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Gremlins, Inc. News

UPDATE 2025/02/21

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 2025/02/21[/h2]

[h3]LANGUAGE EDITS[/h3]

We harmonized the description of the rules on about 20 cards. Languages affected: English, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Russian. This is an on-going process, and the more we work on this, the more we see the potential to make the game easier to understand to new players – through the use of standard wording for each of the mechanics.

Several typos in the Spanish language version have been fixed (thanks, ːmagic_sparklesː Juka, for the original reports in 2022 and for the reminder in 2025).

The description of ːcardsː"The Excuse Generator" has been fixed to better reflect the actual effect. Actually, the excuses generated by this machine are only valid for incompetent police officers and bureaucrats. There is no avoiding bribes with action cards and misfortune cards. Languages affected: English, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Russian.

The description of ːcardsː"The Automated Warden" has been fixed to better reflect the actual effect. Because this automaton is completely inflexible, it holds not only its opponents, but also the teammates of its owner in the Jail for one extra turn during a team match. Languages affected: English, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Russian.

[h3]USER INTERFACE[/h3]

The illustration of the playing field in Gremlinopedia was outdated, created in the days when the Clockwork Town looked like in the distant past (not, indeed, when everything was spring-loaded). The construction near the exit from the Jail should have been completed during the high economic growth period of the Clockwork Town, but we left it as it was. This has now been fixed.



[h2]ROADMAP[/h2]

[h3]LANGUAGE EDITS[/h3]

If there are any misleading descriptions on card rules, we would love to receive your feedback – since we continue to edit the rules to make them more clear.

[h3]USER INTERFACE[/h3]

We continue to work on improving visibility of the playing field, spots and locations. We received some nice feedback on the updated Police spots in the last patch (a few people loved it, many more loved the fact that we rolled the changes back after the negative feedback). No visual updates this week, but we keep thinking about another approach.

[h3]USER EXPERIENCE[/h3]

We have maintained the current rating system for a long time, but we have come to realize that it can be improved. In short, the rating system has two goals:

(1) to minimize waiting time in the lobby; but also,
(2) not to match players with greatly different skills.

Obviously, any system will lead some people to complain that the wait time is high – or that the match of skills is not perfect. Any such system is, indeed, a compromise between these two goals. In the future, we plan to review the rating system, and are considering a system of "ladders", and a special rate for all new players to prevent them from being steamrolled by a returning veteran.

[h3]OTHER[/h3]

Gremlins, Inc. will celebrate 9 years in full release on March 11, 2025. Consider buying the game as a gift to your friends on this special occasion – in this way, you will have some more people to enjoy the game with, including team sessions.

[h3]TOURNAMENTS[/h3]

What do you think about having ranked sessions, and maybe even the next tournament, with the number of rounds as the condition? Please share your opinions in the comments. We continue to collect feedback.

The results of the Lunar New Year tournament have been published, check the details here:

https://steamcommunity.com/games/369990/announcements/detail/596261024722583993

–––––

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/

There will be a closed beta between now and the summer, mostly focused on the battle system ("challenges"), as it's the part of the game that we are almost done with. No multiplayer mode as of now. Just single-player that will make you splash the tea over the keyboard, at times.

UPDATE 16/02/2025

With this patch, we rolled back the updated spot assets on the playing field (but kept the updated location assets). While some players liked the updated visuals, and some didn't, there are two main reasons for this roll-back:

* before we ship something as different visually, as the new Police spot visuals, we want to implement a "legacy mode ON/OFF" setting for those who prefer the classic look.

* while we updated the spot assets based on the static experience, dynamically – during player turn – the more contrasting spots clashed with the selection highlights, making the understanding more difficult, rather than easier.

Thanks for feedback, and we continue to work on other things, as well as a new take on this.

UPDATE 2025/02/14

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 :hypnoheart: particularly good :hypnoheart: bug which we then find, and fix, then we will happily mail you a little package from our studio –



[h2]UPDATE 2025/02/14[/h2]

[h3]GAME MECHANICS[/h3]

The mechanics of ːcardsː "Brand Recognition" has been changed. In addition, a bug related to this card has been fixed.




Previously

Now



Cost: $150

Cost: $120



Special rule: For each occasion where you have the highest $, ːscoreː, ːvotesː, ːmaliceː, income or bribe, you get 1ːscoreː and your income increases by 3.

Special rule: If your $ or ːscoreː or ːvotesː or ːmaliceː or income or bribe is the single highest among all the players, get +1ːscoreː, income +3 for each such case.



Reasons for change:

Until now, the card rewarded the player even when they were in a tie with another player for the value. When this card was played immediately at the start of the session, it provided too big of an advantage. Therefore, this has been changed. This card is for players who are willing to take risks and actively lead the session.

In addition, this card didn't always work properly: there were issues with how it processed the effects of the permanent cards; the banker's ability “money creates money” was triggered multiple times; and there were problems with how income was changed. And since some players mistook this card for a permanent card, we also made an additional effort to make the text of the rules clearer.

Thanks to the following players for their feedback :magic_sparkles:Starriver Fisher, :magic_sparkles:miz, :magic_sparkles:jack_was, :magic_sparkles:4nsZei, :magic_sparkles:发牌员不许过年, :magic_sparkles:SymphonyNo28CoTkin, :magic_sparkles:Kit, :magic_sparkles:Uncouth Ruffian.

[h3]LANGUAGE EDITS[/h3]

We harmonized the description of the rules on about 10 cards, specifically – the description of choices that players make. Languages affected: English, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Russian.

ːcardsː “A Deal with the Prosecution” had a description which lead some players to think that they can teleport another player to the Jail even when they, themselves, did not serve a jail term. We edited the rules. Languages affected: English, Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Russian (thanks, :magic_sparkles: VodemaRus).

[h3]USER INTERFACE[/h3]

We extended the timer for choosing cards at the beginning of the session by about 10 seconds (Thanks for bringing this issue to our attention, :magic_sparkles: Infernomance).
The color, contrast, and brightness of a few spots and locations has been improved:



[h3]TECH ISSUES[/h3]

Fixed bugs related to ːcardsː "Corporate Scam" (thanks, :magic_sparkles: Gremlins, Inc. Japan Branch).

Once again, we improved the server logic (a bit).



[h2]ROADMAP[/h2]

[h3]LANGUAGE EDITS[/h3]

If there are any misleading descriptions on card rules, we would love to receive your feedback – since we continue to edit the rules to make them more clear.

[h3]USER INTERFACE[/h3]

We continue to work on improving visibility of the playing field, spots and locations. We are conscious of not going for radical changes, as many players are already used to the existing version.

[h3]OTHER[/h3]

Gremlins, Inc. will celebrate 9 years in full release on March 11, 2025.

[h3]TOURNAMENTS[/h3]

What do you think about having ranked sessions, and maybe even the next tournament, with the number of rounds as the condition? Please share your opinions in the comments.

The results of the Lunar New Year tournament have been published, check the details here:

https://steamcommunity.com/games/369990/announcements/detail/596261024722583993


–––––

PS

ːmaliceːːmaliceːːmaliceː Shameless promotion time! ːmaliceːːmaliceːːmaliceː

The most popular Gremlins, Inc. DLC based on the sales of 2024 –

https://store.steampowered.com/app/459853/Gremlins_Inc__Astral_Gamblers/

The second most popular Gremlins, Inc. DLC in this period –

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1438000/Gremlins_Inc__Agents_of_Chaos/

Thanks to everyone who supports our efforts by purchasing this additional content (about 10% of player base owns these DLCs; if you're among these 10%, you are a special gremlin!).

UPDATE 2025/02/08

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 2025/02/08[/h2]

[h3]LANGUAGE EDITS[/h3]
  • Harmonized description of rules on ːcardsː multiple cards (more than 20), so that the same mechanic is explained in exactly the same way. This invisible work actually takes quite some time as we go back and forth to bring consistency. It may not be a big deal for the veterans, but it makes the game easier to grasp for every new player, and this is important! Languages affected: English, Simplified Chinese (ːmagic_sparklesː thanks, 炒鸡厨客), Japanese, Russian.

  • One of the jail cards had, in Ukrainian, a mistake in the description ("-0 days"). Last week's update fixed this issue in Russian, but not in Ukrainian. This is fixed now. (ːmagic_sparklesː thanks, Infernomance).


[h3]USER INTERFACE[/h3]
  • Changed the font size for Japanese and Simplified Chinese languages in Gremlinopedia.




[h2]ROADMAP[/h2]

[h3]LANGUAGE EDITS[/h3]

We continue to edit the rules of the cards for clarity in the four major languages used by players, with an update of the texts every week.

[h3]USER INTERFACE[/h3]

We started to look at the icons of spots and locations used on the playing field. Some of them could use an update in color and contrast, to be easier to recognize. We will update the assets gradually, with future weekly updates.


[h3]TECH ISSUES[/h3]

There's a server upgrade in the plans, which will provide significant improvement in stability. Tentatively, it is scheduled for the next week's update. If you will be in the game at the moment of the update, you will see a notice asking you to re-join. Don't worry.

[h3]OTHER[/h3]

The update to ːcardsː “Brand recognition” is pushed to the next week or later, due to a larger than expected workload related to testing how it works.

Attention! Question time! Do you use the High Contrast mode in Settings, when playing the game? It dims down the background of the playing field, and visibility is greatly improved. All of us at the studio do this. But do other player use, or even know, of this feature?

Some good news: in January, over 10.000 new players joined Gremlins, Inc. – welcome to the Clockwork Town! if you have any questions, or need advise, don't be strangers, please post on Steam forums.

ːfirstplaceː Lunar New Year Tournament: we are now in the last stages of reviewing the protests filed during the event, and expect to publish the results in the middle of the coming week. if you find yourself among the winners entitled to enamel pins or t-shirts, don't forget to contact us to confirm your delivery address.

[Team CO]

–––––

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/

UPDATE 2025/01/31

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/