Lawmage Academy News: Postponed Release and Progress Update

It has been a long journey since I started working on Lawmage Academy. What started out as a casual passion project to discover myself and what I am capable of doing evolved into something way beyond my expectations. Lawmage Academy, a simple game built in an old RPG Maker MV engine, gained the attention of so many people and those that played it truly enjoyed it for what it is.

The most recent achievement for Lawmage Academy was winning the “Best Game Direction Award” in CONQUEST 2023, a huge event in the Philippines featuring artists, streamers, events, and games. It was unexpected since there were so many amazing games in CONQUEST 2023. I think Lawmage Academy did so well because I decided to learn pixel art and listen to player feedback in the earlier versions. I could not have reached this point without everyone’s help and encouragement.

Aside from CONQUEST 2023, I also attended the first Philippine GameDev Expo. It was a very unique experience for me because the event was more of the business side of game development. To prepare for it, I finally made my pitchdeck and was even able to pitch my game to Nintendo! While my meeting did not lead to any commitments, I think it was a valuable experience for me regardless.

If you are reading this right now, I would like to thank you for taking an interest in Lawmage Academy and supporting the game through your comments and engagement in the social media posts. Truly, I would not have reached this far without people like you taking an interest in my game.

I would also like to take this opportunity to apologize for the lack of updates and slow development of the game. It is difficult for me to admit it, but the release of Lawmage Academy will be postponed once again.

In December 2022, I realized two things: I needed to work on my health and finances.

So, I took the opportunity to get a second job in a law firm that accommodates lawyers like me who work in non-profit organizations. I also got a gym membership and a coach to help me improve my fitness. In order to keep up with the stress, I felt that I needed to improve my body as well. Hence, 2023 was spent working to improve my quality of life. I started lifting weights, learning mixed martial arts (MMA), and saved up for my emergency fund.

Lawmage Academy took a backseat this year, which is why I barely posted any updates. I also became inactive in Twitter, now X, because I did not like how the platform turned into. Now I am more active in the Lawmage Academy Facebook page and Discord.

However, even though the game is being postponed, development is still in progress. This year, I prioritized the writing for the characters and the art that comes with the character quests. Here are some of the new scenes for Lawmage Academy!

Alyssa's Friendship Scene - Alyssa looks sad. I wonder what they are talking about?

Ein's Friendship Scene - Ein showing off the potion that he crafted. What kind of potion is it?

Jin's Friendship Scene - Wait a minute. Are they outside? At night?! Does that mean we get to go outside our Houses at night?

Lawmage Academy started as a personal journey of self-discovery. It was nice working on it at my own pace, without anybody expecting anything from me. Since it gained a bit of popularity and attention, I felt tremendous pressure to finish it. This pressure stressed me out and I had to reflect why I am making this game in the first place.

Since I started this journey for my self-enrichment, and not as a business or as a source of income, I have decided to continue to treat it as a passion project. I will continue working on the game in my own pace, and I apologize to everyone who were excited for the full release on November 2023.

Thank you all so much for your interest and support. I am immensely grateful to you all for taking a genuine interest in my indie game.

I will announce the new release date when I am ready.

Sincerely,

Verinius

P.S. I might start streaming the development of Lawmage Academy in Youtube soon. You can follow @LawmageAcademy in Youtube if you are interested in watching future streams.