Hi, everyone. It’s me, the developer, checking in and responding to some comments, reviews, feedback, criticism, and support I’ve received throughout our journey so far.


I first discovered AVNs and was instantly hooked. I fell in love with some of the greatest games—many of the same ones you enjoy. At the same time, I played quite a few AVNs that weren’t great and thought to myself, "Wait, I could actually make something much better!"

I downloaded Daz Studio, played around with it a bit, and saw the potential in this software.

I started learning Ren'Py, watched tutorials, and gradually became more familiar with Python.

During this period, I learned a lot about Daz, Ren'Py, and Blender. I also invested thousands of dollars into assets. Finally, I was ready to begin production on what is now known as Hardenville.

Hardenville: The Prologue was released on Itch.io and Patreon, generating only a few purchases (three to five). The Steam version was supposed to launch simultaneously, but unfortunately, it remained stuck in the approval queue for three to four weeks—far longer than the usual 2-5 business days.

Hardenville finally launched on Steam, and to my surprise, it was a big hit during the first weekend. It grossed almost $6,000 before Steam’s cut and taxes. I was excited about the future and believed I could already start working on this full-time.

Then, a wave of negative reviews came in: "It's too short," "Almost no content," etc. However, I had always been transparent about the average playtime on the store page.

As a brand-new developer in the AVN industry—where new games release daily—it’s incredibly difficult to get recognized and build a player base. Releasing in Early Access on Steam helps gain visibility much faster. However, the trade-off is lower income on Patreon and other subscription-based platforms that many AVN developers rely on.

Hardenville is and will remain a single-purchase game. You get all episodes for one price—no extra fees, no paid DLC for more lewd scenes.

Unfortunately, after the big opening weekend, sales dropped drastically. In fact, from the Monday after release until today (March 2025), the game has earned less in total than it did during that first weekend alone. This financial reality has been a major factor behind the delays and unfulfilled promises.

At first, I thought I could work on this project full-time. But I quickly realized that wasn’t feasible yet. My hope is that after a few more episodes and more positive feedback, I’ll be able to make this my full-time job. If that happens, development will speed up significantly because I’ll be able to dedicate more time to it.

I’m a solo developer, and yes, I have missed deadlines—a lot. I sincerely apologize for that. That’s on me, and I truly wish things had gone differently. However, my goal remains the same: to deliver fantastic episodes that leave you feeling satisfied and make your hard-earned money spent on this game worth it.

It’s better to take the time to create something great—something I’m proud of—rather than rushing the process and leaving you uninterested in playing future episodes. Hopefully, once Hardenville is completed and I begin a new project, you’ll be able to look back and say:

"I really liked Hardenville, and I have high hopes for his upcoming game. The only issue was the delays—if the dev has mostly sorted that out, we’re in for a great experience!"

I’ve seen comments across the web mentioning that the English version had poor grammar. As of a recent update, the game has been fully proofread by a professional English proofreader.

I know many people believe this project will end up abandoned like many other AVNs. Some even think I’m scamming them. Personally, this is really tough to hear. All I want to do is create a fantastic game that we can all enjoy, given the time I have available.

I will finish and deliver up to Episode 9, as promised. However, as with many Early Access games, development takes time, and delays happen.

I’ve been careful about sharing release dates, especially after the backlash over previous delays. However, I recently announced that Episode 2 is coming in May. Unfortunately, even when I provide a release window, I still receive negative feedback.

Please remember—I’m just one guy, working on my first release, doing something I love. I truly hope I can do this full-time in the future. More content will lead to better reviews, which will lead to more income, which will eventually allow me to make this my career.

To be clear, I haven’t taken a single penny from Hardenville as salary yet. Every dollar earned has been reinvested into the project.

I want you to know that I hear you, I care about your feedback, and I truly appreciate your patience, support, and for purchasing Hardenville.

Let’s make this a fantastic game together!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2010460/Hardenville/

Enjoy oral caresses beautifully!
Oral 06 pose. -50%!

Patch 0.4.0.1:

-There are now 2 clipboard pages on the map at a time instead of 1.
-Slightly increased the enemy detection radius .
-Added some damage to the fire in Market Town.
-Slightly lowered the radius of the heartbeat starting point.
-Increased the xp rate from handing in clipboard pages from 1 to 5.
-The flaregun now spawns in a set location instead of a randomized spawn.
-The exit should be somewhat lit upon flaregun fire.

-Fixed the syncing of generator light and lights on map on Market Town.

The Greys

This release includes:
 
Changes in v2.2.0:

• Added Customize default optimization behavior option in Settings tab
  
  
  
  
• Added Customize optimization behavior for specific game
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Added extra process exclusions: "backgroundTaskHost" and "RuntimeBroker"
  
• Enabled Feedback Send Button
  
  

The new customizations are not persistent, we're still working on that.

Changes in v2.3.0

• Added windows notifications for priority process start / stop
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Added an option to enable / disable priority process start / stop notifications
  
  Not localized yet so will look weird, will get fixed next patch

Changes in v2.3.1

• Fixed startup issue caused by incorrect NotifyIcon usage (Special thanks to "viximp" for reporting and following with us until it was resolved).

The new features had limited testing since we wanted to push the fix as fast as possible, let us know if you encounter any issues with the new features on Discord.

Let us know your feedback, suggestions and keep up with our planned features through here

Long time no see Tea Makers!! We know it's been a while since you've heard from us, and we haven't forgotten about Pekoe. We look forward to sharing the latest content updates with you soon, but for now, we're excited to share that we'll be boothing Toronto Game Expo 2025 on March 29-30 at the Queen Elizabeth Building. It's been awhile since we've done an in-person event, and we can't wait to see you there!

We’re part of the Indie Developers Showcase, which will feature over 30 tables of independent game creators. Play indie games, meet the developers, and join our Indie Stamp Rally!

Brew tea, befriend cats, and experience the cozy vibes of our tea-making game!
We'll have a super cute table where you can play Pekoe and explore the delightful tea flavours and cozy ambiance of its charming teahouse and cat residents.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2890240/Capy_Castaway/?curator_clanid=45312008
We'll be showing the announcement trailer from Wholesome Snack, and we may even be sharing some sneak peeks.

In light of everything going on, we've been thinking about more ways to support local indie devs. So we’ve teamed up with a few of our fellow indie devs to bring you a fun adventure! Pick up a Stamp Card at our booth, visit the participating devs and wishlist their game to receive a stamp, and collect all three for an exclusive pin! You can also purchase the pin at our booth.



Win Big with Raffles Every hour, the expo is giving away exciting prizes, so don’t miss your chance!

Come visit us, play Pekoe and chat with the team! We’d love to see you there. 💖

📍 Toronto Game Expo 2025
📅 March 29-30, 2025
📍 Queen Elizabeth Building, Toronto

Hello, headmasters and headmistresses of magic schools! :cutedragon:

It’s been a long time! Sorry for the long silence. Here’s a small balance and bug-fix update (see the non-exhaustive list at the bottom of this post). This is also a technical update, paving the way for a major expansion coming later this year. This expansion will allow us to deliver the final, definitive version of Spellcaster University.

This game has been a labor of love for us, but the time has come to move on to new video game projects. This expansion will let us wrap up the adventure properly.

A quick word as well for those who interacted with us throughout development: for the past two years, we’ve been very quiet. Various family reasons (and perhaps, paradoxically, a need to take a breather after the incredible reception Spellcaster University received—thank you again!) led us to gradually step back from communication, though not from development, which continued at a slower pace.

For a long time, we hesitated to create an expansion for Spellcaster University. We had plenty of ideas but feared overloading an already rich game. However, as time passed, we refined our vision and arrived at something we truly like. I’ll be sharing some visuals of what’s coming “soon.”

Balance:

• The chance to gain the Heroic trait from the Heroic Statue increases from 3% to 4%.
  
• Increases the efficiency of the Future Heating Boxes by 25%.
  
• Increases the effects (both positive and negative) of the Tentacle artifact by 20%.
  
• Doubles the effect of the Old-fashioned trait.
  
• Doubles the effect of the Ugly trait.
  
• Doubles the effect of the Aggressive trait.
  
• Doubles the effect of the Unshakable trait.
  
• Doubles the effect of the Resilient trait (outside of dungeons).
  
• Doubles the effect of the Brave trait (outside of dungeons).
  
• Increases the effect of the Green Dragon's Blessing by approximately 30%.
  
• Increases the effect of the Blue Dragon's Blessing by approximately 30%.
  
• Increases the effect of the Black Dragon's Blessing by approximately 30%.
  
• Increases the effect of the Purple Dragon's Blessing by approximately 30%.
  
• Increases the effect of the White Dragon's Blessing by approximately 30%.
  
• Increases the effect of the Turquoise Dragon's Blessing by approximately 30%.
  
• The Bloody Curse now accelerates reputation loss by 20% instead of 10%.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed a bug that caused excessive CPU usage when displaying the in-game date.
  
• The student information panel no longer briefly appears with incorrect stats before updating on the first frame.
  
• In all languages (except French), fixed a missing space in the graduation ceremony text.
  
• Reduced the risk of students getting stuck on certain maps (especially in the mountain and volcano).
  
• General optimization by disabling unnecessary background debugging tools.

Update March 18 2025 Patch Notes


-Fixed Camera buffering movement past the limits when using keyboard camera controls

-Added confirmation screen to "Delete All Shapes" option

-Made circular shapes such as the Apple Bumper of Pinball Bumper more consistently deterministic
(If you find that patterns are still breaking please report the issue in the Steam Community Forums)

-Removed references to nonexistent hotkeys

-Cleaned up some descriptions

As always, if you have any bug reports you can use the Steam Community Forums or email them directly to Chessall007@gmail.com.

-- Brawler

Get a pet that will follow you everywhere.
Surprise your friends!

Build your medieval homestead in Clanfolk, now 50% off as part of the Hooded Horse Spring Publisher Sale.

In Clanfolk, you manage a family in the Scottish Highlands, guiding them through daily life, crafting, farming, and preparing for the harsh seasons. Balance resources, maintain relationships, and build a legacy for generations to come.

Hooded Horse Spring Publisher Sale 2025


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1700870/Clanfolk/