2021 Retrospective
Hey, everyone!
We did it. We survived 2021! This devlog will be the last of the year and in it, we’ll talk a bit about what we’re working on as we approach our holiday break and we’ll also look back on the year.
Last call
As the new year approaches, we’ll be working on finishing the prototype for Psychroma. There is a competition called Rogue Jam that we’ll be submitting the prototype to, and it’s deadline is the end of the year. While it gives us some extra incentive to have the prototype done by then, we had already planned on hitting that date for internal reasons. Luckily it looks like we’re on track to completing everything without crunching. Last week we had a basic version of the prototype running where you could talk to all the NPCs, experience scripted events, and basically play from the beginning to the end of the prototype. Now it needs polish and missing assets like sound and art work. We’ve been going through a big checklist of missing items and checking things one at a time to make sure we’re not missing anything. This stage of production can be kind of boring – all the creative decisions have mostly been done and now it’s time to execute on those decisions. But it can also be really exciting because everything is coming together, and you can begin to see what the game might look like when it’s done.
Looking back
2021 was a wild year for Rocket Adrift. We released our first commercial game Raptor Boyfriend, we started a new chapter of our podcast Dark Future Dice, and we went fully independent. We honestly can’t thank the people who have supported us enough. Our patreon hit a goal allowing us to do a few monthly live streams where we got to hang out with the community and chat, as well as showcase their talents in a fan art competition. We’ve also finally launched our own official DFD merchandise and released all the soundtracks!
It’s been a big year of change personally as well as professionally, but that change has been mostly good. After spending close to three years working on Raptor Boyfriend, it has been very refreshing to be able to change our focus to a new project and new subject matter. It means we’ll be able to explore themes that feel more relevant to who we are now, as opposed to who we were two and a half years ago. It also means we can look forward to the future and contemplate what kind of company we want to be and what we want to say.
What’s next
We’re excited and terrified looking forward to next year and beyond. As much as this year has been moving on and starting something new, next year seems to be where that new direction will be put to the test. We’ll be pitching Psychroma to publishers, potentially launching a Kickstarter and hopefully getting into the production of the full game. We hope you all have a great holiday season and a happy new year. We’ll see you in 2022!
