"Pact between us" will launch as planned on July 25th. Following the recent incident of malicious rumors, I have a few things I’d like to say before the launch.
As shown in the image below, after fully cooperating with relevant authorities during their inspection and submitting all game content to the competent departments, I have completed gathering all evidence. I have entrusted a law firm to initiate legal proceedings against all organizations responsible for creating and spreading these rumors. Regardless of the outcome, this game is essentially my brainchild. When my child is slandered and wronged, I must defend them and seek justice.
This incident has also given me a profound disillusionment with certain harsh social realities. There’s no need for me to explain the game itself anymore – you'll see for yourselves upon launch. The relevant authorities have investigated it, and it passed Steam review long ago. That’s the reality.
Why the disillusionment? Because these completely baseless rumors led to many irreversible consequences. The three most awkward situations it caused me personally are:
1. The Blanket Bans on Certain Platforms
Rumors truly can kill people or things. Something that demonstrably didn't happen sparked supposed "public opinion pressure" because rumor-mongers started it. Then, some platforms, buckling under this "pressure," completely blocked my game. Even after communicating with legal representatives of these platforms, where the personnel acknowledged the game content was problem-free, they stated that due to the "pressure" and the continued existence of the rumor-mongers, reinstating the game would reignite "public opinion," preventing the restoration of its normal display. The logic here is quite fascinating – I can't say more. Those reading this notice, please savour it yourselves. So, does justice overcome evil? Are the rumor-mongers the righteous ones? I understand this logic, but I wish I didn’t have to.
2. Reactions from Certain Groups
This stems from that incident where I expressed gratitude to supporters of my past work. Since my first FMV, the players who support my products have been my top priority. That's why with each new release, I thank those I feel deserve recognition. Because of the rumor-mongers taking things out of context and their smear campaign, some people I was grateful to have been quick to distance themselves. That's perfectly understandable. I get it, and I apologize again (not for creating the game, but for any inconvenience my gesture of thanks may have caused you). Some others I was grateful to not only distanced themselves but also seized the moment to kick me while I was down, joining the rumor-mongers to trample on me – perhaps concerned it might affect their hard-earned users and followers. Again, understandable, and apologies. (For instance, criticizing my past products over this event, or even spreading rumors that I set up a scheme to frame them). What's worse, some I was grateful to fabricated entirely new rumors to attack me. This is harder to comprehend, but apologies nonetheless. (For example, claiming I deliberately used this "controversy" as a marketing gimmick to generate hype for the game – that's the most laughable. My game's store page info went live before a certain topical game gained attention. From start to finish, I never proactively promoted my game myself. All the news and discussion came solely from the rumor-mongers' slander. How could it possibly be a topic I concocted? Utterly illogical). If you wonder how someone deeply grateful and prone to expressing thanks could become afraid to thank others, this incident is a prime example. Because my gratitude brings trouble to the recipients. My gratitude makes those I thank raise the blade of "justice" against me.
3. The Shaking of Certain Values
Initially, it was just rumor-mongers spreading lies, which I didn't care about. 99.99% of them weren't my target audience anyway; their opinions held no sway over me. But when even acquaintances around me – casual friends, friends-of-friends, strangers in the same group, people I interact with directly – started pointing fingers based on the rumors, it made me question: did I really do something wrong? Isn't your criticism based on accepting the rumors first and then using a moral high ground – acting like moral guardians? Because you feel specific individuals exist in the player base, so you object to any character in my game that you deem potentially giving them "YY material"? What is that if not moral grandstanding? The most troubling, however, was witnessing my close "comrades-in-arms" also become hesitant, plagued by self-doubt. That's truly awkward. Every little move scrutinized, constantly worrying about how outsiders might interpret it? My own conclusion now is: just live and work for yourself and those you love. For everything else, let it be.
Finally, though this notice may not reach many, those who see it are my supporters. I deeply appreciate your continued interest. As an independent developer in this era of explosive growth in FMV, I cannot deliver the high-budget, million-dollar cinematic productions. I persist purely out of personal passion and because my very first project garnered support. It's precisely for the sake of that support that I've endured. I strive to create unique FMV with distinctive themes and mechanics. However, "Pact between us" is more accurately a live-action game, not a traditional FMV. It might not meet all expectations, but it's an experiment. Just like when I created the "Back" series – based on feedback for "Back 2", I strengthened the plot, only to find it wasn't what players wanted. So for the recently filmed "Back 3", I've made adjustments again. I won't dwell on that – "Back 3" will be with you soon. First, let's see "Pact between us", this work so brutally maligned by rumor-mongers.
Thank you all, once again.