Hey Smack community!
It’s time for another Smack Studio development update – this time regarding our upcoming 1.0 launch. First, what you can expect from the launch:
- The Stage Editor: as we’ve teased recently, you’ll be able to draw with voxels, paint textures, add in moving platforms, add custom music, and set a custom background image, among other features. We’ll be sharing more info as we approach the launch.
- Expanded character roster: our Kickstarter in 2022 included some funding stretch goals that we were able to hit thanks to your support, including a 12-character base roster. Keep your eyes open for any news regarding new character reveals!
- New stages: we have some surprises in store, including stages designed by some of our Kickstarter backers.
- The Official Smack Studio Soundtrack by Garrett Williamson will release alongside our 1.0 launch!
Next, let’s talk about timelines:
- Our intention has been to launch in Q1 2024, and unfortunately this hasn’t been possible for us. We’re a small (but mighty!) team, entirely self-funded and without the support of a publisher. This year, several team members have needed to take on additional jobs outside their work on Smack Studio in order to support themselves, and work on the game has slowed as a result.
- This month, I had to seek emergency care after overworking on the game’s development (luckily not life-threatening, but a series of panic attacks have left me pretty shaken). I’ve needed to take some time away to recover, and since I’ve been a solo dev on the editor and many parts of the game, this is unfortunately impacting our launch date.
- Despite the setbacks, our team is still very much committed to this game, and we’ll provide a 1.0 launch date as soon as we know what we can manage!
With our limited time, a few features will most likely be cut from the 1.0 launch:
- Custom color palettes
- 1 player challenge mode
We wanted to give the community a heads up now, since these features were promised in the Kickstarter. Our recent challenges have made it much more difficult to finish the scope of our 1.0 launch, so we hope the community understands the delay! If the launch goes well and it’s feasible to continue development afterward, we will prioritize these features post-1.0. Through our challenges this year, the thing that has kept the game going is the support we’ve gotten from the community and the impressive characters you’ve continued to release on Workshop (1,200 and counting!) We’re very grateful to have such an incredible community!
Best,
Alec