A bit of rambling complaint.

Steam post imageI’m honestly about to blow up here.

Before putting the game on sale, I had already braced myself with the thought: “hehe, it’s probably going to flop hard anyway.” But as a stubbornly proud indie dev, I actually still had plenty of confidence in my post-launch plans.

My expectation was

sales would tank at release, but a few players would pick it up and actually play.

Then they’d realize

“Whoa! This is an insanely good story-driven game!” They’d leave positive reviews, word of mouth would spread, and sales would slowly climb. Just as I, Black Rabbit, foresaw—a slow but glorious rise, like a hidden masterpiece revealing itself.

But reality was—

The game launched. Sales tanked. A few players bought it… and didn’t even play.

Yes, you heard that right. o(╥﹏╥)o I may believe I created a damn good story, but nobody’s playing it!

And if nobody plays:

— Nobody will discover how good the story is.

— Nobody will write the long reviews and glowing feedback I’ve been dreaming of.

Is it because I priced the game too arrogantly? Probably. Most other visual novels in this region are under 10 yuan, while I went straight to 30+. No wonder there’s no initial sales. But this is a huge, multi-chapter story project. If the price is set too low, it feels cheap (though the production style already looks cheap, I know). A series aiming for 8+ chapters… pricing it at just a few bucks would be like lowering my own value, wouldn’t it?

Is it because I didn’t do any marketing? Also true, I guess. Maybe running ads would help? But that’s tricky too—because I know exactly how much this game pokes fun at certain groups and institutions. It’s basically a dark-humor parody house. If I went out and promoted it, I’d probably just attract a swarm of people ready to roast me alive.

So… sigh… maybe it’s time to change my approach.

At first, I thought as the creator, I should stay aloof and only show up when releasing big story updates. But maybe, instead, I should use the Steam announcements to occasionally share some story background, character introductions, or even random rambling thoughts. Maybe that’ll give the game a bit more life. Hopefully. Fingers crossed. sob…

That’s all! Black Rabbit, crying. I really hope this announcement reaches people, and that some of you will buy and play my game.

—Black Rabbit, praying~~

Note: Steam requires an English version in order to upload announcements. So… it’s your turn to step in, ChatGPT! Translate for me!