Poll: Proposed Payment Plan Updates

Hey folks, we've got some info about what we're thinking for a revised payment model, and we'd love to get your feedback on it! To let us know what you think, all you need to do use the poll in this post. Thanks so much!

• We also have more information about when the proposed model change would go into effect, what our plan is for updating V0.5 for free, and answers to some questions you might have. Get ready for a lot of information, and thanks for reading!

We want to start by giving a giant THANK YOU to everyone who submitted a response to the Payment Options survey; you gave us a lot of useful feedback and insights into the kinds of payment models you'd prefer/that are more sustainable for you, and we really appreciate you taking the time to help us course correct! We also want to thank everyone else here for your support, patience, and understanding while we solicit feedback and figure out next steps!

Based on the survey responses that we received, we have a new payment model that we'd like to propose for you:

For reference, here’s the model we CURRENTLY use:

• On itch, we publish a free version of the latest demo build that contains limited updates, and a paid version that contains all updates and is available to purchase for $8.

  • If you want the paid version on itch, you'd pay $8 each time there is a paid version released.

• You can join our Patreon as a Recurring Supporter for $6/month, where you'll get exclusive content (e.g., story outlines and excerpts, sneak peeks at art, polls) and the paid version of demo builds for free/at no extra cost, 1 week before the public release on itch.

The NEW model we're proposing:

• Recurring Supporters on Patreon will still have exclusive early access to the newest full demo build on Patreon, but instead of 1 week in advance of the public release, it'll be 1 month in advance. The Recurring Supporter membership will also be reduced from $6/month to $5/month.

• The public release will take place 1 month after the Patreon release, and will consist of 2 versions:

  • The free version that contains limited updates for the newest release AND all content from all previous releases (including content that was previously behind a paywall)

  • The paid version that contains all updates for the newest release (i.e., it’s the same as the version published on Patreon the previous month)—this version will be available to purchase for $3

    • If you want the paid version on itch when it's first available for the public release, you'd pay $3 each time there is a public release.

• 1 month after the public release on itch, the paid version on itch will become available for free, meaning all content for the latest full demo build will be free 2 months after it's first released on Patreon.

TL;DR, we're proposing that if you don’t want to pay for the latest updates and would prefer to get the latest complete demo build for free, you'd need to wait 1 month after the public release, or you can get the latest version (and access to the additional Patreon benefits) 1 month early by becoming a Recurring Supporter for $5/month.

Here’s an example of what it should look like in practice (note that the following dates are just for the purposes of the example and are not actual publishing dates we have planned):

• January 1: 

  • The Patreon version of V0.6 is published on Patreon and contains ALL updates for V0.6.

• February 1:

  • The free version of V0.6 is published on itch. It contains ALL content from V0.5 and LIMITED updates for V0.6.

  • The paid version of V0.6 is published on itch. It contains ALL updates for V0.6 and is available to purchase for $3. 

• March 1:

  • The paid version of V0.6 that has been published on itch becomes available for free. 

• April: We're continuing development work on V0.7 and getting ready for the next release.

• May: We're continuing development work on V0.7 and getting ready for the next release.

• June 1: 

  • The Patreon version of V0.7 is published on Patreon and contains ALL updates for V0.7. 

• July 1:

  • The free version of V0.7 is published on itch. It contains all content from V0.6 and LIMITED updates for V0.7.

  • The paid version of V0.7 is published on itch. It contains ALL updates for V0.7 and is available to purchase for $3. 

• August 1:

  • The paid version of V0.7 that has been published on itch becomes available for free.

If this proposed model change meets with your approval, the plan is for it to go into effect when V0.6 is released—this is because we're going to be pushing out all updates for V0.5 for free:

• We're beginning work on mini-updates for V0.5, primarily to update the visuals (i.e., replacing placeholders with actual images) to catch up with the story's written content. 

• We'll also use these updates to do some additional polishing on sound effects and implement minor content additions/technical fixes.

• These updates will be released as V0.5.1, V0.5.2, V0.5.3, etc.—we're not certain how many there will be specifically, but at the moment we're estimating 10-12, as we'll be implementing images in batches and we want to provide the latest and greatest for you as soon as we can.

In the meantime, we’re also going to make the current paid version of V0.5 completely free, effective September 1.

For our Recurring Supporters on Patreon, what does this mean for you?  

The mini-updates for V0.5 will also be released on Patreon, with exclusive releases taking place 2 weeks before the public releases on itch. While the game updates are going to be free for the public, the Patreon will still be $5/month because of additional sneak peeks at the exclusive content, participation in polls, supporter credit in the game, and early access to the releases. 

Wait, the Recurring Supporter membership on Patreon was $6/month and now it’s $5–are we losing any benefits?

No, the benefits for the Recurring Supporter membership are still the same, although now you’ll get access to the latest releases 1 month in advance instead of 1 week (except for the V0.5 mini-releases, you’ll get those 2 weeks in advance). Everything else is the same. 

What about the option to pay once to get free access to all demos + the finished game?

This is an option we’re considering implementing, too! This wouldn’t be a replacement for the new model we’re proposing above, but an additional alternative if you’d prefer to just pay a 1-time fee instead of following the subscriber model. We’re still figuring out how we can make it work from a logistics and feasibility perspective—for platforms, BuyMeACoffee might be the way to go here, but we’re still in the exploratory phase. If you have any insights to share regarding this option, we’d appreciate hearing them!

OK, that's a lot of info, but that's all we've got for now! Thanks so much for reading all the way through, and we can't thank you enough for your support and patience while we've been working on this game and soliciting your input! We'd greatly appreciate you using the poll to let us know what you think :)

Thanks!