Hey everyone,

So yeah, it's been a while. Actually, scratch that; it's been more than a while. It's been over 3 years since Patch 1.3. was released and just over 2 years where the latest announcement for The Spirits Within was made. After that, it was pretty much radio silence from myself and any news regarding BLANK. So what the heck happened?

Long story short, it was the passing of my Fiancee that caused this drought of content.

Some of you may or may not remember, but early on in 2019, I made the sorrowful announcement regarding my Fiancee and her passing on New Years Eve, 2018. While I only briefly mentioned it via snippet announcements, I did not nearly stress enough just how vital a role she played in the game's development. From the assistance of develping the game's setting to creating some of the more complicated enemy designs (like Vivizec, Angeral and Cariella), she had a massive impact on BLANK overall. Heck, she was even the one that created the game's promotional poster on release:

Unfortunately, after Crystal passed away, my passion for working on the game sputtered. Everytime I opened up RPG Maker VX Ace and saw the work I'd done for The Spirits Within, I would often feel sick to my stomach and could not bear the thought of touching the game, lest I infringed on the artistic integrity that she loved so much. Combine that with the stresses of a career I desperately held onto, I found myself having less and less time to work on the game.

It's said that after the 18-month period passes, your heart begins the process of healing, and I can't help myself but see the logic with that. Ever since the last update I made, I've spent the majority of the months focusing on rebuilding myself and getting that old fiery passion of mine back, through making new friends, reinforcing old ones and even finding love once more. Yet despite this, I still found myself conflicted when it came to developing the game further.

Ultimately, I've decided that it would be better for all of you that have decided to stick with the game's progress to learn about the following decision I've made.

Out of respect for my Fiancee and keeping the integrity of the current game the same, I have chosen to cease all continued development of the game. BLANK as it stands (Patch 1.3. will be the complete package, with the exception of potential bug fixes).

I know this is not an announcement you wanted to hear and it certainly feels like a slap in the face, considering you've waited over 2 years for new updates, only for literally nothing to pop up. Fear not, for I will not come empty-handed with the work I had finished producing. I will be releasing more articles after this one to further delve into the plans that I made for BLANK: The Spirits Within and beyond.

Thank you for reading this post and I'm really sorry that this was not the announcement you were expecting, nor wanting. I hope the other articles I release can help paint a clearer picture on the kind of vision I had for the game, as well as what my future plans will be.

Kind regards,

Sangos