Steam News6 June 202627d ago

BitSummit PUNCH Recap

Cover Art by まっさかさま Hi there! Welcome to summer. As you might have known, we were selected for Bitsummit PUNCH last month in Kyoto, Japan. I wanted to share the experience with you and go over what's next.

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Full Starless Umbra update

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What changed

0 fixes3 additions1 change0 removals

Events
Server
Gameplay
UI and audio

addedLessons LearnedI made the decision to do a special convention-specific build variant (in steam, it's the bitsummit branch) which includes an attract mode, hardcodes a few shorter "scenarios", and introduces a few fun new bugs. I severely underestimated how long getting a build prepped would take. This was so close to the wire--I had to spend about two full days debugging (on the shinkansen no less!) last-minute issues prior to the event. I was also hotfixing things in between convention days. In hindsight I should have relaxed more.

addedLessons LearnedI knew this going into things, but for the goal of wishlists specifically, physical events aren't really worth the time and effort. But it's not all about wishlists. I was so fortunate to get an opportunity to network with other developers, finally meet teammates SaKo and Brandon, and of course watch others play SU (or joining in co-op!), sharing very raw in-the-moment feedback.

addedWhat's Next?Beyond that, I'm at the point where I'm itching to start to work on new content again and continue writing. The foundations are important, but I also want to be mindful of the fact that I really haven't touched new story content in about half a year now.

changedWhat's Next?I cherish this trip and--more importantly--the people that made it special. I could not have done this without SaKo and Brandon helping with the booth, my partner helping with our daughter (especially while crunching to get the build ready), えなじ working so hard on the Japanese localization, and the amazing BitSummit staff/volunteer team!

Starless Umbra changes

addedI made the decision to do a special convention-specific build variant (in steam, it's the bitsummit branch) which includes an attract mode, hardcodes a few shorter "scenarios", and introduces a few fun new bugs. I severely underestimated how long getting a build prepped would take. This was so close to the wire--I had to spend about two full days debugging (on the shinkansen no less!) last-minute issues prior to the event. I was also hotfixing things in between convention days. In hindsight I should have relaxed more.

addedI knew this going into things, but for the goal of wishlists specifically, physical events aren't really worth the time and effort. But it's not all about wishlists. I was so fortunate to get an opportunity to network with other developers, finally meet teammates SaKo and Brandon, and of course watch others play SU (or joining in co-op!), sharing very raw in-the-moment feedback.

addedBeyond that, I'm at the point where I'm itching to start to work on new content again and continue writing. The foundations are important, but I also want to be mindful of the fact that I really haven't touched new story content in about half a year now.

changedI cherish this trip and--more importantly--the people that made it special. I could not have done this without SaKo and Brandon helping with the booth, my partner helping with our daughter (especially while crunching to get the build ready), えなじ working so hard on the Japanese localization, and the amazing BitSummit staff/volunteer team!

Cover Art by まっさかさま

Hi there! Welcome to summer. As you might have known, we were selected for Bitsummit PUNCH last month in Kyoto, Japan. I wanted to share the experience with you and go over what's next.

Lessons Learned

I made the decision to do a special convention-specific build variant (in steam, it's the bitsummit branch) which includes an attract mode, hardcodes a few shorter "scenarios", and introduces a few fun new bugs. I severely underestimated how long getting a build prepped would take. This was so close to the wire--I had to spend about two full days debugging (on the shinkansen no less!) last-minute issues prior to the event. I was also hotfixing things in between convention days. In hindsight I should have relaxed more.

I knew this going into things, but for the goal of wishlists specifically, physical events aren't really worth the time and effort. But it's not all about wishlists. I was so fortunate to get an opportunity to network with other developers, finally meet teammates SaKo and Brandon, and of course watch others play SU (or joining in co-op!), sharing very raw in-the-moment feedback.

Steam post image Let me know if you would buy these sweet stickers

Press And Reception

BitSummit also coincided with Indie Quest--a curated selection of independent role-playing games in development. I'm still honored and floored that this project was included with some very heavy-hitting games.

I got to chat with Lowell Bell, a writer for Nintendo Life, about plans to bring the game to switch as part of his BitSummit 2026 round-up. The breadth of games showcased at BitSummit was amazing.

I also joined a live playthru with the folks at The MIX (timestamped) where I got to chat a bit about the game.

Lastly, 羊めり wrote about her impressions while I shared some of the games influences and reflected on its deeper meaning.

What's Next?

In the short-term, I'm addressing some more feedback and bugs from the last round of playtesting. I'll share details on those in the next update! You can also expect another wave of playtest invites to come your way in the next week or so, once I tidy things up.

Beyond that, I'm at the point where I'm itching to start to work on new content again and continue writing. The foundations are important, but I also want to be mindful of the fact that I really haven't touched new story content in about half a year now.

As always I appreciate you reading. I'll have more game-oriented updates in the next one.

I cherish this trip and--more importantly--the people that made it special. I could not have done this without SaKo and Brandon helping with the booth, my partner helping with our daughter (especially while crunching to get the build ready), えなじ working so hard on the Japanese localization, and the amazing BitSummit staff/volunteer team!

Source

Steam News / 6 June 2026

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