Retro Rewind - Video Store Simulator News

[p]As the end of the year approaches, we figured we could wrap up 2025 with a little development update! But first, let’s start with a bit of Retro Rewind news![/p][p][/p][p]Launch Date Month[/p][p]We can’t give a specific date just yet, but we are well on track for a March 2026 release! We’re making good progress every day. Only a few more months to go before you get to officially open your video store! [/p][p][/p][p]January 2026 Playtest[/p][p]We plan on releasing a closed Beta version sometime towards the end of January to help playtest important features. If you would like to participate, please keep an eye on our Discord for more info yearly next year.[/p][p][/p][p]Seasons and Events[/p][p]We’ve been hard at work creating a wide variety of custom events to bring more life and personality to the game. What you experienced in the demo with the Harvest Festival was just a small taste of what all four seasons have in store! With Christmas right around the corner, we’re excited to share a teaser image from the Retro Rewind Winter Holidays event.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Staff with Personality[/p][p]Over the last month, we’ve been hard at work building a dynamic staff system for the game. The goal is to support the player without ever fully replacing them. Every employee you hire comes with their own skill levels and quirks. Bathroom breaks, sick days, and even raise requests are all part of the experience of being a store manager. Remember: your employees are helpful, but not perfect :)[/p][p]If you’d like to dive deeper into the staff system, be sure to check out one of our recent posts in the General channel on our Discord.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Thank you RR players![/p][p]Thanks to everyone who had the chance to try our demo. We gathered great feedback and have been truly overwhelmed by the positive response. Your support has been incredibly motivating and pushes us to keep improving and deliver the best game possible.[/p][p]We wish you all happy holidays and we are stoked for the official launch in 2026!

PS: We’ve added a ton of cool new releases inspired by classic ’80s and early ’90s films. Can you guess which movies these three are based on?

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[h2]Late and Broken fees[/h2][p][/p][p]We heard you and added: Fees![/p][p]Customers will now be charged a fee if they return your movies late (or bring them back broken).[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]What about Rewind or Reservation fees?[/p][p]From our research, rewind fees were not a popular business model and were generally disliked by customers. We did not want the checkout interaction to constantly be interrupted by various fees like one client forgetting to rewind a movie, the next returning it late, another having a reservation fee, and so on. For the sake of fun and flow, we have kept it limited to only Late and Broken fees for now. Depending on player feedback, we may revisit this decision in the future.[/p][p][/p][h2]Closing Store Time[/h2][p][/p][p]We felt that the first two days of the demo were a bit too long since there aren’t many tasks to do when the store first opens. Based on your feedback, we have introduced new business hours that vary depending on the day of the week. This adds a touch of realism while making the game more condensed and enjoyable.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Quality of life Change[/h2]

• [p]Added a photosensitivity mode (disables the light flash from fireworks)[/p][p][/p]
• [p]Added a Field of View (FOV) setting[/p]
• [p]Added support for ultrawide monitors[/p]
• [p]Clients will no longer prevent you from placing or picking up movies from the shelves[/p]
• [p]Removed the “Tutorial Completed” popup at Day 4 in the demo, as it was confusing many players into thinking the demo ended there[/p]

[p][/p][h2]What else?[/h2][p]We have started working on translating the game, but none of them are ready for this update. For now, the language button is disabled. We are currently looking for help translating the game into: Italian, Japanase, Portuguese and Spanish.[/p][p][/p][p]Oh, and we’re working on the release version of the game, though I’m guessing that’s no surprise.[/p][h2][/h2][h3]Bugs fixes[/h3]

• [p]Worked on the issue with movies getting stuck in the return station. Hopefully, it’s now resolved[/p]
• [p]Greatly improved the chances of all your reservations being cleared from the Reserved shelf during the day[/p]
• [p]Fixed an infinite money exploit at the checkout (you can no longer give more money than you have; thank you GrayStillPlays)[/p]
• [p]Fixed an issue where the store name could be infinitely long (it now scales down to fit your storefront)[/p]
• [p]Fixed the issue where the Reserved shelf could be moved[/p]
• [p]Text and grammar corrections[/p]

[p][/p][h3]Statistic[/h3]

• [p]The demo has been played by over 4,000 players since November 1st.[/p]
• [p]The median playtime is 1 hour and 14 minutes, placing it well above average compared to other Steam demos. Thank you, everyone![/p]

[p]Retro Rewind Demo - Patch 1501[/p][p]- Fixed missing glass on Tape Dealer.[/p][p]- Fixed an issue where the player could get softlocked when talking to an NPC while sitting at the checkout.[/p][p]- Fixed movie duplication issue at the Return Station.[/p][p]- Disabled ESC button event in the main menu options to avoid an softlock.[/p][p]- Balance XP needs between levels and machine prices.[/p][p]- Increased the chance of a client receiving their reserved movie.[/p]

[p]The official Retro Rewind demo is out today! Head over to the Steam demo page and give it a shot! 
[/p][p]Do you have some feedback to share after playing? Is there something you really liked in the demo? What is THE best movie from the 80s and 90s in your opinion? Jump in our Discord and let us know![/p][p][/p][p]RETRO REWIND - DEMO
[/p][p]Enjoy the demo![/p][p]Cheers!
[/p][p]The RR Team[/p][p][/p][p][/p]

[p]Mark your calendars!

The official Retro Rewind Demo will be available early morning on November 1st.
[/p][p]In the demo, you’ll experience a trip down memory lane! Open shop and play your first week as the proud new owner of a video store. This is the perfect time to get a small glimpse of what Retro Rewind has to offer!
[/p][p]For those who joined us during the open playtest, we invite you to jump back in! We’ve added plenty of new features, like a shady tape dealer offering exclusive movies, new colors and wallpapers to make your shop stand out and the Harvest Festival event to wrap up the demo. We’ve also made numerous improvements based on your amazing feedback (thank you again for all the support!)
[/p][p]Speaking of feedback, the demo is also a great opportunity for you guys to share your thoughts with us over on our Discord or in the Steam discussions! We’re still hard at work on finishing up the game and the more feedback we have now, the better our game will be on release. 
[/p][p]Enjoy the demo![/p][p][/p][p]Cheers![/p][p]The RR Team[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]
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