With Skate-o-Ween live in-game, we wanted to turn attention back to the top issues in the game as a whole. The focus of this update is to address several of our most pressing crash / stability issues in addition to some key improvements. This is not an exhaustive list, nor is it everything the team is currently tracking. We’ll continue to update everyone via The Weekly Grind (posted every Tuesday on Steam forums, EA Forums, Discord, and Reddit, as well as skatestatus) as we lock in more fixes and ETAs on fixes for trending issues.

We wanted to drop the Patch Notes and Known Issues for you to dive into before Update 0.28.5 goes live at 10AM PT on Oct 23, 2025 with fixes, improvements, tweaks, and changes.

Please note: In Update 0.28 a bug was introduced that resulted in incorrect values when granting Rip Chips and XP through Challenges.  With Update 0.28.5, this bug was fixed, which now has the intended grants.

City challenges (rotating):

• Per goal: 50 rep / 5 Rip Chips

  • 0.28.0 had 35 rep / 20 Rip Chips

• Co-op: 5 Rep / 20 Rip Chips

  • 0.28.0 had 10 rep / 10 Rip Chips

Mission challenges:

• Per goal: 0.28.5: 50 Rep / 25 Rip Chips

  • 0.28.0 had 35 rep / 20 Rip Chips

• Co-op: 5 Rep / 20 Rip Chips

  • 0.28.0 had 10 rep / 10 Rip Chips

Crew challenges (static/non-rotating):

• Per goal: 100 rep / 50 Rip Chips

  • No change from 0.28.0

• Co-op: 5 Rep / 20 Rip Chips

  • 0.28.0 had 10 rep / 10 Rip Chips

BUG FIXES and IMPROVEMENTS

• Crashes & Stability: Fixed numerous game or platform crashes and stability problems including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Crashes when getting into idle screen.

  • Crashes after completing a challenge, then opening the map.

  • Crashes while scrolling through the Spectate menu.

  • Other miscellaneous crashes.

• Challenges & Progression: Fixed issues with challenge functionality, player progression and gameplay.

  • Fixed long loading screens, black screens, and “slow motion” after using Spectate.

  • Fixed various issues with Quick-Drop.

  • Fixed Wall Carver challenge completion and rewards.

• Store, Economy, and Reward Issues: Fixed issues with the in-game store, item rewards, currency, and economy systems.

  • Fixed issues with skate.Pass menu navigation.

  • Fixed reward payouts, scaling, and item rarity.

• Audio Bugs & Implementation: Resolved audio-related implementation and playback issues.

• Character, Cosmetics & Content Errors: Resolved issues with character assets, cosmetics, missing or incorrect visual content, and user interface inconsistencies.

  • Fixed missing content and clipping content.

• The Replay Editor (PC) often captures stuttering during export.

  • Fix: Only PC is fixed at this time, and we’re continuing to work on console Replay Editor issues.  

• skate.Pass UI Bug preventing highlighting of preferred items from previous pages.

• Xbox X|S players may notice the update is much larger on their console than for PC and PS players.

  • Fix: Fixed with update 0.28.5.

KNOWN ISSUES STILL BEING WORKED ON

We are also tracking the following Known Issues. This is not everything, and we’ll keep you updated as more trending issues are tracked. 

• Stuck on Isle of Grom.

  • Fix: We pushed out a fix to stop the issue from occurring. However, this didn’t retroactively fix those in this state and we’re working to get the ferry running as soon as possible for those still stuck. If you’re still stuck waiting on the ferry, post in this thread.

• Unable to play skate. due to a "connection to EA Servers" error.

  • Troubleshooting: Ensure that VPN is disabled and check that the EA App is not in offline mode. For more troubleshooting help, refer to our Connectivity FAQ.

• Invisible party members when joining a friend from another server.

  • Workaround (not 100%): When joining a friend from another server, players may sometimes be invisible. The workaround is to use the in-game teleport option via Social menu to teleport to them.

  • Fix: Team is currently investigating a full fix.

• Achievements are not granted to the user. 

  • Fix: We’re looking for a solution and will keep you posted with our progress.

• Criteria for unlocking the Market Mile neighborhood is not showing up, causing the "Manual Extension" mission to not appear.

  • Workaround: You can get to Market Mile by doing more Challenges. Get that XP!

  • Fix: We’re working on a fix to be implemented as part of other various progression issues between 0.28 and 0.29.

• The Replay Editor (consoles) often captures stuttering during export.

  • Fix: We’re continuing to work on console Replay Editor issues.

KNOWN ISSUES FOR 0.28.5

• skate.Pass & Tix Purchase: After the user purchases the Premium skate.Pass or Tix they may be returned to a blank skate.Pass menu with no redemption page, showing only the character.

  • Workaround: Players can temporarily regain access by switching tabs, then backing out from the gameplay menu.

  • Fix: We’re working on a fix to be implemented in a future patch.

Hello there,

I’m back with a brand-new developer diary! This one will focus on the new user interface (UI). In the previous devlog, I mentioned that I had completely changed the UI — and now I’d like to share more details about it.

The new UI has been redesigned from the ground up to look more modern and clean, leaving behind the old interface’s rusty and outdated feel. I’ve added several touches to make it fit better with the overall sci-fi theme of the game.

Please note that the images I’ll be sharing below are not final — they are subject to change as development continues.

Our first image is the main menu

A screenshot of the in-game main menu interface

You’ll also see a few in-game logos and visuals, though keep in mind that the pixelization and new art style integration (as mentioned in previous devlogs) are still in progress.

Some of the new in-game logos;

• Danger score

• Kill count

• Credits

One of the new additions is the Danger Score, now visible at the bottom-left corner of the screen. This value indicates the current difficulty level, which was previously hidden and only used internally to determine enemy spawns.

That’s all for this devlog!

In the next developer diary, we’ll dive into the new mechanics and card system — see you then!

Greetings, noble mop-warriors!

Ten years. It has already been ten years to the day since the full release of Viscera Cleanup Detail.
It feels like only yesterday (and yet so long ago at the same time), that we were putting the final touches on our crazy creation.

To celebrate and honor this occasion, we'd like to take a moment to look back and reflect upon VCD's history.


But first, we want to profoundly thank all of you, our loyal fans and valiant janitors throughout the years. From the first free release of VCD on ModDB, your numbers have swelled, and we have been continually impressed by how well-mannered and helpful our community has been.
We have also been (and continue to be) astounded by your many creations on VCD's Workshop, which has continued to breath new life and ideas into the game and expand upon its universe.

We would not be where we are today without all of you, and the success of Viscera Cleanup Detail fundamentally changed our lives.
So, we salute you, with our mops raised and our buckets filthy. May your buckets always be full!

As we work on and continue to develop a sequel, gradually getting it to a stable foundation, we are reminded of VCD's early days.
So, let us take you back to the beginning... *cue memory fade*



Having just come out of development on Rooks Keep, and faced with the reality of it failing to be a commercial success (upon which a lot was riding), we sat down one evening in defiance of this outcome and brainstormed over dinner.

When the idea of a Space Janitor came up, it struck a cord and we immediately ran with it, going off at once and setting to work.
We did not stop until 3:00 AM or so that night, and we did that for more or less 10 days straight in some kind of sleep-deprived and coffee-fueled frenzy of inspiration. By the end of it, we had a working concept and the basics of the game you know today. The name of Viscera Cleanup Detail was born, so to the point and dry as names go, it stuck, fitting the theme perfectly.

Flying in the face of the conventional release schedule of the industry, we made the very indie choice to released it for free on ModDB in its earliest (and incomplete) alpha form. People immediately liked it and saw the potential.


That following period of time was a blur, and as its notoriety soared beyond our wildest expectations we pushed to develop it further.
We soon set our sights on Multiplayer Co-op, even though the physics proved a daunting challenge in this regard, and would continue to see work done on it right until (and after) the final release.

We put out several simple levels and then worked toward Evil Science, which marked the first paid-access portion of the game, thanks to the Humble Store.
It wasn't long after that when we were given the opportunity to collaborate together with the legends at Devolver Digital and Flying Wild Hog on a Shadow Warrior spin-off.


We had a lot of fun with that concept, being especially impressed by the voice-over work they delivered for it. In the end, even though it had a bit of a time-crunch pressure to it, we came away quite pleased and proud of it. It showed us people were really into the concept of VCD as a whole, and naturally it inspired us further with the many other themes we could explore.

Enter Santa's Rampage.
On the heels of the Shadow Warrior spin-off, and while developing the main game, we had a concept floating around in our minds that we just couldn't ignore.


The Christmas season was close, and it was the perfect fit. The main game was much broader in scope and we wanted to get something out there people could buy instead of waiting for it to be further along.
In truth, we ourselves were so enamored with the theme and concept, we didn't even hesitate.

This was probably the most fun time we had working on VCD, and each of us was delighted to witness one-another's creations as soon as they were added in.
From the Elves to Santa's backstory and bad habits, to the reindeer, fireplace and the beautiful set-dressing and outdoor scenery, this was something of a love-letter of ours to Christmas as a whole, only with a dark VCD twist.

We were thrilled when it proved to be a success, and we finally made good on our hobby-turned-career path which (up until this point) had been a dauntingly elusive dream of ours that few understood.


After this, the work and experience spent developing Santa's Rampage and Shadow Warrior spin-offs immediately went back into the main game, and we soon set our sights on expanding the game's level portfolio.
We continued to develop the game and finally pushed on into Early Access. We were then full steam ahead, trying our best to push out an update every week or second week.
We had no shortage of ideas, but the feedback from our early players played a big role in focusing on some weaker areas, and we tried our best to incorporate their requests and quality of life improvements wherever possible.

Forging on, we made a number of new levels and gradually added all the features and tools you know today over the course of 2 years, including Workshop Support, paperwork and easter-eggs.

With our love of Santa's Rampage (which we still played each year) and ideas floating around in our heads for another spin-off now that the main game was reaching its end, we excitedly began work on a Halloween theme.

House of Horror was born. This one was once again a lot of fun, and we enjoyed packing it full of crazy little easter-eggs.


Unlike the other spin-offs, this one was developed when the main game was largely complete. We wanted it to be released on Halloween, and it just so happened that we finished the 1.0 version of the game around that same time, given that House of Horror played a large role in refining its final state.
In retrospect, we should probably have spaced them out a bit and done more for the 1.0 release, but we had what we had and it seemed odd to just leave things unreleased at the time.

With the game now fully released, we still had some ideas rattling around, and saw no reason to not expand upon the game more, so we began work on a few extra free levels.
We also began work on MacOS support, which (despite a huge amount of work, and to our disappointment) never lived up to our standards, and we were only ever able to offer limited support.

After some time spent dabbling on other projects while continuing to push out fixes, we returned to VCD. Not yet feeling we were done with it, and wanting to give our players more, we developed some ideas.

Enter the Vulcan Affair. A spin-off concept that, like the others, came together very naturally. We had tons of inspiration for spy-spoof concepts, and soon had a level to build on.


We went all out on this one, developing new disposal methods and interactive elements. We enjoyed this one quite a lot.

Not content to simply put out a paid DLC, we wanted to give players some new levels for free too. Our front-runner was Core Sample, with the other two (Pestilent Penitentiary and Penumbra) exploring some other ideas we had.

Penumbra was spawned from our desire to explore a completely dark level, but sadly we didn't have enough time to really do it justice along with all the others, so it fell a bit short in the end, giving it its now legendary reputation.


Finally, we come to today. With a long hiatus since we released the Vulcan Affair, we moved on to some other projects of ours that had been in the pipeline for some time.

However, VCD remained in our minds, and the parts of its engine we were not able to fully wrangle into submission left us with something of a sore spot.
Coupled with the multitude of ideas we still had, and the march of technology making VCD show its vulnerability to aging, we set out to port it to UE4.

We soon discovered the work-load involved was immense, and eventually decided it was better to spend that time (and limited man power) pursuing a sequel with the heaps of new ideas and past knowledge we now had.


Now, we finally have a working foundation for VCD in Unreal Engine 5, and are putting the final touches on our first major level.

Having learned lessons from the original, we are using our knowledge to build upon the original and focus on the things that made it great. Adding new systems and mechanics that reinforce the core of VCD, and removing the less successful elements without losing the crazy stuff that made it great.

We are gradually working toward a showcase of what VCD 2 will be like before we put it on Steam. Firstly, because we value feedback, and secondly because it's a good semi-complete package to aim for at this early stage that will define a proof of concept.
We hope to get there soon, but there has been a lot of ground to cover, so it's an ongoing process with a lot of hurdles we continue to overcome.


Thank you for coming on this journey with us, and thank you once again to all our amazing fans and supporters who have made this dream a reality over the years.
You noble Janitors are the best! Truly a class act of custodians if ever there were.

Until next time. We hope you all keep well, and keep those floors/walls/halls/boots clean.
Raise your wet mops high in celebration, and down a can of 'fat-man'.

Here's to ten years of being clean!

Hello from the Finite Reflection Team👋

We’re embarking on a new quest, and today we’re delighted to reveal Mousward! If you enjoyed our previous game, Void Sols, we’re aiming to bring across a lot of what made that so special into this new project. You can see for yourself in our trailer below! 

Mouseward is our attempt at a 90’s-inspired collectathon within a recognisable soulslike wrapper. Within a cursed kingdom, your role as a Royal Mouse Guard will be to restore order and dispel mysterious evils.

• Mastering combat with all the juicy dodges, rolls and parries you can handle

• Uncovering secrets and hidden items

• Customizing your mouse guard with a range of skills and equipment at your disposal

• Exploring a moody and nostalgic low-poly world

• Encountering a memorable cast of woodland critters, both friend and foe

We’re looking forward to revealing more in the coming months. If you come say hello in Discord, there are ways you’ll discover to play the game today!

Yours until the kingdom is restored,

Finite Reflection Studios

Join the Discord Follow us on BlueSky Subscribe to our YouTube

Screamers, you asked, and we listened!

We're incredibly proud to announce DON'T SCREAM TOGETHER, an improved and expanded version of DON'T SCREAM will be launching on Steam soon! You can wishlist it here.This new version will feature online co-op for up to four players! And if you played the 2023 single-player version of DON’T SCREAM, DON’T SCREAM TOGETHER will feel like a completely new experience, with major additions and meaningful improvements across the board, including new playable characters with customization, an all-new Hunted mode, new and improved animations, fresh objectives and lore, more scares and locations, vastly improved performance, full controller support, UI and HUD updates, and much, much more! The move to co-op fundamentally changes the fear. Exploring a huge, pitch-black forest with friends is genuinely terrifying. You will need to rely on each other and stay calm, yet it is all too easy to lose your cool as the tension builds! As for some important details:

DON'T SCREAM TOGETHER (Classic)

You and your friends can still take on the classic challenge of DON'T SCREAM, but with key improvements. The rules remain simple: if any one player screams, the game instantly restarts for everyone. Get ready to test the bonds of your friendship!

DON'T SCREAM TOGETHER (Hunted) - New Mode

Introducing the brand-new Hunted mode! In this mode, if a friend screams, they don't force a restart for the group. Instead, the fallen friend returns as a playable hunter! The hunter's mission is simple: track down their former teammates and finish them off before the remaining players can escape the forest.

PLAYABLE CHARACTERS

Players will be able to select from multiple characters with some customization, all of whom have their own backstory and lore.

There's a lot more changes to the co-op version, and we'll be sharing more news and details regarding the release date soon!

You can wishlist the game here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2692990/DONT_SCREAM_TOGETHER/Thank you! - Joe - Digital Cybercherries Socials Twitter | Discord

1. 83 lines updated — stylistic issues corrected.

2. Terminology consistency improved in the in-game encyclopedia.

3. "Евік" has been replaced with "еомка", derived from the Ukrainian abbreviation ЕОМ (електронна обчислювальна машина — electronic computing machine).

Thank you to everyone who supports us with feedback — your input is worth its weight in gold!

Haunt every Battleground. The Revenant’s Star Battle Pass is available now until November 20, 1 a.m. PT (8 a.m. UTC). It features the Revenant Carapace outfit and headpiece, Chattery Anis Amitoi, Sable Torus Dash Morph, Gesture: Taunt, and Pose: Lightning Throne.

Want even more unique rewards for completing seasonal challenges? The Battle Pass is an optional seasonal purchase that can turn your accomplishments into new cosmetics, crafting materials, items, and various in-game currency. Each Battle Pass features a free track and a premium track that can be unlocked with Lucent. Look forward to new spoils every season.

Learn more about the Revenant’s Star rewards and then explore answers to your most common questions.

There are desirable rewards at every level, but the most ambitious adventurers will strive to achieve max level (level 50) for the following loot:

• Level 1 (Premium Track): Sable Torus Dash Morph

• Level 20 (Free Track): Chattery Anis Amitoi

• Level 31 (Premium Track): Pose: Lightning Throne

• Level 45 (Premium Track): Revenant Carapace (headpiece)

• Level 50 (Free Track): Motion: Taunt

• Level 50 (Premium Track): Revenant Carapace Outfit

Don’t forget to use your Star Crystals for valuable items in the Revenant’s Star Point Shop. As you progress your Battle Pass, you’ll earn Star Crystals as free rewards at levels 5, 10, 15, 25, 30, 35, and 45. Additional Battle Pass experience upon reaching level 50 will be converted into Star Crystals. Be advised, at the end of the Battle Pass season, your Star Crystals will turn into Quality Recovery Crystals.

Here are some of the featured items from the Revenant’s Star Point Shop:

• Adventure Coin: Fortitude

• Noble Rune Category Selection Chest

• Precious Blessing Pouch: Chaos

• Skill Core Engraving Book

• Rare Rune Category Selection Chest

• Precious Ore Selection Chest

• Trait Extraction & Conversion Stones

• Nebula Charge Stones

• Rare Artifact Chance Chests

• Weapon Mastery Experience

• Skill Conversion Books

• Trait Unlock Stones

• Precious Parchment

• and more!

Want to learn more about how the Battle Pass works? Check out our FAQ.

Thanks for your support and we’ll see you in Solisium!

Frosthaven’s first-ever Early Access update, Awakening Protocol, is available now for all players! Awakening Protocol introduces a brand-new storyline, featuring: 

• The mysterious Unfettered machine civilization  

• Three highly-anticipated playable heroes 

• Additional bosses and quests 

• Major quality-of-life gameplay enhancements 

• And more! 

 

Warning: Spoilers ahead! 

 

DEFEAT THE UNFETTERED MACHINE UPRISING 

Explore the great facility of an ancient civilization that fell into ruin millennia ago. Forged for service and abandoned to rust, the Unfettered now rise with vengeance, driven by an enigmatic leader and a relentless plan. The fate of Frosthaven hangs on the choices you make in the Awakening Protocol.  

 

 

Check out the official patch notes below: 

Features 

• Added The Unfettered storyline. 

• Added three new playable characters. 

• Updated the Main Menu with a Halloween theme. 

 

Major fixes  

• Fixed a number of desyncs connected to the “Undo” feature. 

• Fixed more Multiplayer desyncs. 

• Door tiles no longer block any movement. 

• Fixed an issue causing an endless loading screen when loading in Tutorial quest 2 after beating the first Tutorial quest. 

• Updated the colors of the Geminate cards. 

• Fixed a number of stucks that were occurring. 

 

Minor fixes 

• Teleporting a second character on the platform in Quest 15 “Ancient Spire” with “Magnetic Cape” is no longer possible. 

• Fixed a tooltip within the Bannerspear perks. 

• In Tutorial quest 7 “Assault on the Warchief”, Brittle is now applied to all monsters/characters simultaneously. 

• The reward screen can now only occur if a quest was successfully completed. 

• Fixed a number of issues connected to the “Snowdrifts” in Quest 6 “Avalanche”. 

• Added additional contextual tutorial images. 

• Summons no longer take damage from damaging the orb in quest 21 “Realm of endless frost”. 

• The game now correctly shows the right amount of damage dealt to a target if they have a shield. 

• Fixed a visual hex issue in Quest 16 “Derelict Elevator”. 

• “Guardian of the flag” mastery no longer fails on Quest 21 “A realm of endless frost”, after passing through the first door. 

 

 

• Renamed Stamina upgrade track to Movement, and changed many of its upgrades
  
• Made the Collection screen always show the page buttons, and now just disables them if there are no pages to go to (the previous method of hiding the buttons caused a bug with the controller
  
• Added collection totals to Collection screen

Hi zookeepers!

A brand new game update went live earlier today for Let's Build a Zoo. Thanks for your patience as we worked to fine-tune the details, we're really happy to finally share it with you. Keep reading for the full overview.




Today's new Hats Update contains a hat-trick of new content for Let's Build a Zoo, from animal attire that puts the cap in cap-ybara (sorry), to updates on how you can capture and share the intricacies of your zoo designs. This head-turning update is full to the brim of new deco items, featuring a crossover from our coming-soon game dev simulator, Let's Build a Dungeon.


You can now build a millinery to manufacture hats! Once you've built the Hat Factory and started production, hats can be sold in the warehouse to earn money, or you can send them to the store room which makes them available to be worn by any animal in your zoo. There are more than 25 hat designs available covering everything from top-hats to crowns, making for a whole host of cap-tivating new looks.



Once you've manufactured your first batch of hats and sent them to the store room, you can select which headgear you'd like each animal to wear. Changing to a different style costs 1 hat and you'll lose access to the old one, so make sure to use the hat preview screen to choose the perfect look before locking in your choice.




Showing off and sharing your best zoo designs has never been easier! With today's update we've added a super quick way to capture a full-quality screenshot of your entire map. Press Esc to access the camera tool, and then select the new screenshot button in the top right corner.


[Zoo design: WelshPixie]

Once you've captured the image, it'll be saved locally and you'll be given details of where to find it. The capture will be pixel-perfect, meaning all the smaller details of your design will be fully viewable. If you do try out the new screenshot tool, please come over to Discord and share your snaps with us in the Show Us Your Zoo channel!






A series of new decorations are now available, including various decorative items, subway entrances, staff entrances and floor tiles. These items are inspired by our upcoming game dev simulator: Let's Build a Dungeon, and will help to bring a kinda spooky, medieval vibe to any zoo.


If you'd like to stay up to date with what we've got planned for Let's Build a Dungeon, please consider adding the game to your wishlist:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2365790/Lets_Build_a_Dungeon/

Maybe we should add zoo animals to Let's Build a Dungeon next?


We also made some quality of life changes and tackled a series of bugs that were causing issues for some players. Thanks again for your patience as we put all of this together. You can find the full change list below.

• Added Hat Factory and the ability to manufacture hats to sell. Animals can now also wear hats.
  
• Added a screenshot tool to Camera Mode. You can now save a screenshot of your whole zoo map.
  
• Added new items including decorations, subways, staff entrances, and floor tiles
  
• Fixed an issue where animals still die in batteries, even with immortality enabled in Sandbox mode, when they are transferred to the batteries on the day they arrive.
  
• Fixed potential crash when recycling employees try to access a bin that is blocked from a certain side
  
• Fixed floating plants, bubble machines, ship floats and driftwood in aquatic pens not being moved with the pen, which would crash if you try to select the empty space they should be in
  
• Fixed water enclosures not rendering properly when being edited
  
• Fixed lights of the building being moved rendering over certain UI
  
• Fixed lighting for Brazier
  
• Fixed various building not returning to the correct parts of the build menu after quick-hiring an employee
  
• Fixed crop picker count not updating in farm zone panels when zoning crop pickers
  
• Fixed missing spacing in zone info panel for exhibition control workers
  
• Fixed clickthrough in zone employees sub-panel
  
• Fixed spacebar opening the pause menu when renaming animals
  
• Fixed being able to rename an animal to empty text
  
• Added confirm button when renaming animal on keyboard
  
• Fix for the total visitor count including protestor count twice
  
• Fixed inconsistent research bonus widths and text overflow in research mouseover
  
• Fixed abortion preview always showing NEW even when baby is not a new variant
  
• Fixed park rating panel not closing when opening other top panels after opening animal details
  
• Fixed CRISPR confirm button not resetting when you change species
  
• Fixed CO2 text offset and also adjusted base scale for icons
  
• Added function to screenshot the whole zoo in camera mode
  
• Fixed baby animals appearing as adults and other rendering inconsistencies in camera mode
  
• Fixed building and land mouseover being visible in camera mode
  
• Fixed off-center notification dot when using higher resolution displays
  
• Fixed several off-center icons in build bar
  
• Other general bug fixing

And that's all for now! Thanks for being here and please let us know if you have any questions. We'll be back soon with more Zoo news.

Springloaded & No More Robots