Gremlins, Inc. News

Good morning, dear friends :

As you may know, throughout 2025 we have committed to releasing weekly updates for Gremlins, Inc. Such updates typically include a few quality of life improvements:

• edits for card rules, to make them easier to understand;
  
• fixing typos and missing values in some languages;
  
• occasionally, balancing changes (thanks to the forum discussions);
  
• sometimes, improvements in visual assets (contrast/colors);
  
• sometimes, improvements in the UI (font sizes and other things);
  
• from time to time, improvements in stability of servers;

If you have any suggestions for future updates in the categories above, please post them on Steam Forums. We are here for you, working to make your game experience better.

And if you report a ːhypnoheartː particularly good ːhypnoheartː bug which we then find, and fix, then we will happily mail you a little package from our studio –



[h2]UPDATE 2025/01/30[/h2]

[h3]LANGUAGE EDITS[/h3]

• harmonized description of special movement effects (17 cards); languages affected: English, Simplified Chinese (ːmagic_sparklesː thanks, 炒鸡厨客, 菇男), Japanese (ːmagic_sparklesː thanks, members of Gremlins, Inc. Japanese community), Russian.
  
  
• a few years back, when we thought we could introduce "edit" function for all cards, we modified some card rules in anticipation of this change – which resulted in the phrase "Misfortune cards to choose from: 1". We did not manage to add the "edit" function, but that language remained, and it was confusing. It is now fixed. Languages affected: all languages.
  
  
• action card "Secret Police ID" had a name that was too long in Brazilian Portuguese language, which prevented it from being displayed fully; we shortened the name (ːmagic_sparklesː thanks, Jef).
  
  
• one of jail cards had, only in Russian language, a mistake in description of effect ("-0 days"); this is fixed now (ːmagic_sparklesː thanks, VaBaDak)

[h3]USER INTERFACE[/h3]

• reduced unnatural line breaks; languages affected: Simplified Chinese, Japanese.
  
• fixed a bug in which “ー” disappeared in some sentences; languages affected: Japanese.
  

[h3]TECH ISSUES[/h3]

• the stability of our servers has been somewhat increased, thanks to a better communication protocol

[h3]OTHER ISSUES[/h3]

• we adjusted the prices to be able to participate in certain sales events, as in some currencies the prices were flagged as "too low"; currencies affected: here and there, about 20 currencies, with small changes

[h2]ROADMAP[/h2]

[h3]LANGUAGE EDITS[/h3]

We will continue with the clarifications and harmonization of the rules of the cards. The effort is focused on English, Simplified Chinese, Japanese and Russian languages initially.

[h3]USER INTERFACE[/h3]

We started working on a couple of updates for the visuals of the game, we don't have ETA when these yet. Maybe this becomes a DLC, maybe not, who knows.

[h3]TECH ISSUES[/h3]

There's a server upgrade in the plans, which will provide significant improvement in stability. We are not releasing it at this time as there's a tournament in progress, but once it's over, we'll ship it.

[h3]OTHER[/h3]

"Brand recognition" will be rebalanced after the Lunar New Year tournament ends. Thanks for all the feedback, we agree that it can be improved.

Gremlins, Inc. will celebrate 9 years in full release on March 11, 2025. Do we plan something special? You bet (Valve will also help).

–––––

PS

ːmaliceːːmaliceːːmaliceː Shameless promotion time! ːmaliceːːmaliceːːmaliceː

Our new game has a Steam page now (we plan to release a demo in the summer):

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2694810/Sister_of_a_Dragon/

Dear community:

This time, the Lunar New Year tournament is more luxurious and lasts a longer time, to share the joy of the most recent major update with our players. As in the TOURNAMENT “DOUBLE 11”, T-shirts and enamel pins as a part of the prize pool. Don't miss your chance to win!





The tournament starts on January 27, with the following rules:

[h2]LUNAR NEW YEAR TOURNAMENT 2025[/h2]

27 Jan 2025 (12:00 GMT) – 3 Feb 2025 (12:00 GMT) (7 days)

[h3]EUROPE[/h3]

ːcardsː Players: 4
ːscoreː Victory condition: 30 points
ːcursecardː Chaos Cards: allowed
ːmagic_sparklesː Character Abilities: allowed
ːtelegramː Impending Misfortune: hidden
ːcheatdiceː Characters: random
ːRatsClockː Timer: normal
ːLocationː Field: Clockwork Colony (2)

Tournament points (place/points):

1. +120
2. +20
3. +4
4. +1

Players get tournament points for the first 10 sessions.

[h3]ASIA[/h3]

ːcardsː Players: 2
ːscoreː Victory condition: 35 points
ːcursecardː Chaos Cards: allowed
ːmagic_sparklesː Character Abilities: allowed
ːtelegramː Impending Misfortune: hidden
ːcheatdiceː Characters: random
ːRatsClockː Timer: normal
ːLocationː Field: Clockwork Colony (2)

Tournament points (place/points):

1. +120
2. +20

Players get tournament points for the first 16 sessions.

[h3]MAIN PRIZES[/h3]

The following prizes are awarded to players who occupy the following places, separately on EUROPE and on ASIA servers:

1. Original Gremlins, Inc. T-shirt
   A set of Gremlins, Inc. enamel pins (4 pins)
   3x illegal box of goods
   Champion's trail
   Frosty Footsteps
   Frame of Ice
   A Smart Plug
   
2. A set of Gremlins, Inc. enamel pins (4 pins)
   3x illegal box of goods
   Frosty Footsteps
   Frame of Ice
   A Smart Plug
   
3. A set of Gremlins, Inc. enamel pins (4 pins)
   3x illegal box of goods
   Frosty Footsteps
   Frame of Ice
   
4. 3x illegal box of goods
   Frosty Footsteps
   Frame of Ice
   
5. 3x illegal box of goods
   Frosty Footsteps
   
6. 2x illegal box of goods
   
7. 2x illegal box of goods
   
8. 1x illegal box of goods
   
9. 1x illegal box of goods
   
10. 1x illegal box of goods
    
11. 1x contraband box of goods
    
12. 1x contraband box of goods
    
13. 1x contraband box of goods
    
14. 1x contraband box of goods
    
15. 1x contraband box of goods
    
16. 1x contraband box of goods
    
17. 1x contraband box of goods
    
18. 1x contraband box of goods
    
19. 1x contraband box of goods
    
20. 1x contraband box of goods

[h3]Additional prizes[/h3]

EUROPE server –

ːSneakyChestː 5 victories in a row: 1x illegal box of goods
ːSneakyChestː 10 victories in a row: 2x illegal box of goods on top of this

ASIA server –

ːSneakyChestː 10 victories in a row: 1x illegal box of goods
ːSneakyChestː 16 victories in a row: 2x illegal box of goods on top of this


[h3]Bounty hunter's award[/h3]

The first player to win against the player with the highest number of tournament points –

EUROPE server –

ːSneakyChestː A set of Gremlins, Inc. enamel pins (4 pins) (If the player in question is one of the top three finishers, they will instead receive 2x Smart Plug).

ASIA server –

ːSneakyChestː A set of Gremlins, Inc. enamel pins (4 pins) (If the player in question is one of the top three finishers, they will instead receive 2x Smart Plug).


[h3]Secret Award[/h3]

The secret rule will be disclosed after the end of tournament.

ːSneakyChestː 1x illegal box of goods

Announcement of Results!!

[h3]TOURNAMENT RESULTS[/h3]

EUROPE

TOP20
1st asdfleer 1084 points
2nd rktktavi 984 points
2nd Lord Helmchen 984 points
2nd geHa 984 points
5th 稚沇 968 points
6th Tolsty Kotik 900 points
6th Ya 900 points
8th Gripp 884 points
8th Mr Dink 884 points
8th UlVerD 884 points
11th Schrödinger`s Cat 881 points
11th Sid'er 881 points
13th Why SO SeriOus? 868 points
13th AvaronZurBanTurg 868 points
13th gipers16 868 points
16th blossypoo 861 points
17th Lis 852 points
18th twitch. tv/yhads 784 points
19th 下棋蛮好 781 points
20th Shalfey 780 points

5 victories in a row
gipers16 6 victories in a row
asdfleer 5 victories in a row
Ya 5 victories in a row
Gripp 5 victories in a row
Lis 5 victories in a row
fog 5 victories in a row
Kroshka_enot 5 victories in a row

Bounty hunter's award
DicRoNero hunt:asdfleer

Secret Award (Lucky Award: 29th, and 129th player from the top on the tournament board)
29th kva2
129th Elite Rogue

ASIA

TOP20
1st GPA3.9 1920 points
1st 炒鸡厨客 1920 points
3rd 胯宝 1820 points
4th 鼠中龙凤 1720 points
4th 骰子领唱 1720 points
6th Declan 1620 points
6th 豌豆 1620 points
6th haynest 1620 points
6th 葫芦娃 1620 points
10th 随风立斩 1600points
11th 小豌豆 1520 points
11th 梅子孜然 1520points
11th 卡比别打游戏 1520 points
11th 钟表镇所长 1520 points
11th 落花 1520 points
11th crotail 1520 points
11th zcxy 1520 points
11th 隐藏鬼鬼 1520 points
11th sati 1520 points
11th Player One 1520 points

10 victories in a row
炒鸡厨客 16 victories in a row Perfect!! GPA3.9 16 victories in a row Perfect!! 胯宝 14 victories in a row
骰子领唱 10 victories in a row
随风立斩 10 victories in a row
钟表镇所长 10 victories in a row
< blank > 10 victories in a row

Bounty hunter's award (Undefeated champion receives this award)
GPA3.9
炒鸡厨客

Secret Award Secret Award (Lucky Award: 29th, and 129th player from the top on the tournament board)
29th 糖分AwA
129th 油腻痴情男高

The in-game prize items have already been distributed.

[h3]Important: Right holders of prizes requiring delivery should contact us in one of the following ways:[/h3]
Send an email to [email protected]
Join the official Gremlins, Inc. discord and send a DM to Standard of Ur
Invite Standard of Ur to be your Steam friend and use steam chat

The following information is required for delivery:
Zip code (Postal code)
Address
Name
Phone number

Please note that if contact is not made by 12:00 GMT on February 25, this year, the right to receive the prize will be forfeited.

Thank you to everyone who helped make the tournament a success.

[Team CO]

Hi friends.

Recently, we got lucky with great sales in :china: China – and, after celebrating with tea from Yunnan, we decided to say "thank you" by releasing this update (we also have a new game to show to you! it has a battle system like a digital board game, with multiple calculations each round, made seamlessly – read on for more details!).

Now, speaking of sales of Gremlins, Inc.:



:magic_sparkles: top 5 countries by copies sold, Q4 2024: China, Russia, USA, Japan, Ukraine

ːsteampunkː top 5 countries by revenue, Q4 2024: China, USA, Russia, Japan, Ukraine

It is only fitting, that this update is brought to you by a mixed dev team that's based in Japan (community & design), Russia (engineer), Ukraine (artist) and Lithuania (producer). Not to forget our translators who are based in Netherlands, Korea, China, Italy, Brazil, Spain, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany and France.

As you can see... gremlins are everywhere !! ːmaliceː

(as one gremlin famously wrote, "Workers Gremlins of the world, unite!")

Anyways, let's celebrate this update together, and thanks one more time to the Chinese players (and our partners at HeyBox) for giving us the positive motivation to come through with this update.

[h2]3 NEW CARDS[/h2]

Today we add not 1, not 2, not 4, but 3 new cards – how about that!

[h3]Heavenly Duties[/h3]





Special Rule:

The player of your choice gives you $200, ːscoreː2 or ːvotesː5. You make the choice.

"Devils who moved to the Astral Plane due to a zoning project in the Inferno, did not change their tricks – but changed the terminology. What was known as "racket and extortion" in the Inferno is now called "protective tariffs and duties" on the Astral Plane."

This card may remind you of “A Deal with the Devil” and “Devil's Due”. The idea for this card came from one of the players, Paul. Thank you, Paul!


[h3]Brand Recognition[/h3]





Special Rule:

For each occasion where you have the highest $, ːscoreː, ːvotesː, ːmaliceː, income or bribes, you get ːscoreː1 and your income increases by 3.

"Whether you are the Chief Bastard or the Person of the Year, in the Clockwork Town the power of recognition is equally rewarding."

The main feature of this card is that you can benefit from high malice as well as from high bribe value, which are usually only disadvantageous. However, you have to be "number one" – have the highest value among all players.

[h3]Hypnosis[/h3]





Special Rule:

A player of your choice skips turn(s): 1. You can play another card in this location in this turn.

"Gremlins are immune to hypnosis, but would freeze when shown something small and shiny – on the chance that it's a coin."

This card is the only card that has the effect of playing another card and receiving some ːscoreː points at the same time. Therefore, it has the same cost as "The Decelerator", but it provides 2 less ːscoreː points. However, the effect of being able to play another card is a big advantage in the Inferno, where you have many powerful cards. Especially at the end of the session, when it can help you to secure the victory at once, combined with the effect of obstructing your opponents.

[h2]BALANCING[/h2]

Is it balancing, or is it re-balancing? And does a rage-quitting player make a sound, if only the AI bot can hear them? Yes, philosophy and games development go hand in hand...

[h3]The Politician's Abilities[/h3]



The Astral Plane Club



Breathing Tax



These changes should increase the win rate of the Politician character. When you play as the Politician, the timing of getting votes may be more important from now on.

[h3]Order of Characters[/h3]



It has been confirmed that in sessions of 4 or more players, the character that is late in the order, has a bit of an advantage; this change balances that.

[h3]Action Cards[/h3]

ːcardsː Full-House



ːcardsː Personal Search



ːcardsː Expensive Order



ːcardsː Honorary Escort



ːcardsː Dice-roller



[h3]Deck[/h3]

Change in the number of copies of cards in the deck



Thanks to all Pillars of Community for their input on new cards, characters and balancing.

You guys are amazing!

[h2]OTHER CHANGES[/h2]

• Fixed several card descriptions (where rules were not clear enough).
  
• Fixed a problem where card updates were not reflected in several single-player challenges.
  
• Fixed several other bugs.
  
• Increased sales in China.
  
• Ordered more Japanese and Chinese teas for the office.

[h2]LUNAR NEW YEAR TOURNAMENT[/h2]

Gremlins, Inc. had a Lunar New Year Tournament has every year, but this year we plan to make it more luxurious (more prizes, including enamel pins shipped to winners!) and on a larger scale (whole week!).





European and Asian servers will, as usual, offer different rules. We will release full details closer to the start of the tournament.

[h2]OUR NEW GAME[/h2]

We have developed Gremlins, Inc. during 2013-2016, and continued to create additional content in 2017-2018. The years of 2019-2022 are kind of blurry, because we spent them on Spire of Sorcery, a game that experienced several changes in design and direction and cost us dearly in mental health and budget.

But what doesn't kill us, comes back and tries to kill us again makes us stronger – in 2022, we've met Nikita Kulaga, the game designer behind the wildly successful Graveyard Keeper, and started to collaborate on a new game, which is now known as Sister of a Dragon.



We're happy to report that the Steam store page of our new game is now open:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2694810/Sister_of_a_Dragon/

In a nutshell, this is a turn-based tactics built around a hex-based matrix with passive and active tokens, which belong to one of 8 schools, and can transform and change levels. If this sounds similar to the multi-layered mechanics of Gremlins, Inc. – you're right on spot! With Sister of a Dragon, we develop another game where multiple systems combine for a special kind of gameplay.





We already started to publish developer diaries there, covering both the story, and the mechanics of the gameplay. In 2025, we aim to release the demo that showcases the game. We hope that you will like it! (and if not, no problems at all: we are masters of issuing permanent bans on complainers!).

On a serious note, though, we already play our new game every day, and we love the flexibility of the battle system. What's left is polishing and tying all the loose ends (a massive job that everybody hates, but which must be done). Come say "Hi", we promise to be nice.

[Team CO]

Welcome to the final tournament of the year, which starts in 2024 and ends in 2025!

27/12/2024 (12:00 GMT) – 04/01/2025 (12:00 GMT)

[h3]EUROPE[/h3]

ːcardsː Players: 4
ːscoreː Victory condition: 35 points
ːcursecardː Chaos Cards: allowed
:magic_sparkles: Character Abilities: allowed
ːtelegramː Impending Misfortune: visible
ːcheatdiceː Characters: from random set
:RatsClock: Timer: normal
:Location: Field: Clockwork Colony (2)

Tournament points (place/points):

1. +120
   
2. +20
   
3. +4
   
4. +1

[h3]ASIA[/h3]

ːcardsː Players: 2
ːscoreː Victory condition: 40 points
ːcursecardː Chaos Cards: allowed
:magic_sparkles: Character Abilities: allowed
ːtelegramː Impending Misfortune: visible
ːcheatdiceː Characters: from random set
:RatsClock: Timer: normal
:Location: Field: Clockwork Colony (2)

Tournament points (place/points):

1. +120
   
2. +20

[h3]TOURNAMENT RULES[/h3]

Players get tournament points for the following sessions:

• EUROPE: the first 10 sessions
  
• ASIA: the first 16 sessions

Only the results from these sessions will be eligible for awards.

[h3]PRIZES[/h3]

The following prizes will be issued to the players who occupy the following places:

1. 5x illegal box of goods, Frosty Footsteps, Champion's trail, A Smart Plug,
   
2. 4x illegal box of goods, Frosty Footsteps, A Smart Plug
   
3. 3x illegal box of goods, Frosty Footsteps
   
4. 2x illegal box of goods
   
5. 2x illegal box of goods
   
6. 1x illegal box of goods, 1x contraband box of goods
   
7. 1x illegal box of goods, 1x contraband box of goods
   
8. 1x illegal box of goods, 1x contraband box of goods
   
9. 1x illegal box of goods
   
10. 1x illegal box of goods
    
11. 1x contraband box of goods
    
12. 1x contraband box of goods
    
13. 1x contraband box of goods
    
14. 1x contraband box of goods
    
15. 1x contraband box of goods
    
16. 1x contraband box of goods
    
17. 1x contraband box of goods
    
18. 1x contraband box of goods
    
19. 1x contraband box of goods
    
20. 1x contraband box of goods
    

Additionally:

Every player with 5 victories in a row (EUROPE) or 10 victories in a row (ASIA):

• A Smart Plug (If 10 victories in a row (EUROPE) or 16 victories in a row (ASIA), additional 2x illegal box of goods)

Bounty hunter's award: The first player to win against the player with the best tournament points.

• 1x illegal box of goods (If the winner of this tournament is undefeated, this award will also be given.)

Secret Award (the rule will be disclosed after the tournament):

• 1x illegal box of goods

[h3]TOURNAMENT RESULTS[/h3]

EUROPE

TOP20

• 1st 下棋蛮好 1100 points
  
• 2nd Sava 984 points
  
• 2nd 43PT 984 points
  
• 4th Gripp 881 points
  
• 5th Bastel 868 points
  
• 6th Lecter.tv 865 points
  
• 7th vova7let 849 points
  
• 8th redfish 848 points
  
• 9th 电子羊尾 800 points
  
• 10th null 800 points
  
• 11th panblch 781 points
  
• 11th yhl9909 781 points
  
• 13th drovnik 768 points
  
• 14th ☢ Нейтрал ☣ 765 points
  
• 14th Count Viscount 765 points
  
• 16th duplo 762 points
  
• 17th veleten1 749 points
  
• 17th Aisa 749 points
  
• 17th ReallyHandsomeDmitry 749 points
  
• 20th 唱跳RAP送人头 746 points

5 victories in a row

• 下棋蛮好 8 victories in a row
  
• Sava 7 victories in a row
  
• 43PT 7 victories in a row
  
• Ministry 6 victories in a row
  
• ☢ Нейтрал ☣ 5 victories in a row
  
• s.me 5 victories in a row
  
• 394662513 5 victories in a row

Bounty hunter's award

• coldwinter hunt:下棋蛮好

Secret Award (Thanks for playing award: Players with the fewest number of wins among all completed tournament sessions)

• bezrabotnyi bomj
  
• Bluzaq
  
• GalacticGamer74
  
• Zlatovlaska
  
• CloudedGuardian
  
• Silence
  
• Сашулик
  
• Оладух
  
• Балтика Темное
  
• AIR
  
• Sahna
  
• dzhukov8
  
• caramariew

ASIA

TOP20

• 1st 标 1920 points
  
• 2nd serendipity 1800 points
  
• 3rd 炒鸡厨客 1720 points
  
• 3rd 繁星月移 1720 points
  
• 3rd 落花 1720 points
  
• 6th 坐忘道-骰子 1620 points
  
• 6th ZERO 1620 points
  
• 6th 胯宝 1620 points
  
• 6th kanami 1620 points
  
• 10th Trouvaille 1520 points
  
• 10th 可是他说小小的只剩可爱了 1520 points
  
• 10th Declan 1520 points
  
• 10th 莉莉卡·露希蒂涅 1520 points
  
• 10th 梅子孜然 1520 points
  
• 10th IPX 1520 points
  
• 10th 卖 萌 失 败 的 1520 points
  
• 10th 薯片 1520 points
  
• 10th 骰子领唱 1520 points
  
• 10th FOX 1520 points
  
• 10th 小白 1520 points

10 victories in a row

• 标 16 victories in a row (Win additional prizes)
  
• serendipity 11 victories in a row
  
• 繁星月移 10 victories in a row
  
• 坐忘道-骰子 10 victories in a row

Bounty hunter's award (Undefeated champion receives award)

• 标

Secret Award (Thanks for playing award: Players with the fewest number of wins among all completed tournament sessions)

• 421383190
  
• blauermontag

Prizes have already been distributed.
If there are any players who have not received their prizes, please let us know within 7 days of the announcement of the results.

The next big tournament is coming up soon.

Please look forward to it.

[Team CO]