This may come as a surprise, but there are lots of reasons why I thought about ending this project. This was supposed to be a simple 2D game that I would publish just so I can prove to myself that I could finish a game. After some updates, it was released on Steam, and it got some attention. The feedback was mostly mixed - the feel of the game was generally good, but there were many complaints about the physics, controls, and other essential game elements that simply couldn't be fixed after the release. I did my best to please everyone, but that just couldn't happen.
My goal with this game was to make a functional online multiplayer mode, but funding was one of the biggest problems. The DLCs I made were an attempt to get some funding so I can focus on the development part, but they were both a total failure, and they just showed that probably nobody would play the multiplayer mode if it ever came out. I never got a profit - it didn't even cover the invested money in publishing, software licenses, and graphics. This was really demotivational - seeing the work you've done being underappreciated by the community. But I mostly blame myself for that because I could have probably made the content better and more enjoyable, and I also didn't do much promotion and marketing.
In recent months the only motivation was the community around the game. I couldn't believe that people would return to Deep's Discord server, about an average platformer game, every single day to say hi and to ask what's up. I was also amazed by the awesome fan art some members posted on the Steam community and I enjoyed playing every single level on the Workshop because, at the end of the day, people made content inside the thing I crafted and it was amazing. That blew my mind, and I'm so thankful for that. ❤
What's next? I'm probably gonna move to a new project, or I'll do something other than game development. I found it hard to concentrate and work on updates in the recent period, so I took some breaks which showed me it's probably for the best to leave this game and do something new and different. Deep was always just a hobby, and I'm pretty satisfied with the final results although I always wanted to make a functional online multiplayer mode, that, unfortunately, never happened because of the funding issues addressed above. If I decide to make a new game or similar, I'll transform the current Deep's Discord server (https://discord.gg/goricina) to the official server for the studio. I don't know when and what will happen, but it'll probably take some time. If someone is up for a chat or discussion, I'll be there to talk.
Technical Information
Some technical stuff about the game's end of development:
The game's servers (Steam API server & Database) will shut down on April 1st, 2021. Here's what that means:
Features that will stop working:
- Player's Steam profile avatar and/or display name won't load
- The player's information that was used for personalization (currency, language, etc.) won't be accessible and will display the normalized data. (The game never collected any data, it just used the temporarily accessed data to customize the game experience for that session.)
- DLC sale information won't synchronize in the game.
- The MOTD that appeared under the title on the main menu won't update.
- Limited-time seasonal events won't activate.
- No new gameplay features, updates, patches, bug fixes, and official content.
Features that will continue to work normally:
- All gameplay elements & modes (Story, Survive, Local Multiplayer, Editor) will be playable and usable.
- Steam Workshop can still be used to publish, play, rate, and share levels made in the Editor. (Please set your level to the desired visibility option on the level's page after publishing to ensure it's not hidden - this was mostly done by me, but I won't be able to do so in the future.)
- Survive Leaderboard will still update with new scores and show existing ones.
- You will still be able to purchase DLCs and play the already purchased ones.
- You can still reach out to me if you have any technical questions or issues that can be fixed locally.
A final note
You are still welcome to get yourself a DLC to play the content you haven't yet experienced. That buck or two will end up in an upcoming project anyways. If a miracle happens and the DLCs sell something in the future, I'll maybe even return to finish my final goal. But who knows?
At the end of this post, I just want to thank everyone for playing Deep, making levels and sharing them with others, reporting bugs, giving suggestions, writing reviews (even the negative ones!), and supporting the game's development by buying the DLCs.
Thank you so much for everything :)
Until my next project or appearance,
I wish you a great day and farewell!
JaKovche_ - Developer
