Saint Kotar: The Yellow Mask has entered the alpha stage! What exactly does that mean?
Polishing, and more polishing
First and foremost, it means polishing. Right now we are conducting internal playtests that allow us to hunt and exterminate pesky bugs, as well as further refine all the aspects of the game. We’re adding new assets, fixing existing ones and putting finishing touches on location and character designs. There are some things you notice only when you playtest, so we are laser-focused on every single detail to make sure nothing is amiss.
The original plan was to release the game in April
Our initial plan was to release in April and we were on the right track to accomplish that; however, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) changed everything, and not only for us. Our entire country and region have been hit pretty hard – everything is closed and strict measures regarding work and movement have been placed in order to slow down the spreading of the virus. Measures keep getting tighter each day in an attempt to fully stop the disease. We’ve resorted back to remote work, and for the past 10 days we’ve been working from home.
If that wasn’t enough, an earthquake hit Zagreb – the damage was quite severe, and the sound studio where our game sounds are made is now inaccessible, given that it’s located in an evacuated building; that means we must find an alternative location.
Release in May
Unfortunately, as a consequence, our work has slowed down and some of the things that still need to be done are currently on hold. Some things are impossible to do remotely. Because of the possible further prolongation of the measures and the uncertainty we’ve decided to go with a safer goal: release the prologue in May (as well as launch the Kickstarter), with the exact date to be announced by the end of April – when, hopefully, things will settle down.
Closed beta testing, exclusively for our newsletter subscribers and Discord members, will start in a few weeks. So if you want to get a chance to beta playtest the prologue, simply join our Discord server or subscribe to our Newsletter. If you get chosen to be a part of the beta your name will be listed in the credits of Saint Kotar: The Yellow Mask!
This whole situation with the virus is horrible, but we’re all in this together, so the most important thing right now is for everyone to stay home and stay safe. Play games, read, watch the tv, spend time with your family. You know the saying - there’s always sunshine after the rain.