I've been thinking about making a post like this for a while now. Part of me thinks it isn't really necessary to do so, but another just wants to inform you guys since we're practically halfway through the year.

To get straight to the point, I am completely unsure if Long Hours is going to release this year.

I've been working on this game for almost two years now, before I ever thought about releasing The Awakening to the public, and that's the longest I've ever worked on a project! Looking back, I can really see why it's taken so long, and to be honest, I'm kind of glad it's taken this long, even if it has driven me crazy.

I've made a lot of major changes to the game during its development, such as redoing the animatronic's models, changing the gameplay mechanics multiple times in both minor and major ways, and even totally changing to storyline with the inclusion of far better human character models, too! All of these changes have made the game far better and far more improved than what it was first planned to be.

I don't think ANY of these changes would have ever happened if it weren't for you guys! If I never put The Awakening out to the public, I might have cut corners on this game (much like I did with The Awakening) or maybe even would have canned the rest of the series entirely. I'm incredibly nervous about this game because of how well received The Awakening was, and I'm trying my best to make sure it's at least just as enjoyable as its predecessor while also improving what I can.

The one thing that is going to make Long Hours take longer is that I seriously underestimated the game's scale. I could cut out some stuff I'm currently working on and even possibly get the game out by October or so, but I really don't want to do that unless what I'm doing just doesn't work, or if I'm really not happy with it. This game tries a lot of new things, and I've managed to make stuff I thought I never could do in Blender's game engine, and I think it'll really pay off in the long run. It's not perfect, but I can see it being far better when I polish it up even more!

I feel bad for having to say it might not come out this year because I know you guys are really looking forward to the game. The whole 2023 release thing has put a lot more pressure on me than it should have though, and I really want to keep working on this without any of that weight on my back. I also would like to work on other projects when I'm not feeling it with this one, so maybe expect some other cool stuff down the line, too!

Of course, there's still a chance Long Hours could come out this year, but I just more wanted to give you guys a heads up that it might not release this year, too. I care a lot about this project, and I really want to shape it up to be its absolute best and in the way I've envisioned it to be!

I really, really appreciate your patience and support!

Take care! Fingers crossed development continues to go well!