As we jump headlong into 2025, I wanted to build upon our "Year in Review" by reflecting on the lessons learned over the past 12 months, and how they’re shaping our approach going forward.
Every challenge we faced in 2024 taught us something valuable, and now we’re channeling those insights into making 2025 our best year yet. Here’s a closer look at what we’ve learned and how we’re applying it to pave the way for a brighter future.
Everyone Warned Us About Kickstarter
Our original plan to launch a Kickstarter alongside Steam Next Fest taught us the importance of timing and community readiness. The intention was to offer backers early access to the demo, cross-promote the Kickstarter campaign with Next Fest, and use influencers on Lurkit to amplify awareness.
Multiple industry contacts warned us that any moderately successful Kickstarter would be a huge resource drain in the long-term, and potentially reduce publisher interest due to loss of initial profits to Steam, Kickstarter, and the studio.
Ultimately, it wasn't just the work involved to manage a Kickstarter that convinced us to change course, it was our lack of community and low likelihood of reaching our goals. We simply didn't have the following, and hadn't spent the media dollars to artificially grow our community over time. Although postponing the campaign was a tough decision, it allowed us to focus on refining our demo and gave us clarity on what the game—and our audience—truly need.
Don't Deny Your Game's DNA
In the same way you can't escape who you are, your project can't pretend to be something it isn't. Steam Next Fest revealed that Always in Mind is, at its heart, a console title. Inspired by my childhood as a gamer and my years working at SEGA, the game’s design naturally lends itself to platforms that thrive on story-driven, adventure-focused controller-supported gameplay.
This revelation has already influenced key design decisions and led us to engage with external parties to evaluate the realities of the porting process, continually update 1st parties, and consider new hardware where it makes sense.
Roll with the Punches
Technical issues during Next Fest were a stark reminder of the unpredictability of game development. While the streaming outages during Next Fest affected our visibility, they also reinforced the importance of resilience and adaptability as you attempt to build awareness for your game.
Communicating with other indie devs to assess the issue and share potential solutions as well as consolidate outreach to Valve had a bolstering effect. We’ve come out stronger and more determined to ensure our game shines in every setting, while also accepting that our role as an indie developer means representing and defending ALL indie developers.
Sometimes the Wheels Just Fall Off
No matter your good intentions, sometimes your efforts are simply going to come up short. We've thrown endless time and resources at building and improving our Animation pipeline, with the intention of revamping all animations for our protagonist a few months after we shipped the demo. 10 months later, we have very little to show for it in-game, and a growing number of animation bugs, edge cases, and limitations that remain.
But do we sit around crying about it? Sure. Sometimes. But we also take action to find solutions like recruiting a talented like-minded veteran animator, prioritizing animation among our many programming tasks, and approaching needed revamps with a more organized systematic approach.
Similarly, our sledding mechanic has had a bumpy road. With a host of unique tool, camera, and logic needs, the construction of a narrative-driven vehicular experience has been a challenging endeavor.
In spite of a host of encouraging prototypes, nailing the essence of what sledding is to Always in Mind has involved an inordinate level of iteration. Building from what players might feel is familiar ground in any racing game, we added unique features to support open exploration and real-time story-telling. A small team building two disparate play modes is essentially like building two separate games. We understood this from the get-go, but failed to apply the proper resources or design guidance to succeed; a mistake we hope to rectify in 2025.
Cuts Are a Beautiful Thing
In the conceptual phase of a project, it is very much a "yes, and..." situation where any good idea seems worth pursuing, and the blue sky has no boundaries. But executing on any good idea involves an inordinate amount of work that grows exponentially as you reach the finaling and polish phases. Anything that can be prototyped in a day might require months to fully polish--as well as coordination from every member on the team.
Bearing this in mind, when we can accomplish a narrative goal in a more elegant way or remove bloat or unnecessary elements from the story itself, we free up a massive amount of resources to focus on the big ideas we deem critical to our success. Arbitrary cuts can harm a project, but smart cuts can not only strengthen your story and experience, but also be the decisions that free you and your team from the crunch culture that permeates so many studios in which decisions are taken by committee without any creative approach.
What’s Next in 2025
1. Bringing the Game to Life
With the lessons of 2024 behind us, we’re pushing forward with development on all fronts. Some of our to-do list:
Conduct a narrative audit to look for all re-scoping opportunities that will streamline and improve the overall experience.
Complete all levels with polished mechanics and a cohesive narrative experience.
Finalize the soundtrack, voice-overs, audio design and visual effects to immerse players in the game’s world.
2. Expanding Our Audience
2025 will be the year we reach more players than ever:
Organize our PR/Marketing campaign to include multiple major announcements and release of new trailers, previews, and interviews.
Grow our community through regular updates, social media engagement, and participation in multiple industry events.
Partner with External entities to showcase the game during major announcements.
Hope and Determination
2025 is shaping up to be a transformative year for our studio. With every lesson learned in 2024, we’ve gained the clarity, confidence, and tools to create something truly special. We’re more excited than ever to bring Always in Mind to life and share it with players worldwide.
Thank you for believing in us, supporting us, and coming along for the ride. Here’s to a year of creativity, connection, and unforgettable moments. If you haven't yet, jump into the discord and start communicating with us. Sign up for the newsletter. Tell your friends. And be sure to wishlist the game. So much more is yet to come!
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