Hello everyone, we hope you’re doing well and starting the holiday season in high spirits. With the launch date rapidly approaching, we wanted to craft this update a little bit differently. [h3]Our current state[/h3] As the game's development progressed, the whole team put their heart and soul into the project, dedicating the entire week and weekends to meet deliveries and fix bugs, often giving up rest for the sake of the game. After people from all over the world tried the 9 Years of Shadows demo on Steam Next Fest, we gathered valuable feedback and noticed relevant issues that need to be addressed as soon as possible but that aren’t easy to solve. If you have followed our journey closely, you’ll know that we are committed to delivering a worthy product, and while we know no game is perfect, we are confident we can do better. Our publisher has been very understanding of our situation and has supported our choice to regroup, take care of the team, and handle any lack of resources that due to our pipeline. [h3]Release date[/h3] It is with a heavy heart that we have decided to delay the launch of our game a few months into 2023. This is an announcement we do not make lightly. Our loyal community has been a driving force for every member of Halberd Studios, and delaying the game again is something that pains us greatly. However, in order for us to continue, we must ensure the well-being of the devs and reassess how we will approach the obstacles ahead. Rest assured that this is the last time we will resort to a delay, and are determined to finally release the game as promised. We also want to reassure you that 9 Years of Shadows’s content and features are virtually finished, and the additional time we will take is going to be focused directly on polishing. In fact, we would love to share a couple of things that have been in the works for a while. Firstly, take a look at the preview of Master Hibino's song, The Serpent Prince. If you have been enjoying Bayonetta 3's soundtrack, his collaboration in 9 Years of Shadows is just for you. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39822346/44e7b9591d8873a6c0bf588e36fbba3fd21c91e8.png[/img] [url=https://soundcloud.com/halberdstudios/the-serpent-prince?si=ab4fb0884ae542d489c0af4ce43c3a2a&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39822346/274eb85ba671da8548d48c66f29e0de2e5ea5936.png[/img][/url] Also, we wanted to share a glimpse of an interesting area. What do you think this is? [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39822346/555a907c0b5325e67a8a19aa3e1e1778f1c108ac.png[/img] To our loving community [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/39822346/de977343cae681934aa6a6c4fe2802b72cc94377.png[/img] From all of us, we earnestly thank you for the lasting support and good wishes for these past couple of years. There is nothing more we could ask of this wonderful community but to hang in there just for a little longer. In the end, it all comes down to a matter of time, and with it, we know your patience will be worth the wait. As always, we will keep you posted on our progress with regular updates and through our social media, so make sure you follow us to stay in the loop In genuine appreciation, The Halberd Team