When will Retribution be released? (Patreon)
Content
I got enough questions about this that I realized I might as well make a proper post about it.
First, some facts. I am working a full time (40h week) day job, so this is done in my spare time. I have also had health issues and other real life problems last year and a half which has slowed the pace some (not to mention general 2020 shenanigans).
June news: Health issues are better, I am back at working 100% at work, which is a step in the right direction. Summer vacation coming up, that will give me four weeks of nothing but this. Also, there's a secondary thing I've been working on, which has taken time, and is exciting but sadly secret yet. Hopefully down the line that one will give be the chance to allot more time to writing.
So where are we now?
2021 6th June
[DONE] The game is finished, all chapters and epilogues are written. The closed alpha is around 1.3 million words, so it's around three times as large as the last one. The average playthrough is around 85 000 words but can vary greatly. (this is what you can explore in the VIP section here on Patreon).
[DONE] Cover, graphic and text assets for release.
[ALMOST DONE] Bug fixing and playtesting, additional content and variables. (mostly done, but new ones are always discovered)
[UNDERWAY] Editing, rewrites, copyediting, spelling and grammar. Currently my main focus, around 400 000 words in. This is where the story actually gets good.
[PENDING] Final Beta testing with a new testing group. Needs to add achievements, a save system and tweaks for screen readers. Will find/fix more bugs/language at that time.
[PENDING] Submitting the finished game to Hosted Games.
[PENDING] Hosted Games editors makes the game ready for release on various platforms and systems. I have NO control over how long this takes, it all depends on their workload and the number of games in the pipeline. Once they know, the game will enter their release queue and only THEN will we have an estimated release date. For Rebirth, it tool 4 months between submitting and release.