Hello all, it's been a long time since we gave you an actual update on development, so we thought we tell you where we currently stand with Herald. All of it is taking a lot longer than we want it to, and this is mainly because we have been trying to find funding for Book III and IV, but sadly haven't been successful in doing so. There are some very expensive parts of development that we can't do without a significant budget. Reality is that Herald is a hard sell on the current market, story-driven adventure games are a niche, and we can't finish the game with only half a team working on it. To make up for this we're currently working on several side projects to support ourselves, as well as pitching new concepts to publishers that might be more lucrative and interesting for them to invest in. Such a project could potentially help fund Herald too, or at least buy us time to build a name for ourselves that will sway a party to invest in it. Don't worry though, we aren't planning to cancel Herald anytime soon, it is just that we need to postpone the release date until we see an opportunity to properly finish it. As such, we aren't going to make any promises now, since that would be irresponsible from our part. But rest assured that we will keep you updated on any new steps we undertake to support Herald's development and secure its release. [h1][b]Book III ----- [Images can be minor spoilers for some][/b][/h1] In the past few months we have at least managed to build up a structure within the company that gives us the opportunity to work on Wispfire, while at the same time do some other work that earns us enough money to live from it. Herald is sadly not part of that structure anymore at the moment, but it is our ultimate goal to include it again sooner or later. And to prove to you that we haven't sat still over the past year, we wanted to give you a sneak peek into what is in store for book III. In book III we finally get to see more of the Rani's lavish palace. The splendor of former glory is seen in the image below, which is the first of several extravagant rooms inside her personal quarters that you will visit in book III. [spoiler][img]https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/26639967/3a728c6a7c6fd1ddea727e69d025541d71d0afbb.png[/img][/spoiler] Of course Tabatha Veazie and her uncle Louis Morton have their own private quarters aboard the Herald too. This large cabin is an area in book III as well. Below is a screenshot of this area that shows Lady Tabatha's side of the room. [spoiler][img]https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/26639967/32ac6a3bb0d5dc391e22820ea3e0dc8140640d4d.png[/img][/spoiler] Now bear in mind that these are all development screenshots that we use to pitch the game to investors and publishers. These aren't the final product, and many things could still change once we're back in full swing. But these images do give you a glimpse of what is in store for when you will finally be able to enter these new areas in the game. Notice the relative darkness of the images? Aside from just being nice moody lighting, it's also a hint to the direction that the story is going into. In book III night will have fallen over the palace as you start telling the rest of your story to the Rani, and darkness will settle in over our protagonists as well. The secret that the Herald harbors will come to light, and we'll discover why the Rani wants Devan to tell her his story. The way you will help Devan tell that story to her will ultimately determine the fate of many. [h1][b]Thank You[/b][/h1] Thank you for checking in on us and reading this update. Once again, we're sorry we can't give you more clarity on the release date. We hope you'll bear with us for a while though. We'll always keep you updated on the most recent developments, and we'll post it here if there are any things of note about Herald or other story-driven games we're going to develop. Remember that you are always free to ask us any questions. For more specific requests we'd advise you to send us an email through [b]info@wispfire.com[/b]. Yours, The Wispfire Team