From a Team of 10 to 1: What We've Experienced
Hello, Guardians! I'm Orange, the producer of Guardians of the Sanctree.
It’s been over half a year since the release of the game, and some of you might have noticed that the pace of our free updates has gradually slowed down. Today, I want to have an honest conversation with all of you about the current situation of our team.
Sanctree is a game that embodies the passion and dreams of our team from the very beginning. We started out as a group of students who shared a love for gaming, coming together with excitement and high hopes for game development. Initially, our team consisted of 10 people, each with their own responsibilities. We worked tirelessly, day and night, to create this multiplayer game that blends base-building, automation, and tower defense. Every new idea, every line of code, every piece of artwork, and every technical challenge filled us with both excitement and nervousness.
Fortunately, during the testing phase, the game received positive feedback, and many players had high expectations for its release. This gave us the encouragement we needed and made us believe that success was within our reach.
However, reality hit hard. After the game's release, we encountered many unexpected issues, including multiplayer problems and late-game optimization challenges. On top of that, the sales figures were far below what we had anticipated.
While we continued working hard on optimizations and updates post-launch, our small team and limited resources were clearly not enough to change the disappointing sales numbers. As we watched the sparse sales data come in, our dreams and hopes for the gaming industry slowly gave way to anxiety and despair. For a young, independent game team with little financial cushion, this was a harsh blow—a stark reminder of the gap between dreams and reality.
With the meager income, the studio could no longer afford to pay so many developers. Everyone was working out of passion, but the pressure of reality forced us to make tough decisions. Over time, team members either left or reduced their involvement to part-time work. Some had to find stable jobs to make ends meet, while others’ dreams of game development were shaken by this setback. Now, I’m the only one left. The once-bustling studio now only echoes with the sound of my typing.
I know it’s incredibly difficult to stand out among the countless indie games today. But I’m not giving up. I know that some players continue to quietly support Sanctree, and that’s what keeps me going.
I’m still working hard to develop free updates for the game. While my ability to do so as a solo developer is limited, and the progress is much slower than before, I’m committed to giving something back to the players who have always supported us. I will keep optimizing the gameplay, adding new and exciting elements, and fixing any issues that remain.
I also hope that if you enjoy Sanctree, you’ll recommend it to your friends. Every recommendation could be a valuable opportunity for us, potentially helping more people discover the game and ensuring that our efforts weren’t in vain.
Thank you all for your constant support. I truly hope Sanctree can continue to thrive with future free updates. :)
It’s been over half a year since the release of the game, and some of you might have noticed that the pace of our free updates has gradually slowed down. Today, I want to have an honest conversation with all of you about the current situation of our team.
Sanctree is a game that embodies the passion and dreams of our team from the very beginning. We started out as a group of students who shared a love for gaming, coming together with excitement and high hopes for game development. Initially, our team consisted of 10 people, each with their own responsibilities. We worked tirelessly, day and night, to create this multiplayer game that blends base-building, automation, and tower defense. Every new idea, every line of code, every piece of artwork, and every technical challenge filled us with both excitement and nervousness.
Fortunately, during the testing phase, the game received positive feedback, and many players had high expectations for its release. This gave us the encouragement we needed and made us believe that success was within our reach.
However, reality hit hard. After the game's release, we encountered many unexpected issues, including multiplayer problems and late-game optimization challenges. On top of that, the sales figures were far below what we had anticipated.
While we continued working hard on optimizations and updates post-launch, our small team and limited resources were clearly not enough to change the disappointing sales numbers. As we watched the sparse sales data come in, our dreams and hopes for the gaming industry slowly gave way to anxiety and despair. For a young, independent game team with little financial cushion, this was a harsh blow—a stark reminder of the gap between dreams and reality.
With the meager income, the studio could no longer afford to pay so many developers. Everyone was working out of passion, but the pressure of reality forced us to make tough decisions. Over time, team members either left or reduced their involvement to part-time work. Some had to find stable jobs to make ends meet, while others’ dreams of game development were shaken by this setback. Now, I’m the only one left. The once-bustling studio now only echoes with the sound of my typing.
I know it’s incredibly difficult to stand out among the countless indie games today. But I’m not giving up. I know that some players continue to quietly support Sanctree, and that’s what keeps me going.
I’m still working hard to develop free updates for the game. While my ability to do so as a solo developer is limited, and the progress is much slower than before, I’m committed to giving something back to the players who have always supported us. I will keep optimizing the gameplay, adding new and exciting elements, and fixing any issues that remain.
I also hope that if you enjoy Sanctree, you’ll recommend it to your friends. Every recommendation could be a valuable opportunity for us, potentially helping more people discover the game and ensuring that our efforts weren’t in vain.
Thank you all for your constant support. I truly hope Sanctree can continue to thrive with future free updates. :)
