State of the Game Blog
Hi everyone,
We wanted to take the time to properly address everything that has happened since December. This is a longer update than our usual posts, but we are excited to finally bring some much needed clarity and momentum back into the conversation. If you have had questions about the game’s direction, the missed release window, or what Subliminal is shaping up to be, this post is for you. We know a lot of people are still relying on marketing from over a year ago to understand what this game is supposed to be. That is on us, and we would like to clear everything up.
The December “Release”
Back in August of 2024, we released a trailer announcing that Subliminal was coming in December. It looked like the full game was finally arriving after countless delays from 2023. Due to funding issues (mentioned later), our plan was to launch just a small section, not a full experience. However, this was never communicated properly. The result was that people expected a full release, and when December came and went without any version of Subliminal being released, we understandably lost a lot of hope and trust.
To be fully transparent: our development was severely impacted by sudden banking and funding issues. Complications with our publishing partners and funding providers arose just after our August trailer, which in turn, prevented critical resources from being delivered on time and led to slowdowns in communication and production. The majority of our team was unable to continue working full-time. With only a few of us able to contribute consistently, progress slowed significantly. We thought that we could still make it work, and delayed communicating that out of hope. In hindsight, we should have said something much earlier.
We want to apologize clearly for the confusion that the trailer caused, and for the silence that followed. It created a false impression, left people frustrated, and ultimately made the situation worse than it needed to be. We are not trying to hide behind excuses. Our intention was not to mislead people, but that is how everything came across.
Subliminal - Episode 1
Since December Subliminal has undergone some quite important changes. Instead of releasing as a standalone title, it will now release as an Episode 1 with plans for an Episode 2 and even further! We have massive plans for this game and swapping over to an episodic release means we can leave Subliminal open ended, dial down the price per episode, and get this game to you guys as soon as possible.
Episode 1 is set as the first full story arc of Subliminal. You will be hurled into a world trapped inside your own mind as you venture through surreal looking environments based on your own nostalgic childhood memories. Guided by your very own conscience, voiced by Max Howarth, you are given the seemingly trivial task of maintenance.
This episode is a deeply personal, visually unsettling, and puzzle-oriented story arc, built out to showcase the ambition of this project and the passion we’ve all poured into this over the past years.
To help give you all a better grasp of what Subliminal is, here are some key points about the current structure:
The game is now a multi-ending story-driven psychological horror experience, with a structure built around episodic exploration.
The game is told across multiple chapters. Episode 1 is a full-length, self-contained psychological horror story and the proper start to the larger experience.
Environments like Childhood Memories, Deep Storage, Basement Nostalgia, and Waterworks are major locations tied to the narrative progression of the game.
Enemies like Smile are a part of the story, and each enemy has narrative significance – they are not just here to fill space.
This is not just a collection of liminal spaces, but a psychological journey through story-important environments with multiple different paths and endings.
The planned price for Episode 1 is $10 USD.
After Episode 1
Future episodes will expand upon this core arc and experience, diving deeper into the complex world of Subliminal. These will include new environments, threats, and more complex puzzle structures and challenges. Each episode builds on the last – you will carry what you have learned from Episode 1 into every future episode.
We are not revealing pricing or structure details for Episode 2, or anything future yet, but we can say that things are actively in the pre-production phase and will be announced once Episode 1 is completed and released.
Release Structure & Pricing
We chose an episodic rollout to ensure the best possible quality at every stage of development. With a small team, trying to build our entire vision at once under our current circumstances would lead to burnout, compromise, and indefinite delays. This episodic approach lets us polish, release, and refine our skills as we go, additionally letting players experience the story sooner rather than later.
Episode 1 may be a standalone arc, but it is not an isolated one. We have much more planned, and your investment will carry forward to make all future episodes that much more packed with as much content as we can fit.
Patrons who have received Steam keys will receive Episode 1 at no additional cost, but future episodes are a work in progress as we seek options for additional keys.
The Current State of Development
Despite the setbacks, development has and will continue. Episode 1 is approaching completion and ~95% done currently. All major environmental work is finished. What remains is now primarily quality assurance (QA) testing, performance optimization, final audio and music passes, and final polish on puzzles and scripted sequences.
We are still a small team, but our direction is clear and stable once again.
Preventing Future Delays
We cannot undo the mistake of the past, or erase the years of development that started with a very different vision. But what we can do, and are doing, is laying out clear steps that will help hold us accountable moving forward:
We have restructured our production pipeline to prioritize progress through consistent check-ins with a new internal management structure.
We are moving towards publishing independence, and pursuing legal options to hold others accountable for their actions in derailing December’s release.
We will only announce release windows when a build is already in its QA phase, and usually close to wrapping up.
We are adopting new communication standards, including this blog and future monthly public updates, so that information regarding development is less paywalled via Patreon.
These changes will not fix everything overnight, but they are important steps that we are holding ourselves accountable to.
Preparing for Playtesting
To help us make Episode 1 the best it can be, we’re planning to launch our second phase of playtesting, likely exclusive to Patreon at the moment, before possibly widening to public access. Players will be brought on in waves to gather detailed feedback before launch. More information about how to sign up will be posted when we are ready.
Our Next Steps
We will be returning to more regular public updates moving forward, as discussed. These will be a bit more in-depth than you might see on TikTok or Instagram, and will live on our website, Discord, and Steam page. If you want more frequent behind-the-scenes posts, our Patreon continues to receive regular updates every week or so, including development videos and commentary.
We have also prepared a video companion to this blog post with the help of Mr. Dominari, an influencer best known for his previous documentary exploring the early development of Subliminal. This video introduces Episode 1 in-depth and covers the journey the project has taken over the last few years, including the setbacks and breakthroughs that brought us to where we are now. While Mr. Dominari is working with us on this, he has insisted on being an unpaid neutral third party to ensure he can speak honestly and freely. His views are his own, and we gave him full creative freedom in how he presented the game’s current state and direction. The video should be ready within the next few days.
Thank you to everyone who has been patient with us. We know that we dropped the ball, but we are proud of what Subliminal is becoming and are excited to show you very soon!
– The Accidental Studios Team
