Hey everyone,

it's some time since the last news post here.
A lot has happened, so here I am – older and wiser – to bring you up to date with what's been going on.

A short while ago, we finally launched our previous title Can't Drive This.
It's now available on all platforms, and even on disc for PS4 and PS5.

"Great," you say, "why are you telling us this?"

Granted, Can't Drive This is an entirely different game from Escape the Loop. Why bother mentioning it here? Well, getting it out was a huge deal for us – but it was also a huge deal for Escape the Loop. For the first time *EVER*, we're working on Escape the Loop with the entire team. Up to now, only a few of us got to work on the game at a time, because the others were busy finishing up our previous titles. Now, we're finally all on the same project, and we're super pumped to finally get this ball rolling real good.

Pinewood is a small town with big secrets, hidden away somewhere in Montana. It's is a town like any other small, sleepy town in the US – at least, that's what it tries very hard to trick outsiders into thinking.

It's not modeled after a real place, but it takes inspiration from several, including Whitefish MT, and the area surrounding Flathead Lake MT. If you're super curious. check out this map for places we found interesting for various reasons. Best viewed in Street View: https://goo.gl/maps/hCugPXGp6Nocrv7q6

The residents of Pinewood are a mix of people, each with their own reasons for being there. Some lived there all their lives, and just want their peace. Some came here because they were running from something, and some came in search of something. The one thing they have in common is they all know something you don't – and none of them are particularly keen on you finding out.

Amelia Washington is a defense attorney from Los Angeles. She is her law firm's shining star and youngest partner, and that's certainly not a coincidence. Whatever her clients need, they know she's the one to make it happen. But as life likes to have it, like everything else, Amelia's success comes at a price. When a business trip brings her to her hometown of Pinewood, she hasn't talked to her family in years. Soon after her arrival, it begins to look like she'll have all the time in the world to figure things out...

Our New Character Controller

We replaced our old character controller system with a system known as Motion Matching. This method uses a set of pre-recorded animations and analyzes them to determine where in space an animation starts, and where it ends. Then, it uses this info to select an animation based on where the player wants to go. The result is super fluid character motion without any wonky bits when two animations blend into each other in unintended ways. Also, it's just super fun to control.

We know you've been waiting for this game for a long time, and we know it's hard to wait. This makes it all the harder to not be able to predict when the game is coming out. We'd love to tell you that we have a date, and to deliver on that promise. The truth is, we can't. If you'd like a deeper dive into why the game has been in development for as long as it has, feel free to read this deep dive into our previous snafus. And please don't hesitate to ask questions, we're always happy to answer them!

What we can tell you, is where we're at, and where we'll be going from here.
As detailed above, until a while ago, we hadn't been working on the game with the full team. That slowed progress down immensely – and to make matters worse, we didn't have a single programmer on the team. That changed, and we're now driving this baby full speed ahead.

We're now working on getting all systems up and running, and fleshing out the game's art. Once that's done and the game is completely playable from start to finish, we'll keep on iterating until it's done. That means polishing art, fixing bugs, rewriting dialogues, reworking level layouts, etc.

You've been asking a bunch of questions over the past months, and we're incredibly happy that you are. Seriously. It shows you care, and it means the absolute world to us that you do.

So here are some of the questions we've been hearing a lot, and answers to them if we have them:

I've been waiting for this game forever. Is it canceled?

Absolutely not! On the contrary, even! We just started working on it with more team power than ever before.

Is this game a scam?

There is no way to buy or pre-order the game, so it would be a pretty crappy scam if you ask me.

When will it come out?

We hate to say it, but we don't know yet. Certainly not before 2023, even though we know that's a tough pill to swallow.

Can we pre-order?

No, there is no option to pre-purchase Escape the Loop as of this time. If you find Escape the Loop available for purchase somewhere, it's not real – Please let us know via the forums immediately. We'll let you know once we set up a pre-order page, but that likely won't happen until we have a release date.

Can we play the alpha build?

Currently, there is no alpha build, and there are no plans to deliver early builds at all. However, we may very well be looking for QA testers at some point in the future, so keep your eyes peeled on the forums for updates on this.

Isn't 5 Minutes is too short for a time loop?

We don't think it is, there's plenty you can do in 5 minutes, and the game will definitely play with the fact that you only have such a limited time. That said, the 5 minutes are not set in stone. If we notice it's not enough, we'll increase the time as necessary.

Is it episodic now, or not?

This was the plan at one point, but no. Escape the Loop will not be an episodic title. The entire story will be playable on launch day without having to wait (or pay) for multiple episodes.

Why don't you post updates more regularly?

Well, for one, writing updates takes time – not only writing but also deciding what to write about (at the very least to avoid spoilers), creating gifs and screenshots, etc. Needless to say, this takes time away from actually developing the game. The bigger problem is, we have certain contractual obligations. Some things we simply won't be able to show or talk about, until the game is out. However, we'll try to keep you up to date as much as possible.

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Well, that's it for now.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post, and thanks to each and every one of you for being active on the forums – and for not losing hope in us. We can't wait to deliver this game to you all, and we promise it'll be worth the wait.

Take care,