Hi everyone,
I had originally planned to post a new gameplay video for Late Night Empire, but a few areas of the UI are still being finalized. Most of my recent work has been deep in the codebase—focusing on large-scale systems rather than visuals. That said, I’m aiming to release the gameplay video sometime in November.
Over the past several weeks, I’ve been pushing to complete and polish the core mechanics. One major focus has been the advertising system, which has taken quite a while to balance properly since it’s the player’s primary source of income. You can think of advertising as a kind of “quest” system, where your network and partnered brands set specific goals for you to hit in order to remain profitable.
In contrast, sponsorships function differently—these are deals initiated by the player. While sponsorships don’t provide as much steady revenue as advertising campaigns, they give the player far more control over which brands to work with and how the deals are structured.
I’ve also introduced internal balancing tools to help fine-tune systems like Hype and Popularity. These tools simulate how a show’s momentum and audience engagement evolve over time, ensuring the game feels dynamic and grounded. Beyond that, I’ve expanded the simulations for external entities—such as studios, record labels, and publishers—so each operates with more depth and strategic individuality.
As mentioned before, I’m still targeting an early 2026 release. I’ll continue working on the game every day until there’s a stable, polished version I’m happy with. There’s still a lot of data, writing, and narrative content to refine so that everything fits cohesively within the game world.
The next update will be in about two weeks—and I’m confident that it will finally include the gameplay video I’ve mentioned.
Thanks for following the journey.
Take care,
Jack