Hi everyone,
Hope you are all doing well. Usually I’m writing a dev blog full of new content and features for the new update. But in this special blog, I want to talk about the development of Panther VR and what the future might look like.
It is a post I want to write for a long time, but also one that is a bit scary. I always try to be open to others as I can be, but doing it on the internet can feel a bit vulnerable. However, with such an amazing community and people looking forward to the future of Panther, I think it is only fair to show more behind the curtain of the development of Panther VR. I think that being honest and open can only be better for the future of Panther VR.
So if you want to hear more about the game itself and new content, then check out the new blog, but if you are interested in a personal but maybe long story then please read on.
For more insight on the new update and upcoming content, read our other devposts:
Dev Blog 13# Hacking and Interactions
Dev Blog 14# New Weapons and Thief Scan
!NEW! Dev Blog 15# Improvements and polish !NEW!
How it started
Before we can talk about the present and future, let’s talk about how it all began. I started making games as a hobby, and I had the incredible opportunity to grow it professionally. I rolled into VR by accident when it just started out, making one of the first showcase demos for the HTC VIVE in 2014 together with Vertigo Games. That demo grew to become a full VR game called Skyworld. We had some amazing fun making it, but after that we mainly became focused on work for hire. We helped out with several projects, including Arizona Sunshine, After the Fall. However, the passion to make a new game always stayed.
Since I am a massive fan of stealth games like Metal Gear Solid, Dishonored and Hitman, the idea to make a Stealth game for VR grew. That is why we started on Panther VR. Perhaps a big project for such a small team, but when you really want to make something that you like, it is hard to say no.
We made a showcase demo of Panther VR and started a Kickstarter campaign for it. We reached our goal and an incredible community started to form around the game. The funding gave us some extra time to work out the game a bit more, next to our work for hire jobs, and we started working on a first release.
But then, Corona happened. We already set a release date with the Upload VR summer showcase, but the first lockdowns hit us hard. Not only our work for hire took some big hits, but also the development on Panther VR suffered a lot. We tried our best, worked every moment of our free time to hit that first release, however even that was not enough. We gained a lot of publicity during the first release, but the game was not nearly what we wanted it to be. Although we still had some incredible feedback and support, some reaction were also though, yet still fair.
This period was not the best one in my life. The lockdown and covid took a great toll on my mental and physical state. Seeing a game bomb so hard on first release after you put all your love and effort into it was really difficult. People deserve a proper game, and knowing that you can deliver that, but was not able to do, really sucks.
I was not proud of the first release, and knowing that it might have damaged future success of Panther VR, a game made out of a passion for stealth, drove me almost mad. I’m also not the person to give up on something. I listened to all the feedback that release gave me. The ongoing support and love from the community and loved ones surrounding me kept me going. We started started to work on a better version of Panther VR.
Our work for hire kept going on the side, and we worked on a big rework and update of Panther VR. We release 2 massive updates that completely changed the look and feel of Panther VR, to a version of the game that I can be proud of again. It lifted me from a dark time, and made me look forward to the future with more happiness.
Present
This brings us to the present. I’m still working on Panther VR and the next update is getting closer and closer. It is great to see that people are still enjoying the game and are looking forward to what is to come. I love showing some progress in the dev blogs, and believe that Panther VR can only exist with the community that surrounds it.
Why is it taking so long?
While the dev blogs shows a lot of progress to the game, I know that one question might still remain: why is it taking so long!? Well, this is also why I’m writing this post, to show you how the development is taking place and why updates are taking a bit longer than people might expect. I might have talking about it before, but with new people joining the community I think it is for the best to talk about it again.
Small team
Wolfdog Interactive might feel like a big company, but we always stayed small. It mostly consisted of just 2 people, surrounded by the support of other amazing friends. That team grew bigger and smaller over time, but always stayed small.
Rework
With the rough first launch that Panther had, the best thing we could do was to almost start over again. We reworked nearly everything. We updated all systems behind the scenes, redesigned the AI and game design, wrote a lot of new code and polished a lot of art. This updates are taking a lot of time, but are also necessary to build a solid foundation for the future of the game. This rework is still taking place with upcoming 0.1.3 update.
Funding
This might be one of the difficult things for most developers to talk about, but also one that I think should be discussed in light of being honest and open. We make games for fun. Nothing feels better than to see someone enjoy a game you made. I think most developers can vouch for that. However, we still need food and a place to live. Making games take a lot of time, and proper funding will free up more time to work on a game. The funding from the Kickstarter gave us a breathing moment to focus way more time on Panther VR. But the moment that dried out, we mainly got our funding from work for hire jobs on the side and income from Panther VR on Steam. This meant that we also needed to shift our time to work on the side instead of working full time on Panther VR.
This might be the hardest part to share, but as you might expect: VR games are not the best way to earn big time. While VR grew over time, sales are always harder to make if the amount of VR users is low compared to regular gamers. There are plenty of success stories of course. Just look at the amazing Beat Saber, Blade and Sorcery and other bigger names. But our rough first launch and choice of genre puts us in a different position. Being a smaller indie dev, with no funding for marketing. does not make it any easier.
To this day, the profits we made on Panther VR are not the biggest, but the work we are doing on the side is what it is keeping the game alive. When you are building a game out of passion, funding is not the most important part, yet it can put a strain on the time you are able to spent on it.
This might be a biggest reason why things are slower than usual. I really love to work on Panther VR, but it can only be done if I also do work on the side, which in turn takes up time of its own. So a lot of free time is spent on Panther VR to at least keep some development going. Hopefully that will change in the future.
Future
Speaking about the future, let's talk about what is to come for Panther VR. Next up on the horizon in the 0.1.3 Progression update. It is nearly done and almost ready for testing. This is the third in line of the larger, bigger rework updates. You can read more about the update in these posts:
At this time, I cannot say when the update 0.1.3 will go live. It will depend on the community testing and what might still need to be fixed. One thing we learned from our initial release is not to force and update. It will be ready when the time comes. I hope soon, because I’m really proud of the work so far on the 0.1.3 update.
So what will happen to Panther VR after the next update. Let's take the main concern away: this is not a blog talking about quitting. I still believe in the future of the game, and my work will still continue. :D But depending on how things go, and how much time will be available next to other jobs, I cannot predict the timespan. However, I want to discuss some possible options for Panther VR in the future.
Quest Standalone
Let's start with the most obvious and requested one: Quest 2 standalone. Since I just wrote about the lack of funding, a move to the Quest might be a good way to go. And I agree with that! The bad news is that that jump is not so easy to make then it sounds. The Quest has way less power than PC VR, so converting a game to the Quest is not easy. Luckily, the visual of Panther VR are made with that in mind, and we can tell that we have made a first working prototype of Panther VR for standalone. It does not run on acceptable fps just yet, but with work and time can be optimized to be played on the Quest. Still, this will take some extra time (already on short supply). Even then is very difficult to land on the official Quest store, however Side Quest might always be an option.
Non-VR
One other option I’m thinking about more and more is to make a non-vr version for the game. A version you can play and enjoy without a headset. I truly believe that Panther (VR) also has a future without VR, and opening the game up to the rest of the world, who does not own a headset, might just be the thing we need. Since the game is also designed for VR, we are not going to remove or replace VR, but it will help in the development of the game.
Please don’t take it wrong, I love VR. I’ve made games for VR since the beginning. But making a game VR adds an extra difficulty level during the development process. There are so many things to take into consideration. And with the fast amount of new headsets, firmware, and engine updates overtime, the development of VR games can take a lot of extra time.
We also have a smaller prototype working for non-VR. We even test Panther VR during development in Non for convenience, and it still feels like a fun game to play. The next updates will still be for VR, but a non-VR version might be a thing in the future.
Smaller updates
That brings us to the last part. We already shared that the 0.1.3 will be last rework update. Once that goes live, we will share a new roadmap for the future with new content and update. While bigger and longer development times were necessary for these large updates, we are shifting to smaller updates after the 0.1.3. With fewer time available for Panther VR, we think that small and faster updates with just one or 2 new features are better for the ecosystem of the game. This in comparison to one massive update with a lot of content like we did so far.
New Content
The most important thing that everyone wants to see is new content. First up on the list are new levels. I can share that we are also working on a new level, but more are to follow in the future. Same goes for new weapons, gadgets, weapon attachements/upgrades, new security and many more. We also have some plans for new gamemodes. These new gamemodse will add a new level of depth and replayability to the to the game.
Conclusion
Well, that was a lot of information. It might be a lot to read, but I just wanted to get it of my chest. For those who made it this far, thank you so much for your time. I truly hope that I gave you a better understanding of what we are doing and why things are as you see now.
We want to thank you all for your amazing support and patience. I would not have made it so far without the love and care from those around me. Let's look back on all the fun we made so far, and look forward to a bright future for Panther VR.
Love you all
- Jesse
Love to chat
If you have any question about Panther VR, or the development, I love to hear it. I'm always open for feedback, suggestion and ideas. I will always try to give a responds back, and I will always respect what people will have to say. Just asking to keep things respecfull aswell. We are all humans and I think that we all want to see an amazing Stealth game :D. <3
Roadmap
For more information about upcoming content, updates, and the latest fixes and features, you can check out our roadmap.
Discord
If you haven't already, don't forget to join the Panther VR Discord! Share your comments and suggestion with us and the community!
Socials
For more information about current and future updates, from Panther VR and other Wolfdog Interactive games, follow our Socials!
Developer page
Check out and follow our Steam Developer page for more news on our VR Titles. Wolfdog Interactive Developer Page.
Thanks
Thanks for all the support and feedback from our amazing community. This update is made possible by you guys!
