Dev Blog #147 - Near-Futurism

Greetings everyone!

It's been a while since we've really dug into what's coming down the pipe for both The Company and accompanying projects. With this month marking yet another anniversary for this game, I thought now would be as good a time as any to start spilling... at least a few of the beans on what's to come!

But First - Diana & Update 5.7.1

Update 5.7.0 just dropped for everyone earlier this month, and with it the way is now paved to complete Diana's new serum content lines. The next update, 5.7.1, is set to drop in August and will expand Diana's available content through the MCS2 tier of serums, further establishing her two major dose themes.

With the new MCS1 options, players were able to get Diana to open up more or "open" up more depending on their choices. With the next update, players will be able to take these choices even further and get a better idea of Diana's relationship with, um, pets! If you decide to continue dosing Diana, you'll either need to be willing to put in the work and establish yourself as master, or quickly find yourself on the dangerous end of a short leash. Even the "safe" route isn't going to be safe if you don't make the effort to vindicate the record clerk's trust in you.

So, if you're set on dosing Diana, just know there's definitely a collar in your future. Who's wearing it is up to you!

Art Demo - An End and a Beginning

Later this month, we'll be officially retiring the bi-monthly art demos and replacing them with the official "Art Version" of The Company! So... what's the difference?

To be honest, not much at first. The Art Version of The Company is a content and artwork complete version of The Company through Chapter 1. Free Play will be disabled but saves will not, and for all intents and purposes the release should be the same game we all know and love... but with awesome artwork!

What is changing is the release method and schedule. First, art versions will be getting released on a chapter to chapter schedule. That is, the next release will drop once Chapter 2 is artwork complete. While Chapter 1 is getting released to everyone, future art version releases will be timed backer exclusives. Chapter 2 will release to backers exclusively until Chapter 3 is artwork complete, at which point Chapter 2 will drop for everyone while Chapter 3 will maintain backer exclusivity. This will ultimately culminate in a complete release for what will become the "official" version of The Company!

So, to review:

• Bi-monthly "Art Demo" releases are retired
• Instead, the "Art Version" of The Company will be released one chapter at a time as they finish
• Everyone is getting Chapter 1 later this month
• Backers will get Chapter 2 once it's complete. Everyone gets Chapter 2 once Chapter 3 completes and so on
• The "Art Version" is intended to be the official version of The Company, and will be marketed as such as it progresses
• The existing real model image version is not and will not go away at any point ever for those who prefer it

Hopefully that makes sense!

Life After Diana

Diana is expected to be content complete with Update 5.7.2 later this year, further narrowing down the list of content to be caught up on before moving into our finale - Chapter 5. Given that, I think it's about time we look at what's actually remaining on the road map for The Company. In mostly no particular order, here is the content yet to arrive:

• Penny's serum and romance routes - Partially but not fully complete
• John's serum and romance routes - Still missing John's romance options and the conclusion of the Dom John route
• Chanel's content - Yes, Chanel's getting post TF content!
• Julia's content - Yes, she's getting actual content as well
• Store clerks - All four clerks will be getting linear content paths
• Saya content - C'mon, surely you didn't think I'd deny you all?
• Chapter 5 - Once everything else is done, we're running for the epilogues!

Don't be surprised to see some more community voting events to determine who gets prioritized!

It's exciting to think about how close we are to finally seeing this project through. It's been a long, strange trip, but I for one can't wait to slap a finished project logo on this one before moving on to the next! Actually...

Life After The Company

Before I get vague, let me be blunt for just a second:

There are currently two projects in early development set to release during and after The Company. One of them is The Company 2, the other is a simulation game set in The Company's universe.

There, in no uncertain terms, you have it! Now, as for details, I can't share a lot with you here as everything, and I mean "everything" is in a constant state of flux at this stage. Still, given the special nature of this month, I'd like to try to give you all something, as little as it may be.

The Company - Simulation Game

• That's right, we don't even have a title yet!
• This game will be taking the recently updated Pit systems from The Company and building a stand-alone experience off of it
• Rather than focusing on story, this game will be a mostly pure management and training simulation
• The main gameplay loop will focus on training pit denizens to fulfill specific tasks and orders
• It's just you this time, so if you need a role filled, it'll be on you to fill it with the resources at your disposal
• Think FreeCities... if I made FreeCities... and with a more manageable scope
• This game is being developed with mods in mind, being developed in Twine with greater emphasis on modular Javascript files as a base
• This game is set to drop its first early development build in the coming months, and a demo will be made available to everyone upon availability

The Company 2

• Working title?
• TC2 will take place years after TC1 and will allude to the events of that game
• Things have not been going well for the world since TC1's ending
• TC2 will focus less on player transformation and more on player choice through the using of branching events, new storytelling ideologies, and a smaller but more fleshed out cast of characters
• Characters in TC2 will be much more diverse than in The Company, and not just in the expected ways
• Despite a rather large time jump, one character from The Company will be returning for The Company 2!
• Progression through TC2's story will work differently than the chapter based gameplay in The Company, and should eliminate the need for a Free Play mode
• While not purely a simulation game, there will be a greater focus on management elements in TC2, and those management elements will tie into the story
• Actual development on TC2 will begin towards the end of The Company's development, and should allow a rather seamless transition between games

That's... all I can really share about these projects for now, but I hope it's still enough to get excited over!

It's been a hell of a trip working on this game with all of you, and your support over the years has meant the world to me. I'll keep working hard to continue delivering an experience you can all be excited for. Thank you all so much!

-- Westane