A lot has happened since our last update, which is no surprise since it's been over two months. Balancing work and keeping everyone informed can be tough, especially when it feels like there's not much to share. But when you sit down to write, you realize there's actually quite a bit to talk about. After all, this is supposed to be a development blog, not a bragging platform.

This update will be split into 4 different parts, each focusing on a specific topic. That way, you can easily skip over anything that doesn't interest you.

In Part I, we'll chat about funding.

Piece of thought about funding is always there, and ideally - crowdfunding, but we're not quite there yet. In the meantime, twice a year, Georgia's Innovation & Technology Agency holds "Startup Matching Grants Program" - doesn't sound too game-related, right? That's because it's not. But I figured, why not give it a shot? Game projects still have a chance, and hey, “Yes Man”?

A shot didn't even get us through the first round. Not fun, right? Wrong. We actually learned quite a bit during the process - cliché but true.

• We picked up a few things about pitching our game
• It gave us a chance to see things from a financial angle because, let's face it, passion alone won't sustain us. We need to ensure that this game becomes something that propels us forward. By the way, there are two great GDC talks I'd recommend on this topic: How to Survive in Gamedev for Eleven Years Without a Hit / Flopping Successfully: Running a Studio Without a Huge Hit 
• We found out that we have a solid team, YAY!!! Our team score was actually pretty decent (one of the evaluation criteria).
• We discovered that our team has room to grow - whoops!! Having someone with publishing experience would help. Maybe if stars align one day…
• Pushed us internally to discuss the financial aspect of the project, which we hadn't delved into much before. Crucial? Yes.

In addition to the points mentioned above, we also took a step back and considered the bigger picture. While we're currently focused on developing a game, we asked ourselves: What's next? Do we have a vision for who we want to become beyond just a team working on this particular game? We decided to aim high and envision ourselves as the CD Projekt Red of Georgia. Why not, right? Right???

Overall, while success is certainly the goal, failure doesn't appear all that dreadful either. With one failure under our belt, we see it as a chance to learn and grow. Never give up, dattebayo!

Meetup - Team - Gameplay