Dev Update #7 - A demo is coming, Pigment Workshop deep dive & our no-AI stance

[h2]Hello Scribes![/h2][p][/p][p]Welcome to our first Steam update in 2026! The holiday break gave our team exactly what we desperately needed, some rest and a chance to recharge our batteries, because the upcoming weeks and months are going to be veeeery demanding for us. As you know, 2026 is the year Scriptorium will launch, and the final stretch of production is always the most challenging. We're so happy that so many of you are here with us, and some great news - we are almost at 80,000 wishlist mark![/p][p]Let's start with the most important thing - you've been asking us about when the next playtest will be. The answer is - never! That's right, there will be no more playtests. Don't worry though: there's something much better coming - a demo version! Our team is currently actively working on it as the last summer playtest gave us a ton of feedback, which we used in the second half of last year to refine the key elements of the game. [/p][p]This feedback has been super helpful for us to make the game the best it can be for you all, so you can expect the demo version to be (hopefully!) tailored to you. Importantly the demo will be a proper slice of the final version, so unlike the playtest, it'll have even more gameplay elements and better reflect the final game. And we’ll announce more soon - just a bit more patience! [/p][p] [/p][h3]Generative AI in Scriptorium? NEVER. [/h3][p]As you know, at Yaza Games we're all gamers ourselves, and we're well aware of the current situation in the market with AI. Through our social media channels we've received quite a few questions from you all, like, do we use tools for generating assets (like graphics, sounds, code) when working on Scriptorium? The answer is absolutely not, and we want to assure you that as a studio, from the very beginning we've had a firm policy that every asset that makes it into the game is the result of work by our team, trusted partners, and friends we've been working with for years. See for yourself: [/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p][p]We just want you to know that when you buy Scriptorium, or our previous game Inkulinati, you're getting a game that's free from these kinds of practices. We’re not here to judge other studios - this is simply our position. As a studio literally drawing from cultural heritage like medieval manuscripts, we feel we need to emphasize our position on this.[/p][p][/p][h3]Steam Trading Cards & Backgrounds[/h3][p]A bunch of you have been asking us about Trading Cards and Steam backgrounds from Scriptorium. We're happy to say that they're coming! We have this planned for the upcoming weeks, and of course we hope you'll love them. We'll show you what they look like in one of our next updates, which we'll be posting for you every 2 weeks. Also expect a completely new version of our Steam Page, which will appear very soon.[/p][p][/p][h3]Gameplay deep dive - Resource Screen![/h3][p]Starting with this Steam Update, we're planning to introduce you to different screens and features of our game in future devlogs, so you'll be true masters of the scriptorium by launch! First up, something concrete, the dye production screen, also called the Pigment Workshop. [/p][p]When playing the Story Mode campaign, this is where you'll create different ink colors, and even liquid gold, which you'll use to color and refine assets in composition mode. So, welcome to your little pigment workshop, where with the help of a real dragon, a turtle and a boat with rats, you'll create the ingredients needed to make true masterpieces! [/p][p]Okay, let's dive into this with a video teaser![/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]As you may remember, one of the key challenges for our team was making Scriptorium a real game and  by that we mean it won't be "just" a graphics editor, it will have progression and gameplay features you're probably used to from other cozy creative games. Features that will require you to plan and make decisions about how to spend your earned resources, and so on. The Pigment Workshop is exactly that kind of place.[/p][p]We didn't want you to unlock colors by just getting a pop-up saying "Hey, you now have gold color!", so we decided to wrap it in a tiny minigame with a few medieval references (even if scribes didn't necessarily use dragon help to melt gold 👀). You'll also be growing flowers of different colors here, whose petals will be used to produce the color of a given pigment. [/p][p]And remember, Scriptorium encourages experimentation, so mix colors, mix ingredients, and unlock dozens of different hues and shades so your artworks shine with a lot of beautiful colors! Top Tip: the shop's offerings change daily, so check this screen regularly so you don't miss any element needed to complete your collection.[/p][p] [/p][h3]Discord Integration[/h3][p]A final little thing to wrap up. We know that many of you use Discord daily to stay in touch with friends, so we decided to integrate Discord into Scriptorium. When the game launches, your friends will see that you're a manuscript lover and playing our game. We're not sure yet how much information will be shared in the mode itself, but even in the demo version, you'll be able to show what you’re playing and maybe even stream your creative process.[/p][p][/p][h3]What's next?[/h3][p]In the next update, we’ll answer a question no one has ever asked:[/p][p]what’s happening in the hen’s basement beneath your scriptorium table?[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][p]Thanks for taking the time to read this update! We hope you enjoyed it and if you have any questions or comments, the comment section awaits![/p][p]
[/p][p]Your Yaza Games and Mythwright Teams[/p][p]
[/p][p][/p][p]PS. Yesterday our friends from Sun and Serpent Games and Mythwright released their game Bladesong on Steam in early access! A creative sword-making simulator where you can have a great time as a blacksmith, even if you've never been in a real forge. We're letting you know because we're sure you'll love it! [/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]