We have some exciting news to share regarding the progress of SpaceVenture!
Before diving into the latest developments, we highly encourage you to read our previous Kickstarter update, as it provides important context for what’s ahead. If you haven’t done so yet, you can find it HERE.
Over the past few months, our team has been hard at work moving through several key development phases:
- Phase 1: Transitioning SpaceVenture to the latest version of Unity
- Phase 2: Conducting multiple full rounds of QA testing and bug fixing
- Phase 3: Testing the game with our beta backers (those who pledged $30 and above)
- Phase 4: Releasing SpaceVenture v2 to all backers who pledged $15 and above
In our last update, we shared that we had just entered Phase 3. We’re excited to report that we’re now nearing completion of the beta testing phase and preparing to move into Phase 4—the official release to all eligible backers!
We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in the beta testing process. Your feedback has been incredibly valuable in helping us identify bugs and improve gameplay. Thanks to your reports and support, we’ve been able to make SpaceVenture better than ever.
VERY IMPORTANT. PLEASE READ THIS
We’ve received reports that some backers did not receive our recent emails regarding the SpaceVenture beta download. After looking into the issue, it appears that our messages may have been filtered into spam or junk folders by certain email providers.
To ensure you don’t miss out on important updates—especially reward distribution details—it’s essential that you add our email address to your safe sender list as soon as possible.
Please note: Kickstarter does not allow us to distribute items like Steam keys or digital rewards directly through their platform. All such communication and delivery must be done via email.
Make sure to whitelist the following email address:
Adding us to your safe list will help ensure you receive all future updates, rewards, and critical information related to your pledge.
SPACEVENTURE IS ABOUT TO BE ON STEAM
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1374960/SpaceVenture/?beta=0
Please help us get the word out now by visiting the Steam page and clicking the “ADD TO WISH LIST” button
We are now at a place where we are ready to do an “Early Release” version of SpaceVenture on Steam. We are shooting for doing this on April 1st! If everything goes smoothly with Steam accepting the build, then that will be the date that the game will be released. Else, we will fix anything that they need us to fix, and the game will show up as soon as that is done.
Once SpaceVenture goes live on Steam, we will be getting everything together for sending out Steam codes to all $15 and up backers. If everything goes smoothly, that will happen on the day the game goes live (in Early Release) on Steam. If not, we’ll work it out and get the codes in your hands ASAP. We will also be getting you all access to the DRM free version of the game as well.
What can you expect out of the Early Access version of SpaceVenture?
- The Early Access version offers a cohesive adventure game experience and story that is playable from start to finish, containing the vast majority of the original vision for SpaceVenture
- We will continue to adjust some of the functionality of the game as we progress to the full release
- There are some gameplay sequences such as the Cluck Yegger Facebox mini game that is only partly in SpaceVenture. We do plan to allow for the full game play experience eventually, however this will always be skippable and not a requirement for completing the game.
- There will most likely still be some bugs that we are trying to work out along the way, so that should be expected, but considering the many rounds of beta testing we’ve been through, these should be minor.
- We are still adding some lines of VO that never got hooked up in earlier builds of the game, as well as some missing SFX
- We also would like to improve game mechanics, expand interactions in the various game environments as well as improve NPC behaviors throughout this process as well.
How long will this game be in Early Access?
The current plan is to have a full release by summer 2025, but this may move back if feedback from the community is extensive.
As we get SpaceVenture into Steam as early access, we plan to do our best to put the rest of the finishing touches as mentioned above. Once those are done, we will do the full release. After the full release of the game, we plan to begin working on ports. We will focus on the Macintosh and Linux versions first.
NEWS ON BACKER REWARDS
The details about physical rewards remain the same as we’ve mentioned over the past few months. As previously stated, we have physical rewards in our possession but currently lack the funds to ship them. Here’s a reminder of our plan:
- Revenue from game sales on Steam and other platforms will be used to cover the cost of shipping the physical rewards to everyone.
- For those of you wondering if it would be possible to pay for shipping yourself to receive your backer rewards sooner, we plan to offer this option in the future and will provide more details when it becomes available.
- Please do not email us your mailing address at this time. When we’re ready, we’ll send out a survey via Kickstarter to collect updated mailing information from you.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work toward fulfilling these rewards.
THE SPACEVENTURE BOX SIGNING EXTRAVAGANZA
At the start of March, we had the incredible opportunity to get together in person for a milestone we’ve been looking forward to for a long time—the official signing of the physical backer rewards! We signed nearly 4,000 items over the course of just two days.
It was a whirlwind effort, but also a deeply meaningful one. Holding these physical items in our hands—knowing they’re eventually going to make it out to those who have supported us all these years—was both humbling and energizing.
As promised, we captured some moments from the event to share with you. Below, you’ll find a couple of behind-the-scenes photos and a fun video clip of the signing session.
Thank you again for your patience, support, and enthusiasm. We’re getting closer every day, and this signing session was one more big step toward bringing SpaceVenture fully to life.
DOCUMENTARY FILMING
While we were together earlier this month, we had the distinct honor of participating in interviews for the upcoming documentary titled “Legends of Adventure: The Story of Sierra On-Line.” This project aims to celebrate the legacy of Sierra and the incredible impact it had on the world of adventure gaming—not to mention the video game world as a whole.
We’re excited for you to see more when the documentary is officially released. In the meantime, here are a couple of behind-the-scenes photos from the interview session to give you a small glimpse of what’s to come:
MARK CROWE OPENS HIS DYNAMIX OFFICE BOX SEALED SINCE 1999
Many of you are already familiar with the dramatic story behind the rise and fall of Sierra On-Line. If you haven’t explored that part of gaming history yet, we highly recommend checking out Ken Williams’ book and Shawn Mills’ book —both offer fascinating behind-the-scenes insights into the company’s journey.
Some of you may also know that in 1991, Mark transitioned from the Sierra On-Line office in Oakhurst to work at one of its subsidiaries, Dynamix. Like many of the companies Sierra acquired, Dynamix was ultimately caught in the financial collapse of its parent company. When Sierra began to go under, Dynamix was swept up in the fallout, and Mark, like many others, had to pack up his office and move on.
Recently, Mark pulled a sealed box out of storage filled with items he had kept from the last day he left his office at Dynamix—untouched for decades. We thought it would be fun to share that moment with you, so we filmed a special unboxing video of those long-lost mementos from his time at Dynamix.
It’s a nostalgic peek into a pivotal moment in gaming history, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.
