SnaccPopStudios
patreon
Status Update: New leadership, steps moving forward, future of SnaccPop.
🕑 Added 2023-10-24 09:50:50 +0000 UTC
Hello there everyone! We are here to give a very deserved update that, admittedly, came later than it should have. We are extremely sorry about the delay, but now that the dust has settled on some of the rougher details and our path moving forward has become clearer we want to drop some much-needed information on our decisions.
First of all, this is NOT Sauce typing this announcement, it's Biscuit! You may know me from different devlogs detailing the development of the game story as I am the narrative designer for it! But now I've taken charge of being the head of operations over here at SnaccPop Studios.
This means that I'll be in charge of directing the game, taking charge of those working on it, and overall accomplishing the goals that have been set for the game not only here, but on Kickstarter as well. Although with that being said the question remains.
Where is Sauce?
Put simply, Sauce will no longer be taking a management role at SnaccPop anymore, instead, they will take a much necessary backstep to focus solely on creating art and supporting the studio through their continuous work. This decision was not taken lightly and was discussed over multiple days among studio staff, but we've come to the conclusion that this is the best decision we could take moving forward.
Again, Sauce is going nowhere! They are just taking a break to gather themselves after the stress of managing the studio in order to go back to enjoying what they like to do more, creating and making things for the fans.
Alternatively, we also want to emphasize our commitment to developer health as the project moves forward into a new era.
New Studio Structure
That being said, I will not be the only one managing things from here on out. The studio has me as its front-facing figure, but I will be helped out by Perrie (Our current Voice Acting director), Nana (Our current Art director), and other individuals who are key to keeping the content going smoothly at a decent pace. With this new three-man lead we will be able to keep our focus entirely on the areas that need prioritizing in order to get the game out quickly and efficiently, all while guaranteeing as much of a high-quality product as we can and as you all deserve.
We will also be parting ways with Project Enso as the publisher for our games moving forward.
Our New Focus
Our focus is entirely focused on one thing as we resume management of the project.
Finish Sunny Day Jack, and make it as good of a game as it can be.
One of the sacrifices we will have to make in order to achieve this goal will be to announce that the game will NOT be coming out in November of 2024 as this objective is simply unrealistic. While trying to accomplish this goal the studio put itself under a very stressful moment, with many of the people working on the game (including myself) crunching multiple hours at a time to meet deadlines that affected the quality of our work, which is something we will not compromise or put at jeopardy under any circumstances.
Keep in mind that this does not mean that usual rewards like audio dramas, extra art or other games like Sleepy Time Jack will be out of the picture, just that we will be focusing most of our resources on the main show.
Community Involvement
We consider everyone who follows the Patreon, interacts with our social media accounts, or just in general interacts with our products valuable, each and every one of you, which is why we will be moving forward in development with the goal in mind to engage with the community that makes this even possible in the first place as much as possible. We will be doing more regular updates with everyone at the studio about their work to be as transparent as we can about the work we do and how we do it, as well as implementing more moderation staff to keep our wonderful discord server as amazing of a time as it has always been.
New Plan for Development.
We may have canceled the deadline we had originally planned, but this is not one of those "Delayed indefinitely" situations you may have seen many times before.
We will be moving on to Episodic Releases from now on. With Acts 1, 2, 3, and 4 being released each at their own time. This, of course, has been met with concerns from the fans which I will attempt to answer to.
- The game's story has already been outlined in full. Most, if not all of the main story documents were laid out by Sauce, and then made into an outline approved by them as well, keeping their creative vision intact. This means that the story is not being kept as an afterthought or being altered following reception from Acts that we release, meaning that it will keep on moving forward without any unforeseen changes to the story.
- An episodic release does not mean we are developing the game in chunks. It is merely just the way we will be releasing the content itself. This means that the project will keep on moving continuously rather than suddenly stopping after the release of every chapter, making it easier for us to make every act as good as it can be on day 1. Naturally, this will also serve as a great way to take in the community's feedback so that we can implement it into future acts to make them even better.
In short, we fully believe that this is the best way moving forward to show our commitment to showing results. Fans will be able to see continuous improvement and progress, while we'll be able to narrow the scope of development so we can focus on the thing that matters most, writing great stories.
Conclusion
Things over here at SnaccPop Studios may have changed a lot, but that hasn't changed the fact that the team is still willing to keep working to deliver a great product. We will be as transparent as possible and will be focusing on that which matters most. I want to thank you all for staying by our side through thick and thin, and from part of the studio, I hope that you'll keep supporting us as we keep producing these stories.
Thanks once again, and expect an update real soon! <3
- Biscuit
Comments
Vagitor
I totally get sauces' decision. I'm sure their passion lies with art and creating rather than running a business. It's a shame that that's how most artist business owners lose their passion. YOU HAVE MY FULL SUPPORT SAUCE!
ChickieDee
Hey! I get what you're saying, but it's been stated so many times and in so many ways that noncon/dubcon was never intended for the game. Anything that could have read that way was not intended to have been read that way, and is being changed to reflect that because it wasnt supposed to be in there. It's fine if you're into that stuff, but this game isn't and was never advertised as being that. Yandere does not automatically equal those themes, and that's in fact only a very recent view on the genre. Demanding that the entire game be changed against the set vision for the to cater to one handful of people is just not something feasible. I understand being frustrated that it's not necessarily what you expected, but it has been stated from the start this isn't a game that covers those specific themes (the tag was added in post as a safety measurebecause the original writing could be interpreted in a way that was not the original intent, as said before.) Hopefully you can still enjoy the dark content and story that is there, because it's clear there is still so much to enjoy being worked on behind the scenes!! :]
Alexandria R
There should be an option for us who enjoy non con content. It’s ironic to keep the dark Yandere, but you cut it off at non con. People who paid into the kickstarter didn’t know a big change like this would happen. We can’t get our money back, but it does put distrust for future projects. As people will not believe you’ll keep the same content that was mentioned when they backed this project. It’s just not good, when people already paid and expected a product like the demo. However, now that won’t be the case. It just comes off as deceitful to your customers who expected the longer version of the demo that they loved. Not everyone has issues with non con. How about keep that in the game and code it to where those that have an issue with it can have an con option. Keep it like how it was in the kickstarter or what we were promised in the very beginning. Changing up the story or the type of content that is in it is making those of us lose interest. We are adults, as this game is marketed as such. Censorship of content just because a few don’t enjoy it, just makes it like we can’t enjoy dark adult content. Not many will say this as they are afraid of getting jumped on by others who expect them to be all for every change. Though I will speak for those of us who are not for the changes. As we are adults and allowed to have opinions, even if they don’t agree with others in the comments. However, There was one other comment that I agree with, that when you start changing up everything from what made the demo a hit. Then make a different game. Removing content from the game that was there and mentioned in the kickstarter campaign is what should stay. If you want a different game, then make a new one and make a campaign for that.
DARIIUS
u guys r parting from project enso?
stablepaddock
Welcome to the lead position!! I hope everyone continues to enjoy the work on SWWSDJ and all other SnaccPop titles :> Please take yalls time, I know I'm enjoying all the updates we get
hetablerg
I'm very cautiously optimistic about the future of SnaccPop and SWWSDJ. Can't say I'm not a little bummed about the delay, but the team's health is the most important thing. Though I have to ask, what's the status of Dachabo? And what happened with Project Enso?
strawberry squid
I am curious about what will happen to DachaBo. Are there still plans to eventually create more DachaBo content after finishing Sunny Day Jack, or is that no longer a possibility and will all future planned and potential DachaBo content be abandoned? Wishing the best for everyone on the team and Sauce either way.
Saturn - Stari ☆
Extremely supportive of all of you! Looking forward to the progression of everyone to the fullest!
ScootyMcGoo
I have a lot of faith and trust in the current team, I know y’all will do what you can and you’ll do your best to push out the best product you can I’m a little surprised to hear about parting ways with Project Enso, I hope we get more information about that.
NoctaliUmbreon
Hope you're all taking care of yourselves. What happened with project enso, does SDJ have a producer now?
rav
what's going on with the parting from project enso?
miss-ellaneouss
It appears that there have been a lot of changes behind the scenes, and I hope the team is doing all right! While I eagerly await the completion of the game, I think taking your time to ensure a healthy and safe work environment is smart. In terms of episodic releases, it seems to be the norm for most VNs nowadays and your explanations make sense. The only thing I'm wondering about is the frequency of the releases, but I'm guessing this will be delved into once everything has settled for the team. Looking forward to future updates!
Senchou
My initial concern for chapter releases was how much content would be contained in a chapter, the chapter total, and release frequency. Prior to reading this post I figured that the best solution would be to split the story into acts, so to see that this was the plan all along is reassuring to me. I'm glad Sauce is doing what's healthiest for them and I look forward to more frequent and transparent development updates.
Kathleen Proudman
Will we get any updates on what patreon rewards will look like going forward? I tended to be on board for the art.
Waffle Milk
Take your time but it’s alot of work for a whole team
Soraply11
I’ve been a fan of Snaccpop for 2 years and I still have a bunch of fate in the Team!
Star Seeker
Honestly I'm not worried - you guys seem to have talked about this extensively and have a solid game plan. I have a friend who released an indie VN a few years ago, and he and the like. Five people who worked on it nearly killed themselves getting it out, and it still came out SEVERAL years after the original goal. It was an amazing game, but he's still recovering from the physical and mental toll it took. So y'all do what you need to do that you can create the game you want to make and can be proud of. I'm rooting for you all!
DoomtheGloom
I’m excited seeing what’s gonna happen moving forward, do what ya gonna do. The safety of the people on the team is more important than anything else. Atleast for me I don’t mind waiting if that means the project can still be fun and well thought out for the crew. Love what y’all do , do it in the way y’all need to. 💕
Scarlett LavaBorn
I don't think the yandere concept got removed?.. They simply removed the dubcon aspect, as to not make people uncomfy.. Creators mightve dropped but honestly, I'm pretty unaware of this.. But let's just wish them the best going forward and see where this ends!.. <33
Scarlett LavaBorn
You guys got this!.. I will be here to back this no matter what, and hope Sauce gets the time they deserve to rest.. <33
Flalfalfa
I mean at this point, why not scrap the game altogether? From the yandere aspect being toned down -- and downright removed -- to the creators dropping left and right... I'll be honest, I don't have much hope left... I guess we'll see what happens, but I won't be holding my breath. Keep on keeping on, team. I'm sure we all know you're just playing with the cards you've been dealt.
