June billing paused + Future of the game (Patreon)

Just a quick update on the status of In Her Own Hands.

First, billing will be paused again for the month of June. You will not be charged on June 1.

Second, I am uncertain of the future of the game right now. I have not spoken with the writer this month, though I know that there was still some traveling going on related to the issues that she has been having. For the time being, the development of the game is officially "On Hold."

My plans are to try to reach out to her again over the next few weeks to get more information. If she is unable to continue, I will decide what to do at that point. It may be to hire a different writer or try to write it myself (though I am not sure that I can capture the unique voice that the game has had so far). More than likely, if either of those options becomes necessary, I will have to figure out a way to relatively quickly wrap up the open paths--possibly abandoning some of the planned content that is not central to one of the main paths--and bring the game to at least some measure of completion. The "open world" nature of the game means that we can always add on to these paths at a later time, if the writer is able to come back to it in the future.

Finally, all is not completely lost. During this time when I have been able to work by myself, I have been building a new game. This one is a bit more simplified in some ways (no wardrobe system needed, for example), but also introduces some other interesting mechanics that I was testing for use in IHOH. The plot and characters are a bit different, though the main characters live in the same building as Bobby, Shaun, and Becca (MC). Yes, there are some cameos. I am hoping to have at least a playable demo/version 0.1 released in June or July. Until I know more about the future of IHOH, this is the best that I can do. As soon as possible, we will move this to the backburner and get back to work on IHOH.

This is all for now. I will let you know more once I have it figured out. Thanks again for your support and patience!

tl;dr - No charges for June. IHOH currently on hold while writer continues to have life concerns. Working on a new game alone but will get back to IHOH as soon as possible.