Hello, dear friends!

Some of you have may already seen the post on the Bright Oak Tumblr, but I realized I never made an Itch devlog, so: first off, I apologize for the prolonged radio silence! I've been repeatedly sidelined by (thankfully minor) health issues since last fall, as well as gearing up for a major move, and it's made forward progress frustratingly staccato. With that being the case, posting more granular updates feels out of place, so I wanted to put together a more macro view of where Bright Oak currently stands in development. ✨

I'll start with the important stuff: Bright Oak is not in hiatus purgatory, and a full release is still on the near-ish horizon--but exactly when is a more nebulous matter. This is a passion project I've invested blood, sweat, years, and tears into, and no one wants it finished and out in the world more than I do.

As for where the game as a whole stands: it is now almost completely rough-coded (I'd say 85-90%?), with only a handful of backgrounds remaining to sketch, paint, and implement. There are some other little details that remain to be ironed out, but overall, the remaining work largely hinges on coding in expressions, backgrounds, sound design, and music.

With so much of the heavy-lifting already done (all very much thanks to my wonderful team of commissioned artists!), the delay I anticipate hinges on myself: the lion's share of the remaining work is the sort of detailed scene sculpting I revel in, but which requires time and focus. Unfortunately, both those resources are in short supply until I can get through with the move, in particular. Rushing through to reach a self-imposed finish line has never felt like a viable option, either from a practical standpoint or a personal one. The notion of placing Bright Oak on hiatus also holds little appeal for me, though I did give it long consideration. For now, it feels like the best way of proceeding is to continue on when I can, as I can, and accept that the pace of progress is going to be irregular for a time.

While slow and unsteady might not win me any races, I do look forward to seeing you all when Bright Oak does reach the finish line sometime within the next year. ❤️ Thank you all so very, very much for your kindness, support, and patience through this process, and I look forward to sharing the rest of the story when I can!