Top Moments of 2023
Hi, Inklings!
Happy New Year! As we kick off 2024, I thought I would take a moment to reflect on the previous year and share a few of my favorite moments.
[h3]Launch day! [/h3]
Well before Inkbound’s Early Access launch on May 22, 2023, we got a taste of your excitement with our free demo, which we launched on January 26th! Since this was going to be the most players playing Inkbound at one time we had ever experienced, we just hoped that the servers wouldn’t crash.
So imagine our surprise when not only were things chugging along, but some of our favorite streamers like Retromation and FightinCowboy were playing! The entire team was so excited when we saw them the Atheneum!
For an indie game studio working on just our second game, the response from players near and far were absolutely amazing. We went into the demo weekend hoping to test our servers and find any major bugs, but the fact that we got attention from media outlets like PC Gamer and content creators so early in the game’s development was more than we could have hoped for.
[h3]GDC [/h3]
As indie game developers, we’re not invited to the big parties thrown during GDC but that doesn’t mean we don’t have fun! This year, we had a small booth at the live showcase by
Media Indie Exchange. It was so much fun getting to talk to players who love indie games like ours! If you come to GDC next year, I hope to see you there!
[h3]Early Access Launch
[/h3]
A few months later (and after some tweaks to the game’s balance), we officially launched Inkbound in Early Access on May 22, 2023! 🎉🎉🎉
Launch day was amazing, hectic, and just a little bit crazy. To celebrate, we had a full day streaming marathon.
Soon after our Early Access release, we started to receive my favorite part of being a community manager: getting fanart!
Launch Day art by Marksn
Weaver fanart by MissinPlatypus
Mossclaok art by Bee
This are just a few of the amazing fanart pieces we've seen since our Early Access launch. If you would like to see more, please check out the #inkbound-fanart channel in Discord!
We were so flattered that they noticed Inkbound and continued to support us through to our Early Access launch. We knew we had to do something as a thank you. So, the art team came together and made these amazing custom helmets for them and their fans.
Custom Retromation Inkbound helmet.
Custom Wanderbot Inkbound helmet.
Custom FightinCowbow Inkbound helmet.
The helmets were a hit! I love seeing players running around in the Atheneum with these equipped. Did you get one from one of these three streamers? Do you have a streamer you think would love a custom helmet? Leave a comment below!
[h3]Cult of the Scribbles[/h3]
We also introduced the world to the cutest purple cat in the world: Scribbles! This Inkbound emote is available only through giveaways during our weekly streams. I also have given some Scribbles codes to content creators so, if you want to get your hands on one, go check out their videos or streams!
Scribbles the Purple Inkbound cat.
A player even made some Scribbles fanart! This
Scribbles fanart by ThouArtPotato.
[h3]Reddit [/h3]
It was also so cool to see players start to come together and answer each others questions on the Inkbound subreddit. It’s run by an amazing volunteer, The Chesire Mouse. They are really nice and happy to answer any questions you might have.
Thank you to the Chesire Mouse for your amazing work! Without you, Inkbound’s Reddit community would not be what it is today.
[h3]Other sites[/h3]
And speaking of fan run sites, where would we be without this site for easy lookups for all things Inkbound.
Or the Inkbound wiki?? Which, although it has not been updated in a little bit, is still greatly appreciated!
[h3]The Starship of Terrors and Gods & Relics[/h3]
A few months the Early Access launch, we released the Starship of Terrors and revealed the Star Captain. Considered mayyyyybe the most popular player aspect of them all (and if it’s not, let me know in the comments!), the Star Captain zapped their way into the hearts of players.
We also introduced the first instance of TRINKETS to Inkbound and the DAILY CHALLENGES. Did you know that there is an entire channel dedicated to the Daily Challenges in our Discord? Every day, I visit the channel and learn from you on how you got your top scores.
A few months later, we released our next big update: Gods & Relics! With this new update, we added two new player aspects: the Godkeeper and the Chainbreaker.
[h3]Removal of In-game monetization [/h3]
This was maybe on of the biggest moments in the year and I would be remiss if I didn't mention the removal of in-game monetization from Inkbound.
After months of receiving feedback, the Shiny Shoe team’s leadership decided to move ahead and do this. The resulting positive messages from players was, in a word, amazing.
Thank you so much to those who supported us before and after this major change to Inkbound!
Finally, I can't finish this post without mentioning our amazing playtester who have been there for us since the very beginning. We started onboarding playtesters as early as summer 2022 and have been some of our best supporters. They’ve set the tone for the Inkbound community with their generosity, kindness, and respect for everyone and I am so glad to have them as part of the community. So, to the playtesters, I say thank you.
And to everyone I say thank you for playing Inkbound and Happy New Year!
~ Cami
Community Manager at Shiny Shoe
Happy New Year! As we kick off 2024, I thought I would take a moment to reflect on the previous year and share a few of my favorite moments.
[h3]Launch day! [/h3]
Well before Inkbound’s Early Access launch on May 22, 2023, we got a taste of your excitement with our free demo, which we launched on January 26th! Since this was going to be the most players playing Inkbound at one time we had ever experienced, we just hoped that the servers wouldn’t crash.
So imagine our surprise when not only were things chugging along, but some of our favorite streamers like Retromation and FightinCowboy were playing! The entire team was so excited when we saw them the Atheneum!
For an indie game studio working on just our second game, the response from players near and far were absolutely amazing. We went into the demo weekend hoping to test our servers and find any major bugs, but the fact that we got attention from media outlets like PC Gamer and content creators so early in the game’s development was more than we could have hoped for.
[h3]GDC [/h3]
As indie game developers, we’re not invited to the big parties thrown during GDC but that doesn’t mean we don’t have fun! This year, we had a small booth at the live showcase by
Media Indie Exchange. It was so much fun getting to talk to players who love indie games like ours! If you come to GDC next year, I hope to see you there!
[h3]Early Access Launch
[/h3]
A few months later (and after some tweaks to the game’s balance), we officially launched Inkbound in Early Access on May 22, 2023! 🎉🎉🎉
Launch day was amazing, hectic, and just a little bit crazy. To celebrate, we had a full day streaming marathon.
Soon after our Early Access release, we started to receive my favorite part of being a community manager: getting fanart!
Launch Day art by Marksn
Weaver fanart by MissinPlatypus
Mossclaok art by BeeThis are just a few of the amazing fanart pieces we've seen since our Early Access launch. If you would like to see more, please check out the #inkbound-fanart channel in Discord!
We were so flattered that they noticed Inkbound and continued to support us through to our Early Access launch. We knew we had to do something as a thank you. So, the art team came together and made these amazing custom helmets for them and their fans.
Custom Retromation Inkbound helmet.
Custom Wanderbot Inkbound helmet.
Custom FightinCowbow Inkbound helmet.The helmets were a hit! I love seeing players running around in the Atheneum with these equipped. Did you get one from one of these three streamers? Do you have a streamer you think would love a custom helmet? Leave a comment below!
[h3]Cult of the Scribbles[/h3]
We also introduced the world to the cutest purple cat in the world: Scribbles! This Inkbound emote is available only through giveaways during our weekly streams. I also have given some Scribbles codes to content creators so, if you want to get your hands on one, go check out their videos or streams!
Scribbles the Purple Inkbound cat.A player even made some Scribbles fanart! This
Scribbles fanart by ThouArtPotato.[h3]Reddit [/h3]
It was also so cool to see players start to come together and answer each others questions on the Inkbound subreddit. It’s run by an amazing volunteer, The Chesire Mouse. They are really nice and happy to answer any questions you might have.
Thank you to the Chesire Mouse for your amazing work! Without you, Inkbound’s Reddit community would not be what it is today.
[h3]Other sites[/h3]
And speaking of fan run sites, where would we be without this site for easy lookups for all things Inkbound.
Or the Inkbound wiki?? Which, although it has not been updated in a little bit, is still greatly appreciated!
[h3]The Starship of Terrors and Gods & Relics[/h3]
A few months the Early Access launch, we released the Starship of Terrors and revealed the Star Captain. Considered mayyyyybe the most popular player aspect of them all (and if it’s not, let me know in the comments!), the Star Captain zapped their way into the hearts of players.
We also introduced the first instance of TRINKETS to Inkbound and the DAILY CHALLENGES. Did you know that there is an entire channel dedicated to the Daily Challenges in our Discord? Every day, I visit the channel and learn from you on how you got your top scores.
A few months later, we released our next big update: Gods & Relics! With this new update, we added two new player aspects: the Godkeeper and the Chainbreaker.
[h3]Removal of In-game monetization [/h3]
This was maybe on of the biggest moments in the year and I would be remiss if I didn't mention the removal of in-game monetization from Inkbound.
After months of receiving feedback, the Shiny Shoe team’s leadership decided to move ahead and do this. The resulting positive messages from players was, in a word, amazing.
Thank you so much to those who supported us before and after this major change to Inkbound!
Finally, I can't finish this post without mentioning our amazing playtester who have been there for us since the very beginning. We started onboarding playtesters as early as summer 2022 and have been some of our best supporters. They’ve set the tone for the Inkbound community with their generosity, kindness, and respect for everyone and I am so glad to have them as part of the community. So, to the playtesters, I say thank you.
And to everyone I say thank you for playing Inkbound and Happy New Year!
~ Cami
Community Manager at Shiny Shoe