There is still quite a bit of work left to be done on Episode Four. At this time I've posed, rendered, and done post-work on roughly 1,450 still renders. I've been working on Episode Four for almost six months (since the end of February, 26 weeks ago) for an average of 55 renders per week. That's not as much as I would like, but there is good progress being made. I've also set up the episode's first lewd scene and I'm just waiting for the animator to get time in his schedule to pose the animations.
Please keep in mind that I work on this game in my spare time--I have a full-time career and other personal responsibilities as well. In case you are wondering if I'm making enough money to quit my job and do game dev full-time, the answer is that Leaving DNA will never be successful enough for me to do that. It's a niche AVN with limited appeal, and frankly I live in one of the most expensive cities in the world and already have a good career, so quitting my job to work on this full-time isn't realistic.
If you're wondering about the financial success of the game, I've sold about 8,500 copies of the game on Steam and Itch and I've had Patreon and SubscribeStar pages up for two years. After those businesses take their cut, I've grossed about $7,500 from Patreon and SubscribeStar and about $52,000 from Steam and Itch. After subtracting state and federal taxes and my own financial investment in the game, including two high-powered desktop computers, thousands of dollars worth of 3D assets, paying the animator, and other smaller costs like an Adobe subscription, music rights, and energy bills, that number whittles away pretty fast. My best estimate is that I've probably profited maybe $10K at this point.
So, $10K so far for over two and a half years worth of work, which generally takes place at night after I'm already exhausted from my full time job and on weekends. Based on the thousands of hours I've put into the game, that probably works out to something like getting paid $2-an-hour for my work. And I live in Los Angeles where $2-an-hour isn't jack shit. This isn't me complaining--on the contrary, I didn't make Leaving DNA because I thought it would make me money, I made it because I wanted to tell a story. Any money I've made has been a happy bonus, and overall I've been very pleased with the community's response to the game.
I bring these numbers up first to emphasize that quitting my job to work on this game full-time isn't realistic. Even with the advanced progress I could make on the game by working on it full-time Leaving DNA just won't ever sell as well as some other AVN's, and I could never come close to a sufficient income replacement to quit my job.
The other reason I bring it up is because some dumbass a few weeks ago called me a milker. Comments like that are based on a lack of knowledge and incorrect assumptions, so I'm putting these numbers out there to establish a few facts.
I promise you there is no person on Earth more motivated and eager for Leaving DNA to be finished than me. I want very much to finish telling this story and to share it with everyone who has supported me over this period. When I started working on the game, I thought it would be a two-year project. It has been very disappointing to me that the game has taken as long as it has, but I remain very motivated to complete it. Progress is not as fast as I would like, but quitting this project has never entered my mind.
I am very aware and appreciative of everyone who has pledged ongoing support on Patreon and SubscribeStar, and of everyone who has purchased the game outright on Steam and Itch. You have my word that I am still working hard on the game every day. I do give weekly updates to my Patreon/SS supporters and I can always be reached easily through Discord or email. No one should ever worry that progress on the game has halted or that I have stopped communicating about what I'm up to.
As I said, there are approximately 1,450 renders finished so far for Episode Four. By comparison, Episode One contained 1,705 renders (and took nine months to publish), Episode Two contained 2,536 renders (nine months to publish), and Episode Three contained 1,895 renders (seven months to publish). I can't tell you exactly how much more work there is left for Episode Four, but I believe I am past the halfway mark. However, work on Episode Four will continue for a period of months.
Thank you for your support, your understanding, and your patience.
--The Impious Monk