High Times News

[p]Dear Mood Confectioners,[/p][p][/p][p]We’ve brought High Times and Spirit Rancher to PAX East! 🎉[/p][p][/p][p]It’s our first time showcasing at a US convention, and we want to thank everyone who dropped by the past two days to play our games. The reception has been incredibly positive; it definitely made all the visa stress, jetlag and JFK interrogation worth it, lol![/p][p][/p][p]We’ll be here until Sunday, March 29, from 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM, so if you want to hang out + make virtual donuts/catch some spirits, we’re at Booth 10050! We're also giving away High Times merch for those who play the demo and wishlist the game on Steam. 💛[/p][p][/p][h2][/h2][h2]Release Timeframe[/h2][p][/p][p]We also wanted to share a quick update regarding the release timeframe for High Times.[/p][p][/p][p]Our Steam page currently lists Q1 2026, and with Q1 coming to a close, we want to clarify that the game will no longer be releasing within that timeframe. 😢 We’re now targeting a release sometime in Q2 2026. The release date was updated internally already, though it's taking some time to reflect publicly for some reason (we might need to contact Steam support if it still doesn't get updated in the next few days...)[/p][p][/p][p]We know some of you noticed the Q1 2026 window and have been asking about it. We understand the frustration and we really appreciate the excitement! We're also eager (and very anxious!) to bring the game to you guys. And while we do have a more specific release date that we’ve shared privately with our Kickstarter backers, unfortunately, we’re not quite ready to announce it publicly just yet. Once we are, we’ll be sure to share it here in our Steam news page. 💛[/p][p][/p][p]Right now, our focus is on making sure the game is fully polished and as bug free as possible. We're also exploring the possibility of a console sim-ship (Nintendo Switch/Playstation/Xbox) to give the game the strongest launch momentum as possible.[/p][p][/p][p]Thank you so much everyone for your continued support as we ride out the last months of development hell! Please extend us a little bit more patience as we hammer this out. 🙏 Regardless of what happens, 2026 is the year of High Times for sure! 🍩✨[/p]

[p][/p][p]Dear Mood Confectioners, [/p][p][/p][p]We've updated our demo in celebration of Steam Next Fest! 🎉[/p][p]If you’ve played the previous version, this build brings new flavor to the same 8 days, but now with layered events and app triggers that change how the scenes unfold. Our new demo comes with more features, drama, and ways to stir up your favorite Hotbox regulars. 🍩✨[/p][hr][/hr][h3]What’s New?[/h3]

• [p]Expanded Story Scenes:[/p]
  • [p]New story scenes with Kolt, Ainsley and Dexie.[/p]

• [p]New Phone Features: [/p]
  • [p]Facenook App – a social feed where players can catch a glimpse of what’s happening around San Mazo. Characters also occasionally post status updates or leave comments.[/p]
  • [p]Messenger App - a messaging app where characters reach out to the player whenever they're not around. These texts provide additional relationship points and help build emotional continuity outside the Hotbox.[/p]
  • [p]Tender App – a relationship tracker that allows players to monitor their affection levels with the customers. It also shows how many points are needed to unlock the next story scene.[/p]
  • [p]Hamazon App – an in-game shop where players can purchase ingredients, tools, and other upgrades for the Hotbox. These items can affect gameplay mechanics and unlock optional content.[/p]
  • [p]Save/Load - players can now save their progress every end of day.[/p]
  • [p]Expanded Options - added flexibility in how players interact with the game: volume, screen settings, text speed, debug menu, and other quality-of-life improvements are now accessible.[/p]
  • [p]Expanded MC Customization - added new hairstyles, alternate outfit and facial options to give players more ways to personalize their main character.[/p]

[hr][/hr][p]We hope you like the new updated demo of High Times! Please leave us a review and wishlist the game to help us rise through the ranks during Steam Next Fest! [/p][p]Thank you so much, gang! ːamyhappyː[/p]

Dear Mood Confectioners,

🌹 A new love blossoms in High Times! 🌹

One of the major feedback we received from the demo was the lack of male romanceable options. Honestly, we didn’t expect a demand for more male love interests (I mean, why would we when we already have Johnny Yong Bosch as Harry?!? 😂). But after seeing the game being played by otome players — which was a pleasant surprise — we went back to the drawing board to find a way to address this without creating an entirely new character and delaying the game’s release.

Turns out the answer was right in front of us, and some of you pointed this out as well.

Connor.

Yup, your best bud is now a romanceable character. The only romanceable character who is not an ex at that.

That said, we revisited Connor’s route and tweaked it to allow for a romance path (it was originally written to be purely platonic). We added multiple if-else conditions to existing scenes and wrote a dedicated romance ending. We're happy to report that all necessary changes to his route are completed!

Check out his spicy romance CG below:


We hope you like our surprise!◝(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶) ◜♡
(Belated) Happy Valentine's Day! ♥️

Dear Mood Confectioners,

We're down to the final 24 hours of our Kickstarter campaign, and we’re close to unlocking Rebel the Duck as a customer! With roughly $4k left, it's going to be a tight stretch, but the campaign isn’t over until the last second. Let’s keep fighting together and give it everything we’ve got! Every share, pledge, and word of encouragement counts. (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ

Please support our Kickstarter and help us unlock Rebel: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/yangyangmobile/high-times?ref=6jv80p





[h2]New Customers![/h2]

We're thrilled to announce the addition of two new customers in the game! They be gracing The Hotbox and causing mayhem to our darling mood confectioner!

*These characters will be part of a future DLC after the game gets released.

• Nova - a punk-ass skateboarder by night, a mysterious graffiti artist by... even later night (in collaboration with Sad Panda Studios)
  
• Detective Fox - a hardboiled detective solving the hardboiled case of the 'Donut Thief'

Did the game just got more awesome or what?! 🎉🍩

Dear Mood Confectioners,

We’re down to the final two weeks of our Kickstarter campaign! For those who aren’t following us there, we have community goals that unlock special rewards. Once unlocked, these rewards will be available for EVERYONE! (Yes, you don’t have to be a backer!)

One of the most highly anticipated rewards is the inclusion of Nova! In collaboration with our wonderful friends at Sad Panda Studios, Nova from the renowned idle dating sim Crush Crush will enter the Hotbox as one of the major side characters! She will have her own route and endings, and she'll be fully voiced by Katelyn Barr.

Other rewards include the MC having different sprite emotes (happy, sad, angry, etc), more customization options, and an alternate outfit!



[h3]Our Progress So Far:[/h3]

• Total Backers: 670 (close to 1pt - 700 backers)
  
• Total KS Update Likes: 344 (close to 1pt - 400 likes)
  
• KS Comments (includes updates): 152 (close to 2pts - 200 comments)
  
• Steam Wishlists: 963 (since campaign started; needs 1500 for 2 pts)
  
• Steam Demo Review: 19 (needs 50 for 1pt)
  
• Discord Members: 1,510 (needs 1700 for 1pt)
  
• Tiktok Followers: 100 (needs 200 for 2pts)
  
• Facebook Shares: 46 (needs 100 for 1pt)
  
• X/Twitter Reposts: 164 (needs 250 for 2pts)
  

Please help us reach our community goals by liking all of our Kickstarter updates, joining our Discord, leaving a review on our Steam demo and wishlisting it, and sharing High Times on X/Facebook! Most of these will only take a minute to do, but your contribution will surely go a long way!

Thank you so much! 🙏

• Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/yangyangmobile
• Repost on X/Twitter: https://x.com/yangyangmobile/status/1848788215224013299
• Share on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yangyangmobile/videos/2584888761875034
• Follow us on Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yangyangmobile
• Support our Kickstarter as a Panda Army: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/yangyangmobile/high-times?ref=5xpott
• Leave a Demo Review on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3221840

[h2]High Times x Crush Crush Giveaway![/h2]

To keep the Nova hype going, we’ve teamed up with Sad Panda to host a joint giveaway filled with wonderful goodies! Joining is simple: just like AND retweet this post to enter:

https://x.com/CrushCrush/status/1855309381388108216

For additional chances of winning, you may:

• Follow Crush Crush on X/Twitter (+1 entry)
  
• Wishlist High Times on Steam (+1 entry - must screenshot and show proof in the Twitter comments)
  
• Support High Times on Kickstarter (+2 entries - all of our backers are automatically eligible for this, just show proof in the Twitter comments)

We'll announce five lucky winners on November 24!



One of the raffle prizes is a special Nova keychain in the style of High Times, and it's one-of-a-kind. Aside from our team and Sad Panda, only the lucky raffle winner will own one!



We invite everyone to join the giveaway! Not only will you have the chance to win exclusive items, but you'll also be helping us spread the High Times hype! It's a win-win. (ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧

[h2]Steam Cooking Fest[/h2]



Lastly, we’re excited to share that High Times is participating in Steam’s Cooking Fest! The event is going to be featured on the store’s front page, and we’re hoping that this'll bring more eyes to the game, which will boost our wishlists and ultimately help with our community goals! :D

Thanks for reading our update! Let's get the high times rolling for Nova!! 💙🛹