Dear old friends from "Try and love", "Back", and "Udead realm:Ego", as well as new friends who have recently followed me,
The sequel to "Back" - "Back:Fade" has finally passed review today and will be released soon. The specific release time will be announced in our latest notice.
It's been a while since our last update, and I have many things to share with you. Let me explain them one by one - we're all old friends here, so I'll speak frankly.
After "Udead realm:Ego" was launched and quickly "passively" taken down, I entered a period of contemplation. Mainly because I couldn't understand what had happened at first. I repeatedly communicated with the platform via email to inquire about the reasons. Even after finally learning the cause, I didn't know how to explain it to everyone, so I could only focus on developing follow-up products, namely "Back:Fade" and another new product we'll release next month.
Since "Udead realm:Ego" was removed without any channel to announce the specific reasons, I'll take this opportunity to explain. The removal was due to "copyright infringement issues" - a sensitive topic, but I believe there's nothing I can't share, as I was actually the main victim in this situation.
The actual circumstances were quite simple: during the filming of "Udead realm:Ego", because the actors couldn't properly feel the horror atmosphere needed for their performances, we randomly played a segment of "horror music" from a personal mobile phone on set to help them get into character. That particular scene wasn't very long, just about tens of seconds.
However, because the segment was relatively short and got mixed with another piece of copyrighted music I had legally purchased during post-production editing, I failed to notice the original unlicensed music. Thus, this small musical segment led to copyright infringement and the subsequent removal.
I can only take responsibility for my carelessness. The matter is somewhat embarrassing but ultimately resulted from operational errors.
The removal of "Udead realm:Ego" essentially nullified all our investment in the project. At that time, we had almost no funds left for subsequent product development, especially since we had already been operating on borrowed money. But as the saying goes, "when debts mount, worries diminish" - I borrowed more funds to shoot new products, deciding to go all-in.
However, giving one's all doesn't necessarily guarantee quality products. We can only do our best. The quality of interactive horror games mainly depends on the script, but based on my experience with "Back" and "Udead realm:Ego", horror scripts are particularly challenging to write. As I've mentioned before, horror content is difficult to both write and perform, with audiences having vastly different perceptions of what's scary. Therefore, I'll uniformly describe my future works as "lightly horror-themed interactive cinematic games".
Enough about the past. Let me share some self-evaluation of "Back:Fade" after completing production:
This remains a low-budget production, but it was completed by a crew of 40-50 people working consecutive overnight shifts. I'm deeply grateful to the team - everyone worked extremely hard. Contrary to some viewers' assumptions about it being "cheap", the production scale should be considered: the cost of 40-50 professionals going on a week-long trip would already be substantial, let alone actual filming with professional equipment, props, and venues. Limited budgets inevitably lead to rough edges in many areas - not that I'm unaware of these shortcomings, but the funds only allowed for this level of quality. (Some might say "don't make it if you can't afford quality", which may be valid, but my simple desire is to keep creating.)
The script builds upon "Back" while incorporating my understanding of "infinite flow" narratives, forming the core structure of "Back:Fade". I plan to continue this series using the infinite flow framework, hoping each installment can maintain continuity while attempting innovations. Though not every experiment succeeds - for instance, trying to simulate player-controlled character movement in "Alienation" proved too costly with mediocre results, a lesson for future optimization.
Like its predecessors, the acting in "Back:Fade" still has significant room for improvement. Practical reality dictates this: we didn't reuse previous actors due to script requirements, and performers without horror experience (rare in my country) inevitably appear awkward. This remains an unsolved challenge requiring gradual progress.
Finally, as I've mentioned in previous productions: I remain committed to this path. Through successive works, I hope players can perceive my efforts. Behind every camera shot, I sit monitoring performances, acutely aware of numerous regrets - most stemming from budget constraints. As with "Udead realm:Ego", while ideal acting might require ten takes, financial limitations often restrict us to single attempts. Quality scripts require not just creative inspiration and horror genre understanding, but time for refinement - a luxury I lack.
These paradoxes exist, but life inevitably brings frustrations. Yet we must keep moving forward. Even detours seem preferable to stagnation, especially when accompanied by so many partners and players sharing the journey's scenery.
(Note: As with all previous releases, players who purchased our last game "Udead realm:Ego" can claim a free key for "Back:Fade" by sending an email to our official exclusive address: [email protected]. Please attach a screenshot of your "Udead realm:Ego" purchase confirmation. All keys will be uniformly distributed via email after the game's official release.)