sales. Then other animators saw this and realized that there was a sizable audience for animated content; one that could not only sustain professional level animation, but was desperate for more content of this scale. Soon several other series started cropping up like MurderDrones, Lackadaisy, Monkey Wrench, and the Amazing Digital Circus. All of which followed Viv's lead of producing high quality, fluid animation with overarching plots that drew funding entirely from legions of online fans.

For the first time in a long time, indie animation was breaking out of it's original platform and reaching far more mainstream audiences than it ever has in the past on a scale never before seen and it's all because Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss kicked off this new animation renaissance!

Now I'm not gonna say Viv was solely responsible, the series we enjoy now have thrived primarily on their own merits and the creative minds behind them.

But as it stands, her work played a big role in setting the stage for other indie animation projects and creating the perfect conditions for them to thrive amidst the current digital landscape. Like it or not, Viv is the catalyst for modern indie animation. To deny Viv her rightful place in history out of spite is nothing short of historical revisionism.

Give the gal her due, she's done some amazing things for this crazy world we live in.

Here's the videos I got most of my info from, it's important to cite one's sources after all!

[devsgames]

Thinking about what I perceive is a massive funding gap that exists between 'indie' publishers and self-funding. There's really incredibly few avenues for people who don't want to form (and plan life support for) a whole-ass game studio just to pitch and make a game for a publisher only to shutter the next year.

Micro-grants are just about the biggest initiatives I can think of, aside from hyperspecifical local grants ones or those targeted towards marginalized devs, and many of these aren't enough to provide full funding, and only really supplement development. Tech incubators used to be a source, but feels like they've moved on and are now AI/Web3 focused, and crowdfunding is possible but can be really hard to manage at tiny scale.

Anecdotally, I also suspect this gap is part of what causes stagnation at an indie level, where studios are forced to pitch products and concepts built around user retention, publisher profitability, and scalability for teams with fewer resources (action/shooter/roguelikes anyone??). If you're working on anything remotely niche like an adventure game or whatnot that doesn't set off money-bells to a publisher it feels like you're pretty outta luck.

[yurimother]

Lesbian Found Family Visual Novel 'Good Luck Baby!' Released

On March 6, Noodletub Games released its new Yuri game Good Luck Baby! on Steam and itch.io. The all-ages mystery kinetic visual novel was funded via a successful Kickstarter campaign last year.

Set in 2002 Japan, Good Luck Baby! follows high schooler Hifumi Tanaka, who seems cursed with misfortune. Thankfully, her luck starts to turn when she meets Kasumi Itou, a sunny delinquent with a heart of gold. But just as their mutual crush begins to bloom, the girls find a surprising sight awaiting them on Kasumi's doorstep... a baby with wings and a halo!

Together, Hifumi, Kasumi, and their friends must embark on the journey of a lifetime to solve the mystery behind the baby and evade the clutches of the ruthless Empress Metis.

The developer describes the game as "A heartwarming, comedic, and emotionally-driven Yuri visual novel about love, found family, and saving the world. With an unforgettable cast, dramatic romance, and laughs galore."

The game includes 13 CG illustrations, 36 unlockable extra scenes, dynamic background, multiple Yuri couples, and a jukebox featuring over 70 tracks of the game's soundtrack. Good Luck Baby also features two bonus routes, "Spring 1902" which tells a dramatic tale of two women defying fate together, and "Winter 200X" which is an alternative timeline in which the villainess Empress Metis takes control of Earth.

At 150,000 total words, the developers estimate that the game includes 16 hours worth of content. It is available now for $14.99 on Steam and itch.io.

Noodletub Games is an indie duo consisting of two queer women, C.S. Lowell (writer) and OSENA (programmer). Both lifelong fans of video games and immersive stories, their goal is to create interactive fiction that anyone can enjoy. They worked on this title with artist @mpmrpjb. Good Luck Baby! is Noodletub's third game, proceeded by The Ghost of You (2018) and the adult visual novel Love Bakudan (2021).

Source: Correspondence with developers, press kit, official Steam page

[grievedifferent]

basing directly off sam raimi for a) the fact that he's primarily known as a horror director, b) is a huge name in the industry, and c) is likely on the level of josh's dad, here is roughly the "net worth" of the washington family.

by 2015, his dad is worth $45,000,000 USD if you liquidate all assets entirely down to what they're directly worth.

why this number? sam raimi is worth $40 mil. robert (bob) washington is described so heavily as this movie mogul in hollywood and this huge hotshot producer / director figure who has all these awards, has a significant sized family (it's not cheap raising three kids), and literally bought a mountain (ie enouigh property of the mountain for the peak to be considered "mount washington" after razing an entire hotel to build a lodge atop it, among other little things to keep everything operational (including lighting, sheds, electrical gates, etc) among other things.

which, just really fast, what is the cost of buying a mountain? or buying a mountain that way josh's dad did? there's a couple of answers:

a) it was likely cheap. it doesn't have a functioning ski lodge, it's not farmable, it's not commercial use, none of that. bob had to put the work in making the land "viable" or even usable to his family. it was also bought for personal use. this wasn't a lodge to rent out, this was another home. anyways. b) it's "cursed". which comes with cheap. there's been a ton of history about this, which likely drove away other sales, and allowed him to negotiate. c) he didn't actually buy the whole mountain, just enough of it to really claim "social full ownership" (if that even makes sense? he owns a bunch of it, just not all of it).

cost: roughly anywhere from $2mil USD (least) to maybe $10mil USD (most). likely between $4-6mil USD with a promise to raze the hotel for him. also, my cost-estimates are actually going off of the modern market, not in the late 1990s when he purchased it, so it was probably even cheaper tbh.

"After a successful career in Hollywood netted movie mogul Bob Washington fame and fortune, he purchased an extensive amount of land atop Blackwood Mountain to serve as the idyllic vacation retreat for his family in 1997. The manor house he built there functioned as an ideal getaway and a testament to his wealth and prosperity, and thus the Washington Estate was created. However, the site would prove to be anything but relaxing. Trespassers, protestors, and an enigmatic figure seen on the property would unnerve Bob's wife Melinda. The ultimate tragedy came in the form of the mysterious disappearance of his children." - source

so, bob was likely always in the industry in an "indie" way, then really popped off in probably 1994-1996. more money, more movies, more prestige, more connections, more everything. it happened somewhat fast, though he had always lived comfortably. this would make sense, as i have josh being born in 1994 just based off of his age and the timeline of UD.

so ... josh is a nepo baby, that's just how it is. he was born into wealth that just continued amassing before he can even fully remember being alive. he has a trust fund. he's always going to be taken care of. any kids he has will be taken care of even if he decides to never work again or expand the empire.

i've called him that from the start. he's definitely not in the 1%, but he's definitely likely one of the wealthiest (and most famous / famously connected) people his friends know currently (and might ever know tbh, he's such an exception to the rule in a way which is why we find his friends also being generally in the upper class).

also, just being real, josh is this way strictly so he can do this entire prank for the story of the game. he has to be that rich and also connected in the way of hollywood to pull this off, it just makes sense. otherwise, it's a lot of explaining when it's just much easier to say "he's rich, he's connected, his dad is in the industry, and he wants to be, too" than going "well, he got this x way and this y way and did this z way". until dawn was never meant to get that deep for the length of game, we see these constrictions all over the game because it was originally made to be a "couple's game" where couples passed the controller and played together.

however, he's very interesting as a character when "wielding his wealth". he can't help but "be rich". by this, i sort of mean like ... being invited over means seeing that wealth on open display, but it's not exactly his display so much as his parents. we can argue josh's aesthetic style later, but he definitely is rich in blood. he likes the nicer things, but he's super simplistic at the same time? he's fine to hang out in a house that isn't a mansion, he doesn't think he's "slumming it" by hanging out with anyone that isn't a millionaire, but he is used to that lifestyle. he has this sort of balance he's found, which is a good thing about josh, he does have good traits.

it's like this: josh both does and does not "fit" into the world he was born into. he's likely known by others in his sphere as a sort of eccentric, maybe a bit aloof or weird, and definitely as a creative type. but he doesn't always "get" this stuffy vibe, this sort of facade, and he likes to think of himself as "real" by comparison.

but we see in his choice of friends that they're still pretty wealthy, so there's a comfort there. we could argue that maybe chris? potentially ashley? are more "middle class" (still doing well), and i see matt as coming from the sort of family where he's the first that's "born into" some sort of wealth (from his parents), but it's made to be clear that most of these kids are basically rich kids, such as sam, mike, em, jess (her parents bought her FOUR PHONES in ONE YEAR, that is EXPENSIVE).

chris's general personality but comfortability with the washington family's wealth tells me he could be kind of either? hard to really say unless i was writing him myself, but this is the general vibe i follow and thus otter follows. chris and ash are middle class by comparison. it goes up from there.

josh follows a very personal motif of "if i say we're eating, i didn't ask for money, i asked for your order" or "if i'm eating, you're eating" which extends into a "if i'm smiling, you're going to be smiling" or "if you're not smiling, then i'm not smiling".

[plethoraworldatlas]

GenCon Crit Awards situation

The Crit Awards are a relatively new Awards ceremony focused on Actual Plays. They recently announced that, supposedly due to safety concerns, they will not be hosting their ceremonies at GenCon 2024. This announcement has been met with numerous tabletop gaming personalities to cancel their appearances and trips to GenCon, as well as many others voicing support for the Crit Awards and condemning GenCon. As well as others doing the opposite.

For more information, the Crit Awards released back in mid June that in addition to banning known racists, Homophobes, misogynists, Transphobes, and the like from being eligible for nominations for their awards, they would ban outspoken zionists as well. The initial statement, admittedly, is a bit vague.

This happened supposedly because the staff found out one of the then proposed nominees either was or was once part of a controversial actual play group that was explicitly zionist; Again, no major details were revealed for privacy, though further statements allude to said controversial actual play group supporting illegal settlements in some way.

Supposedly they communicated with the nominee and came to a peaceful resolution where the nomination was removed; Said nominee has not come forward at this time. The ban announcement happened shortly after.

Since the announcement of the ban, both the Crit Awards and GenCon received numerous threats of violence from numerous sources. After phone calls with GenCon representatives on Jun 24th, the Crit Awards would announce they will not be at GenCon 2024. They released a statement revealing these things, as well as condemning "harassment, violence, and terrorism" as well as stating "we take issue with the pro-imperialist, antisemitic rhetoric that conflates Judaism with zionism" and reaffirming their condemnation for the genocide.

The organization did not call for a boycott, but many individuals have announced they will not attend GenCon in solidarity.

While the Crit Awards haven't said much recently, and their statements claim it was a peaceful agreement with GenCon Staff, many individuals connected with the Crit Awards, Including the Host of the awards ceremony, who are not bound by NDAs, have gone public and stated that GenCon forced the Crit Awards to release their statement and were in fact banned and kicked out by GenCon.

It is important to note that GenCon is held in Indianapolis, Indiana. Indiana, since 2016, has TOUGH Anti-BDS laws. Part of that is banning any and all public or state funding for any group that supports any form of boycotting or BDS, as well as banning all funding from groups that support groups that support BDS.

GenCon is a massive moneymaker for Indy, so much so that the extremely conservative state government has in the past canceled planned restrictions on Abortion rights because GenCon announced it would leave Indiana if they passed said bans. The Indianapolis Convention Center is currently undergoing major renovations to nearly double its floor space and connect to both existing and new hotels, and the area is currently building multiple new hotels and other amenities; While there are many events they are making these expansions for, the fact they announced them immediately after last year's GenCon, which was the largest yet as well as heavily criticized for overcrowding and a poor initial response to it, and they were announced mainly in the context of GenCon shows that these major investments are motivated in no small part by GenCon.

However, after the aforementioned event where GenCon protested the state's government and threatened to leave, GenCon has changed tune over the years, soften criticism despite the government being more overtly anti-choice than before, and most crucially, has signed massive partnership extension deals with Indianapolis and Indiana. These contract mean GenCon is planned to stay in Indiana until 2030; These contracts are often renegotiated often, so there are no plans to leave the state soon.

It has been suggested that GenCon was either pushed to kick out the Crit Awards, or did so preemptively to avoid backlash from the state government, which would definitely include threats to the multi-year multi-million deals with the state. While GenCon is still one of the largest annual moneymaking events in Indianapolis, there are many more events scheduled to take place in the Indy Convention Center as part of a wider plan to expand the number of events in Indy. This includes the 100th anniversary meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, as well as the National Eucharistic Conference, the first in nearly half a century.

The point is, things have clearly changed, and GenCon both is no longer inclined to protest the state government and no longer as large a player despite making more money every year due to the sheer amount of other events, meaning the state government now has more power in the relationship and can threaten GenCon with cutting funding as well as outright expulsion from the state.

The Crit awards initial statements were very vague and were understandably criticized, and their later statements go out for their way to emphasize that they are against antisemitism and antisemitic individuals were already banned under the previous rules, and they stress that they want to avoid conflating Judaism with zionism. The massive amounts of threats sent to both the Crit Awards and GenCon are unacceptable, and some have reported that it was coordinated by various online groups after reports of the Crit Awards updated rules were done by newsites.

GenCon is getting criticized for the situation, the Crit Awards are being criticized as well, people have been realizing that GenCon notably puts up less of a fight with the conservative state government which gets them criticized more, and people are both pulling out and some are even planning on attending with pins that support the Crit Awards (as GenCon can be a big financial investment and some simply can't afford to not go after buying badges and/or booths)

GenCon starts in less than a months time, August 1st through the 4th. The Crit Awards will be held virtually.

[cetaceanhandiwork]

Hey, party animals. I'd like to make my pitch for you to back "Free Stars: Children of Infinity" on Kickstarter.

This is a sequel of a 90s-era DOS classic (Star Control II: The Ur-Quan Masters), developed by an indie studio composed of many of the original game's creators (who managed to regain IP rights). The franchise was a favorite of mine, growing up, and I'm excited to see a proper continuation of its story finally on the horizon.

You may be confused as to why I'm suggesting you back a game that Kickstarter claims is already "fully funded". Isn't that just a preorder with extra steps? Isn't "never preorder a game" a lesson we've learned painfully, hard knock by hard knock?

The reason is: if we fund this game enough that the developers don't have to worry about how they'll afford to make their next game… then two years after release, they'll open source it.

…we talk plenty about game preservation on this website. About the necessity of "circulating the tapes", copyright law or no, to avoid the creative works we love becoming lost media.

But the other side of that equation is that, for a video game, you don't just need to preserve the game itself; you also need to preserve something it can run on. You either need an emulator for the kind of computer that existed back then, or a port to modern hardware. And the best way to ensure that "a port to modern hardware" is possible… is to have the code available, open sourced, and replicated across all the dozens of Linux package managers out there.

Backers may have already funded the development of Free Stars: Children of Infinity. But we haven't bought the game yet. To fully buy it off? To free it for the world? 10% funded.

I'd like to ask you to consider backing the game – even just as a $30 preorder – to help get that number to 100%.

Thanks for your consideration.

[idrellegames]

Hi!

First I want to say that I love your Wayfarer game! It's the first interactive narrative game I have both played and then immediately backed - the quality knocked everything else I have encountered that was not created by a professional studio out of the water.

That being said, with the expansion of the game into something bigger than you initially anticipated, would you ever consider hiring a team with the funds from Patreon or approaching a professional game publisher (e.g., Wadjet Eye Games) for assistance now that you have a couple of episodes out and a better idea of how expansive the game you want to create is?

Thank you so much for the lovely message!

To answer your question: hiring a team is a much more difficult thing than it looks like from the outside. Wayfarer is funded through Patreon, yes, but it is also my full-time job and my primary source of income. I currently do not have the funding to be able to pay team as well as myself (to be very frank and to put things into perspective - the amount I am making on Patreon barely meets minimum wage for my area).

To make the game, I need to first pay myself and ensure all my living expenses are covered as that gives me the time to write, code, manage my social media, and all the other things that come with being an indie creator. I would need to be making substantially more than I currently am to even consider hiring others and ensure that they are being paid fairly for their work. But even then there are other development costs that take precedence before something like that can happen.

At this stage, reaching out to a publisher is also not viable. Despite the amount of content available, Wayfarer is still in its infancy and a full release is a long way off. I'm not really in a place where I can negotatiate with publishers while also developing the game.

I am also not sure what a studio could offer me at this point. Writing is the thing that takes the longest in terms of development; the only way to speed up that process would be to hire a team of writers, which comes with its own complications (there's a huge difference between being a single writer working on your own and being a narrative design lead heading a team). Because of the way my process works, this is not the type of project where having multiple writers can work. Wayfarer's writing is so very much my own; I cannot see anyone else contributing to it and merging their style with mine, even if it did speed things up.

[onenettvchannel]

BALITANG ENTERTAINMENT: Indie web-animated cartoon show 'The Amazing Digital Circus' secures licensing deal for Netflix with new episodes starting October 2024

(Written by Star Butterfly / News Reporter of Disney XD News)

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA -- An Australian-based independent animation studio 'Glitch Productions' cooked up something new as 'Gooseworx' (whose real name as Mr. Cooper Smith Goodwin) announces the new and upcoming web-streaming episodes of 'The Amazing Digital Circus' officially expanded for the first time, in securing for a licensing deal with American streaming platform 'Netflix'.

First debuted as previously recalled last year, in the early mid-October 2023… The adult-animated psychological dark comedy was became an international hit, including right here in the Philippines with Tagalog dubbed on a free video-sharing platform 'YouTube' (owned by Google's Alphabet).

It's all about protagonist characters who hate their lives accidentally or in general, and want to leave to this virtual reality world. Pomni and among others, are all trapped from the start, who are then subjected to the whims of an unpredictable A.I. (Artificial Intelligence). Caine is the ringmaster host for moderating, and to instruct individuals during the gaming session.

Netflix greenlighted as a global content distributor in the United States of America (U.S.A.), while Glitch Productions controls licensing rights originally from Australia. There will be expecting 9 new episodes in this web-streaming series, following after the 2nd episode titled 'Candy Carrier Chaos!', in time for an upcoming halloween episode next month that may be potentially unsuitable for some sensitive online viewers.

The episodes produced are independently-funded, because of the products featured in the merchandise like plushies, posters, t-shirts, toys and more, are available to buy online at the Glitch Productions store website.

Clownist fans are ready to serve you with your responsibility of actions in-game for what's in store for the anticipating new episodes. The Amazing Digital Circus is available to stream starting Friday early morning (October 4th, 2024) at 12mn Pacific / 3am Eastern / 3pm in Manila. Only on Netflix and YouTube. Viewer discretion is STRONGLY advised upon releasing Episode(s) 3 thru 9 as an upcoming series finale.

WALLPAPER PHOTO COURTESY: Glitch Productions and Netflix

SOURCE: *https://x.com/glitch_prod/status/1837929867729330444 [Referenced X Network Captioned Poster Art PHOTO via Glitch_Prod] *https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glitch_Productions *https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/the-amazing-digital-circus-netflix-date-cast-details [Referenced News Article via Netflix Tudum News Bureau] and *https://glitchproductions.store/collections/the-amazing-digital-circus

-- OneNETnews Online Publication Team

[nochistudios]

i don't mean to offend or anything, and i ask this with respect, but why is sifting thyme the only game where you can play as male and all your (as of now) future and upcoming games are only female mc?

No offense taken! We appreciate the question phrasing :)

You may have missed it, but we actually shared our upcoming game called "Stellifier" several times earlier this year - which features a GxB/BxB romance. So to confirm, you can play as male MC in this upcoming game! If you missed the posts, you can sign up here to be notified when the demo will be live (which is very soon!) This game was actually slotted to be released before "Plastic Trick" since we've been working on it since last year. But "Stellifier" ran into some development issues so we are releasing its demo after "Plastic Trick" instead.

But prior to Stellifier, we tried to make a male MC for some of our other games but it required too much funding since it involves a lot more development - including technical and even the significant increase in assets needed & time needed. Since we didn't have the funds, we thought of creating a male MC option as a stretch goal for our past Kickstarter campaigns. But that never happened since almost all of our past titles haven't raised funds beyond it's base funding goal, which actually doesn't even cover production costs - only Sweetcore Brews was able to hit the first stretch goal but a male MC option would need to be the 4th or 5th stretch goal.

We wish we could afford more characters and customization in our games but it's very costly and we're paying for most of the development out of pocket right now. We're atypical from other indie developers in that we're a tiny team of three women working on our games full-time without another source of income. So currently, we're unfortunately not even making minimum wage across the team and are paying for things out of pocket to afford creating our games right now 🥹 Because of that, we have to scope down our projects to fit our budget to make sure we can keep our doors open as a studio.

[satoshi-mochida]

GOODBYE WORLD for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, and Xbox One launches June 30

Gematsu Source

The PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One versions of narrative adventure game GOODBYE WORLD will launch on June 30, publishers PM Studios and Flyhigh Works, and developer Isolation Studio announced. Physical PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Switch versions are due out on the same date.

GOODBYE WORLD first launched for Switch via Nintendo eShop and PC via Steam on November 17, 2022.

Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:

About

GOODBYE WORLD is a narrative adventure game where you follow a linear storyline of 13 chapters about two game creators while playing an in-game puzzle platformer.

Story

Relationships change.

Programmer / game designer Kanii, and graphic designer / scenario writer Kumade are two indie game creators.

The two are working on a new project, funding it with their earnings from their last game, but Kanii has been going through a creator’s slump and they haven’t been able to create anything for the past two years.

Time is running out, and so is their money.

In desperation, they reach out to a game publisher, but…

Key Features

A non-combat adventure with a conversation-based storyline.

The mini-games playable during the game consist of 12 stages and are developed by the two characters in the game, Kanii and Kumade.

As you progress through the adventure part, the development level of the “game” will advance and the next stage will become playable. What is the ending that comes when you clear all the stages?

[faircatch]

Developers of indie puzzle game Orgynizer have claimed that Unity said organisations like Planned Parenthood are "not valid charities" and are instead "political groups."

In a blog post, the EU-based developer LizardFactory said the plans to charge developers up to $0.20 per install if they reach certain thresholds would cost them "around 30% of the funds we have gathered and already sent to charity."

As Unity clarified the runtime fee will not apply to charity games, LizardFactory reached out to the company to clarify their game would be exempt from the plan.

However, Unity reportedly said their partners were not "valid charities" and were viewed as "political groups."

Profits made from the game go directly to non-profit organisation Planned Parenthood and C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, Michigan.

"We did this to raise money for a good cause, not to line the coffers of greedy scumbags," the developers wrote in a blog post. "We have been solid Unity fanboys for over ten years, but the trust is scattered all over the floor."

The developers are considering a move to open-source game engine Godot, "but we will have to recode our entire game because we refuse to give you a dime," they wrote. "This is a mafia-style shakedown, nothing more, nothing less."

Today, Unity responded to the ongoing backlash and apologised, acknowledging the "confusion and angst" surrounding the runtime fee policy.

The company has promised that changes to the policy will be shared in "a couple of days."

[iloveabunchofgames]

#JakeReviewsItch

An American Werewolf in LA

by PlayMedusa

Price (US): $1

Included In: Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality, Bundle for Ukraine, Indie Bundle for Abortion Funds

Genre: Action

Pitch: An old-school beat-them-up inspired by motion pictures of the 1980s. Dodge, dash, and punch until the timer runs out or you die trying.

My expectations: If you're going to make '80s-nostalgia-sploitation, go all the way. I have as much affinity for that decade's pop culture as the next person, I suppose. What stands out most in the screenshots is all the movie poster in the background. I hope the references go a little deeper than "here is the famous poster from a famous movie." And I could always do with a little less reverence toward Michael Jackson, Bill Murray, and the Landis family. Your nostalgia shouldn't make me go, "Huh, relatively, the Republican governor isn't so bad."

Review:

Remember when Herschel Walker said, “Vampires are some cool people,” before telling us that werewolves are even cooler? That wasn’t just politics. He cited sources. A werewolf can kill a vampire. There’s evidence a werewolf can surf on a car and is permitted to participate in high school athletics (unless the werewolf’s trans; that would be unfair, dangerous, and difficult to explain to my children).

An American Werewolf In LA takes liberties with these creatures. Werewolf movement is herky-jerky, actions are delayed, and the werewolf’s range is laughable. There’s this huge Teen Wolf sprite, with massive jaws and burly arms, but he can’t connect a hit without practically standing on his target.

Punches have a long wind-up, but the stiff animation doesn’t sell the power, especially when the wolf’s jacket blends into the background. Long, slow combos continue to play out after enemies are defeated, with no apparent way to cancel them.

Blocking is more effective than dodging, but since they’re both the same button, it’s difficult. Attempts to turn and block typically result in a dash straight into an oncoming attack or a block without turning. Fighting feels bad, and there’s nothing to this game except fighting, sooooooo…

+ This isn't a typical brawler, where the goal is to defeat every enemy and then progress to the next wave. Instead, the objective is to survive long enough to run out the clock. I like that. + Big, bold sprites that never stop bobbing up and down. I like them. + I gave up on the second level, but assuming they continue to add new enemy types and environmental obstacles to each stage, you can expect a decent amount of variety and challenge along the road to L.A. + A limited set of mechanics that are flexible enough for both fast, masterful action and slow, careful strategy.

– Fighting feels bad, and it's all fighting. – Stiff animations. Actions are difficult to read. – Movement speed, action speed, jump height, button mapping, animation length, input buffer, projectile speed, hit-detection, character size, character shape, sprite/background contrast—these are boring nerd things that I don't think about when they're all in tune with one another. Fundamentally, mathematically, An American Werewolf In LA disagrees with itself. – I'm putting a lot of blame on the visuals, but the audio doesn't sell the action or provide adequate feedback, either. The music is what someone thinks rockin', arcade-brawler music is, but it is not.

🧡🧡🤍🤍🤍 Bottom Line: There's a good chance you're looking at clips of An American Werewolf In LA, and thinking, "Well, of course Jake doesn't like it. He's bad at it!" You're right. I am bad at this game, but not this genre. Give me a brawler with something to offer, and I'll learn to overcome every quirk. Give me a confused jumble of ill-fitting pieces and '80s nostalgia, and I'll recommend you trust me when I say it feels worse than it looks.

#JakeReviewsItch is a series of daily game reviews. You can learn more here. You can also browse past reviews...

• By name • By rating • By genre

[foggybagelwolfzine]

So, Melbourne does have a hub for indie game!

What are the crucial insights for the Vietnamese indie publishers?

Week 9 Submission for MDA20009 Class - Hanoi Campus

In Australia, Melbourne has become a city for surprising hotspot for indie game development, even though comparing to other places, Melbourne doesn't have many big, well-known famous game studios. So how did they do it? And what can Vietnam, another country without a massive mainstream game industry, learn from them?

First of all, it is all about strong support structures

Keogh (2021) demonstrates that significant financial supports, such as government funding, universities offering specialized game development programs, and industry events like the Freeplay Independent Games Festival, have contributed significantly to Melbourne's success. Thereby, establishing a similar support system in Vietnam could be crucial for nurturing the growth of its own indie game scene.

Established in 2004, the Freeplay Independent Games Festival is Australia's longest-running and largest independent games festival, bringing together artists, designers, programmers, writers, gamers, creators, critics, academics, and students to celebrate the art and culture of independent games.

Open physical space for engagement

The presence of physical hubs like The Arcade, a co-working space dedicated to indie game developers, has also played a significant role in Melbourne's success (Keogh 2021). These spaces provide opportunities for developers to connect, collaborate, and learn from each other, creating a sense of community and shared purpose. Hence, Vietnamese publishers could explore establishing similar co-working spaces or dedicated hubs for indie developers, providing them with a physical space to meet, exchange ideas, and build relationships within the game development community.

Co-working spaces foster game developer networking by providing a collaborative environment where creators can connect, share ideas, and build professional relationships.

Legal interventions and prevention of exploitative labour practices

The rise of game engines like Unity has undoubtedly transformed the landscape of indie game development, offering accessible and powerful tools for creators across the globe (Chia et al., 2020). However, as the sources highlight, there is a risk that these platforms could contribute to monopolisation and the reinforcement of exploitative labour practices (Chia et al. 2020). Thereby, Vietnamese publishers should be mindful of these potential pitfalls and explore ways to mitigate them. This could involve promoting the use of alternative game-making tools like Twine, which offers a more open and community-driven approach to game development or advocating for policies that support fairer labour practices within the indie game industry.

Last but not least

The final, and maybe most important, lesson is that Melbourne's indie scene isn't just about making money. It's about passion, artistic expression, building communities, and pushing the boundaries of what games can be (Keogh 2021). Vietnamese publishers might want to take note that if they want to grow a vibrant indie scene, they need to understand and support the diverse motivations of Vietnamese developers, hence being able to build its own thriving community of indie game creators and the sustainable development of the industry overall. Moreover, by supporting games that resonate with Vietnamese gamers' preferences for PC and mobile gaming (McCauley et al. 2020), and their values of social harmony and teamwork (Phan, 2019), publishers can cultivate a distinct and authentically Vietnamese indie game scene.

The Vietnamese Gameverse event is a prominent gaming festival in Vietnam, organized to celebrate and promote the gaming industry in Vietnam. For more information, visit: Vietnam GameVerse 2024 - Beyond the Game |

Reference List

Chia, A. & Keogh, B. & Leorke, D. & Nicoll, B., 2020. Platformisation in game development. Internet Policy Review, 9(4). DOI: 10.14763/2020.4.1515

Keogh, B 2021, 'The Melbourne indie game scenes: value regimes in localized game development' (Chapter 13), in P Ruffino (ed), Independent Videogames: Cultures, Networks, Techniques and Politics, Routledge, pp.209-222.

Phan, Q. A. 2019, ‘Challenges and opportunities for the online gaming industry in Vietnam: a qualitative study on the thoughts of involved parties’, Creative Industries Journal, 12(3), pp. 248–271. doi: 10.1080/17510694.2019.1610933.

McCauley, B. et al. 2020, ‘Digital gaming culture in Vietnam: an exploratory study’, Leisure Studies, 39(3), pp. 372–386. doi: 10.1080/02614367.2020.1731842.

[linuxgamenews]

Pledges are still open for the epic VanillaBeast: Mystery Kink campaign

VanillaBeast: Mystery Kink comedy-horror spy adventure game still has Late Pledges for Linux, Mac, and Windows PC. Thanks to the creative teams at Vanilla Gaming Company and Ktulhu Solutions. Working to make its way onto Steam. The world’s smoothest super spy, VanillaBeast, is taking a breather to get ready for his next adventure in Mystery Kink. Although the Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign is wrapped up, the team behind VanillaBeast is keeping pledges open for a bit longer. Due to give Linux fans one last chance to jump on board. Big thanks from Vanilla Gaming Company to everyone who pledged. Not only did they hit their funding goal, but also unlocked a stretch goal: a free Bikini DLC for all backers. Your support means the world and helps bring this indie project to life. The folks at Vanilla Gaming want to spread the word about Kickstarter’s new “Late Pledge” option. Since this means you can still back VanillaBeast: Mystery Kink even though the main campaign is over. Now, while they can’t provide game keys post-campaign, you can get a bunch of other rewards through late pledges. Head over to Steam if you want to grab the game directly (link’s below). But if you’re also interested in some exclusive gear, they’ve got Series 1 trading card sets, art prints, digital artbooks, strategy guides, and some seriously nice merch. Such as mugs, shirts, and hoodies. Supplies are limited, so if you’re into that, you might want to jump on it.

What is VanillaBeast: Mystery Kink?

And now, VanillaBeast: Mystery Kink isn’t just any spy adventure. It’s full of secrets hiding under the glamorous lights of the ring, and it’s up to VanillaBeast to pull back the curtains. You’ll join Vanilla and the crew, including Blake Blossom, Jewel De'Nyle, Kiki D'Aire, and Nickey Huntsman. While they journey through 10 hand-drawn levels by artist Oleg Okunev. Each new area unfolds through slick, comic book style cutscenes by another talented Oleg (yep, there are two!). And if you’re into Easter eggs, movie parodies, secret spots, hidden items, and adult humor, you’ll feel right at home. Due to exploring Venereousville to uncover the legendary Phallus Stones. If you want to stay connected with all things VanillaBeast, jump into their Discord server, where the community’s always active. It’s a great place to relax, chat with fans and developers, and get even more news straight from the source. Late Pledges are still available on the Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign page.  Also, add VanillaBeast: Mystery Kink to your Steam wishlist now so you don’t miss a beat. The full release is due to arrive in Q2 2025. Coming to Linux, Mac, and Windows PC.