Hey, everyone. Thanks so much for all of your support and enthusiasm over the past year! It's meant more than I could possibly put into words to see how much people enjoy what I'm doing -- but today, I unfortunately have some bad news.

There's no delicate way to build up to this that doesn't feel cheesy, at least to me, so here's me ripping the bandaid off right away:

I'm putting AWOO on the backburner for now and saying that there's no scheduled release date for it at this point in time.

This doesn't mean we're cancelling the actual release overall or even really putting it on hiatus -- it's still going to be very much in development, with new assets being produced regularly -- but we're definitely not going to be launching on July 13th, when we thought we would. We're moving at a much slower pace, and I especially am turning my attention to other projects, but work is still planned to continue as fast as it can!

At first I explored a few more release dates with other people involved, but in the interest of full transparency, I didn't want to set another release date and have to cancel it again. I've been on both ends of that and it's never very fun when it's something you're passionate about, even when you 100% understand where the other party is coming from.

So I decided letting you know that we're working on it (and that we'll keep working on it) without giving a firm deadline that life could complicate was the best solution. 

While you wait, I'll be releasing updates on a Patreon-exclusive blog for $5 donors starting next month, including looks at DCS's CGs I haven't shared anywhere (like the one attached to this post!) and advance samples of some of Nat's tracks. I've made a handful of backlog of posts on that blog already this month, a few of them AWOO-related, so there'll already be stuff waiting next month! You can also back DCS's Patreon for looks at different CGs and all their other excellent art, or just plain donate to Nat's moving fund to help support his ability to make music.

The reason I've decided to slow production is pretty simple: I, personally, am a freelancer without a steady job, and I can't afford to sustain a project of this scale as a full-time production anymore without seeking outside funding from other jobs. Working on AWOO before anything else, the way I've been doing since last May, pays almost nothing. And again, to be extremely transparent in a way I'm fortunate to be able to, my life is at a point where just going on like this with the hope it'll all pay off is less viable than I used to think it was. 

And I'm only 23, but I've had medical problems since I was 15 that mean I can't put myself out on a limb or do any kind of real crunch; I always have to make sure I'm ready to face a relapse and I always have to be hyper-aware of exactly what my physical limits are. I'm sorry it's gotten in the way of AWOO when I really wanted to have it done and in your hands by now, but I know I also can't deliver anything if I'm bedridden or hospitalized again, so this is a decision I've had to make before it's too late.

I love working on AWOO and I especially love working with DCS and Nat on it -- I wouldn't have gotten this far if I hadn't had the generous support of my family, friends, and all of you. But taking a little bit of time to start finalizing my long-distance moving plans as I temporarily shifted my focus onto Love and Formaldehyde this month has made me realize that this is a necessary decision. Passion can carry you pretty far, and it's what brought me to both Nat and DCS in the first place, but it can't add more hours to the day where there aren't any or sell itself if there's nothing to sell. 

For now, you can find my writing in Love and Formaldehyde (a brief demo is available now, and the full visual novel will be out before the end of the month), Tomai's scheduled stretch goal updates later this summer, and some smaller-scale commercial projects for both myself and other developers I'll be announcing here or over on Twitter when the time's right.

Thank you all so much for your understanding while we all wait a little longer, and for all of your support so far! I'm incredibly touched to have had the excitement you've all shown us over the past year. I hope the final product ends up being something you can all enjoy despite our delays.

-Ivan ❤❤❤