heavenstudios
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The Future of Heaven Studios
🕑 Added 2024-12-31 19:02:27 +0000 UTCI’ve been avoiding this conversation for a long time because saying it out loud makes it real. But I can’t avoid it anymore—this year has been one of the hardest in my life. And honestly, I just want this phase to be behind us.
The truth is, we’re struggling. Isaac as a lot of you know, had to take on a part-time work at a cyber security company which left him with little to no time to work on Heaven Studios, and I had to find a second job because, for a while now, I’ve been making no money from Heaven Studios. Every cent from Steam sales has gone straight back into the studio—music, Scarlett Ann’s stunning art, dozens and dozens of animations, and other assets. The reality? I’ve been sinking deeper into debt. At this point, I’m €7,500 in the hole.
This year has been brutal—not just financially, but emotionally. I’ve been working endlessly, but at the end of the day, it feels like I haven’t accomplished enough. Sure, we released the babysitter patch, a ton of Ren’Py updates, and a lot of cellphone content, but it’s nowhere near the amount of work I envisioned.
Heaven Studios is not something you can do part-time—not with the level of quality we’re striving for, the sheer amount of work involved, and plans to develop two games simultaneously in the near future. It’s impossible. And I had to face a choice.
So, I sat down with my wife, and I laid it all out:
"I’ve poured everything into this game. Everything. And maybe—just maybe—it’ll start to pay off this year. But maybe it won’t. What I do know is, if I keep splitting my focus between Heaven Studios and my day job, this dream will die. And if it dies, the stories I’ve written, the plans I’ve made—they’ll die with it. So, I can let it die now, or I can go all in. I can quit my job, take on even more debt if I have to, and pour my heart and soul into this. If I fail, at least I’ll know I gave it everything I had. Or, I can play it safe. Quit Heaven Studios. Start paying off my debt. Move on."
It wasn’t an easy conversation, but the decision was clear.
I could have asked for help, I suppose. We have over 4,000 followers on Patreon, and only 300 of them actively support us. If just a fraction of those remaining followers chipped in $3 or $5, we wouldn’t be in this position. But I’ve never wanted to beg. I’ve always told people to support responsibly and only if they believe in us.
Well, I believe in us. Not just in myself, not just in Isaac or our team—I believe in you, our community. You’ve brought us this far, and I owe it to all of us to see this through.
So, I quit my job. Isaac did, too—despite just welcoming his second daughter—because that’s how much we care about this. That’s how much we love this project. We’re all in. We’re trying to pay a massive team with less than $3,000 pre-taxes. And yet, here we are, betting everything on our dream.
This is our reality. 2025 will be the year we either make it big or we go home.
I want to do this forever. I love developing these games with every fiber of my being. But love alone doesn’t pay the bills. And while it hurts to admit, there’s a chance this might not work out. But I can’t focus on that—I refuse to. I’m choosing to believe in our success. I’m manifesting it.
These past few months have been tough—depressing, honestly. Not in an “I want to give up on life” way, but in an “I see my dreams slipping through my fingers” way. I’m so broke I can’t even afford a new pair of glasses, which means I’m constantly fighting through headaches just to keep working. My doctor has warned me to work no more than six hours a day, but what choice do I have? This is everything to me.
And yet, despite everything, quitting my job has been the most liberating thing I’ve done in years. I’ve rediscovered my passion. I’ve been able to immerse myself in the work I love, to make real progress, to write and create with a flow I haven’t felt in ages. I feel alive again, and I’m going to ride this wave until the wheels fall off.
Here’s hoping they don’t.
Happy New Year, everyone.
May it bring health, love, and the realization of your wildest dreams. And thank you—from the depths of my heart—for believing in us.
Comments
Heaven Studios
Sorry for the late reply. Kagura Games and Steam (RPG Maker) are the same. Patreon is slightly ahead in terms of quality of life additions, so it's the most advanced version. The Christmas patch which should come out tomorrow in it's final version is a version that you can get for free in our website. Heavenstudios.org It's stand alone.
Heaven Studios
Thank you very much.
Anon Ymous
Just subbed, hope it helps. Wish you guys the best.
Etebaer
Well, my best wishes for you. Is there a difference between the versions of the game that is sold via Kagura Games, Patreon and Steam? I liked the art direction and feel the game has a lot of potential but it seems some story threads are cut short and do not link allways up very well. Maybe bcs i got the Kagura version and have not yet played others? What is this Christmas Patch? Hope your effort will be rewarded and you achieve your goals! Kind regards.
Mao Tsclusul
same i used to be in the 10$ tier till they finished fleeting iris and wanted to step down but the only option was and is ongoing 1$. Still wanted to support with like 3-5$ but only option 1$. Maybe this also contributed to the lack of funds because no "middle ground".
Sole Survivors Frozen Husband
I've been absent for a while but I really like your product and believe in you guys so good luck this year. And the if the extra sub tier helps so be it.
Eren889
The reviews on steam are mostly positive? I'm not sure to which one you are referring. Keep in mind that there are two versions of the game available on steam Rpg maker and Renpy (again content wise both are the same, so you get acces to all scenes and features) As for patreon 10$ tier give you acces to the game all of the higher tiers are just extra stuff that don't affect the game itself.
Steamrollerman
On fleeting iris there is a high rated review that discourage purchasing the game on Steam. But is that not correct? Here on Patreon there is too many tiers.
Eren889
Regarding content steam has the same version like the one available on patreon. The only content that isn't there is the one that steam wouldn't approve anyway thats why it's provided via the free stanalone dlc on the company's website.
Steamrollerman
I really want to play your game, but i am not sure where and how to get the full experience. I prefer to play on Steam, but havent dared to purchase it there because some says it is not the full experience. And i might not be the only one thats on the fence being confused. Just a tip.
Ferdie Wulfen
I hadn't realized I was a 10$ a month subscriber until I saw this notification. You guys pour enough blood, sweat and tears (and plenty of love) into this project. I am forever grateful and would not even be upset or disappointed if 2025 is the last of these updates. I loved the game since its beginning and so much potential. Please take care guys.
Arrow
you guys need to make a cheaper support tier. Maybe offer extra art and sneak peaks for the 10+ dollar tiers.
Arrow
I really think this would be a big step in the right direction.
Marquis de Sadeko
Sorry if this has been brought up before but have you considered a $3 or $5 tier? I tend to just set it and forget it for makers I trust b/c I often don't play updates as soon as they release and I'm not super engaged with the community. $10 a month is a lot but I've been a patreon of some other games on $3 or $5 tiers for years. Anyway, I just bought the Renpy version off Steam. Good luck!
Shadow1317
I wish all things will work out for you and the studio. I realy enjoy your game and hope that it will expand in the future.
