2021 Year End Update
Hello everyone!
2021 was a year of ups and downs, both emotionally and professionally. I know I’m not alone in this, but I thought it might be good to reflect on the year and give you an intimate look at my journey.
The first UP of the year was announcing The Initiative early in January. Announcing a new game can be a nerve wracking experience. What if people don’t like it? What if my ideas are too weird and different? I completely understand that not everyone is going to like every game, and that is ok. However, there is always a sense of vulnerability, especially when releasing an intimate labor of love like The Initiative.
The stakes were twice as high because this was my new studios first game. If it was a flop, what would that mean for my studio?
Luckily, you were very supportive. Fans were excited to unravel the mystery and were anxious to play the game. When the game finally came out, both sales and reviews were strong so I was able to breath a sigh of relief. My heart swells from all the enthusiasm it received, and all your personal messages meant a lot to me.
Although The Initiative released this year, the design and development happened back in 2020. While you were playing and enjoying the game, I was hard at work designing and testing the next big thing. In fact, by the time The Initiative was released in the US, my second game had already been sent to the printer.
Game #2 is very different than The Initiative. However, it does tell a story in its own unique way. It is also the funniest game I’ve ever worked on, and I hope it brings a smile to your face. I’m not quite ready to pull back the curtain, but I am SUPER excited. Stay turned, the announcement is imminent.
One of the DOWNS of 2021 was that game #2 was hit by production and shipping delays. It was originally planned to release this year, but the global shipping crisis pushed it out to 2022. Luckily, sales of The Initiative were strong so this didn’t sting as hard as it could have.
In spring of 2021, I started designing Unexpected Game #3! The announcement for this game is a ways out, but I can at least say that it has a great hook and does some unique things. My goal is for the first 3 Unexpected Games to all bring something unique to the table.
Throughout the year, our partners were hard at work translating our games into different languages. This was a huge accomplishment because The Initiative is ridiculously difficult to translate. First off, it includes word puzzles that can’t always be directly translated. Words in different languages can have vary greatly in length which can make puzzles too easy or too hard. In addition, the game has a series of meta puzzles that are interconnected in a web of clues and cards. I wrote up a 15 page translation guide, but even still, this was a huge undertaking for translators.
I am proud that many people took up this challenge, and we managed to release The Initiative in 5 additional languages: Czech, Russian, Spanish, Japanese, and Hungarian. Early next year, the French and Chinese versions will be released, with at least 1 additional language planned for later in the year.
It looks like 2022 will be a great year full of new game announcements, more content for existing games, and designing the next big thing. That’s the plan anyways, and hopefully the real world agrees.
Thank you so much for all support this year, I could not have done this without you,
–Corey Konieczka
Head of Studio