Greetings Patrons! It's September, so it's time for a monthly update!
I know many of you are hoping to see more of "Sonic in Scared Stupid: The Final Chapter", but I am afraid that right now I don't have a lot of news to share. We recently just had Mel completely re-rigged to allow for more expressive animation, and for you Silver & Gold members you got a small peek at what she is capable of! Now, I plan to have Sonic, Tails, and Amy completely re-rigged as well to bring them up to Mel's standards. This process shouldn't take as long as Mel for she was a complicated character, but for you Silver & Gold Patrons you'll see more WIP of their new rigs when the time comes! We've also developed a brand new eye shader that brings a lot more detail and depth to the characters, so it was very much worth the wait!
There are many things happening behind the scenes to keep the movie going, but it's happening at a very slow pace. As previously mentioned, we're not doing so well on YouTube right now, and the Patreon is hanging at around 35% funded, so we're trying to do what we can with the little budget we have. Things are improving, but they're still not great. Our recent streams have been a big success, but the metaphor I have been using is that one time donations are bucketing water out of the sinking ship, and Patreon is patching holes. We will continue to stream for the foreseeable future, and hopefully they will continue to do as well as they have been because it's buying us a lot of time!
I am sorry to say that "The Final Chapter" will not be ready anytime soon, so this Halloween will not see its release. I can say that the pace will pick up a bit with the recent help of the streams, but it is still very important you keep your pledges for without them we could not create anything at all!
The Mel Smiling Friends short should hopefully be up either by the end of the month, or early next month. We had a lot of issues with Mel's rig that are sort now, but I am also going on a small trip soon and won't have time to work on the animation. It's very short, so it shouldn't take me long at all to make.
"Christmas with Sonic: Road Trip" is coming along well! It should release on time for the Christmas season. We are trying to finish it in time for Sonic Expo Dallas in November, and we've applied for a panel to premier it, but no word just yet! If you'll be at the convention and you are either Silver or Gold, you do get a discount on merch at our table! Be sure to bring proof of your membership!
I am sorry that things have been hard for the channel, but I am trying my very best despite all of the hardships we've faced. I am trying with all my might to get "The Final Chapter" finished at all. I don't know what will happen next, but until my last breath I will continue to fight for this channel, and I hope things continue to improve. I still love doing this, and I do not plan to stop as long as I am capable.
Until then, look forward to more updates coming soon if you're a BTS Patron!
-Steve
Korin Yamazaki
2025-09-02 00:05:10 +0000 UTC