Unforetold: Witchstone - Answering Your Questions

Couchpotato spotted some answers regarding the end of development of Unforetold Witchstone:

Answering Your Questions

Closing Development on Unforetold Witchstone

Dear community,

The discontinuation of Unforetold: Witchstone and the subsequent team layoffs has deeply affected us all at Spearhead Games. We want you to know that this decision was not made lightly. Facing significant financial shortfalls, we were compelled to make this heartbreaking choice due to insufficient funds to sustain the project and support our valued employees.

We understand the frustration and disappointment this news may bring. Please know it was always our intention to create and support a game that you, our passionate community, would love and enjoy. The perception that funds were taken without delivering on our promises could not be further from the truth.

To provide further context, Unforetold: Witchstone has a long history. What began as a prototype made by a lean team of 10, grew over the past six years to encompass a development team of nearly 40. This was only made possible by an investment from a large third-party publisher, which also led us to increase the scope and ambition of the game. However, a few months ago, that publisher made significant cuts internally, including dropping us and several other projects.

Following that terrible news, but believing in our amazing team and what we were building together, we made the decision to use the studio’s savings to continue developing the game together with the entire team. We were optimistic that securing another interested publisher was a viable path forward, or barring that, we could take the game into Early Access if the search dragged on.

However, as many of you have noticed over the past year, the industry has changed greatly, with many layoffs and cancelled projects at some of the world’s largest studios. It quickly became a time where pursuing funding became a massive uphill battle. Still, we remained optimistic that we could garner some interest if we launched into Early Access, and that the sales would support our team while we continued to look for interested partners.

Despite our initial positive expectations for the game's sales, we sadly did not meet these objectives. This financial reality forced us into making a decision we had hoped to avoid. While we tried, and are still actively trying, to secure funds to complete the game, the current climate of the game industry makes that prospect unrealistic at this moment.

We acknowledge that our previous communication could have been more comprehensive, particularly regarding the Steam platform specifics (price adjustments, refunds, etc.), which was an oversight for which we take full responsibility. We are learning from this experience and acknowledge the need to improve how we communicate significant changes. Your trust is paramount to us, and we are dedicated to rebuilding it moving forward.

To address the concerns raised, we have provided below the current details regarding Steam pricing and refund policies for Unforetold: Witchstone. Our commitment to transparency remains steadfast, and we are in ongoing discussions with Steam to clarify and expand upon these measures as necessary. As new information emerges, we will promptly update this section to keep you fully informed and supported.

Is the game staying in Early Access?

Unforetold: Witchstone will remain on Steam and in Early Access. We have updated the Steam store page to notify potential players that the game is no longer supported, and if they purchase now, the game is not likely to change. While removing the game from Steam completely or offering it for free was considered, we have legal obligations to investors to maintain the sale of the game.

Is the pricing going to change?

To reflect the fact that the development of the game is on hold indefinitely, we are reducing the price to $9.99 USD.

We feel that this price will allow more people to enjoy what has been created so far, and that the game may still serve to inspire other developers while leaving the door open to investors to complete the game.

I’ve played more than two hours, can I still get a refund?

Steam’s policy is that refunds are not offered past the standard 2 hour playtime window, even in the case of Early Access titles. We are currently in talks with them to make a special case for those that wish to refund past this point, but we cannot promise this will materialize. This decision is not up to us, but to Steam. We will keep you posted as soon as we have clarification on what is possible.

Thank you for your support and understanding as we navigate these challenging times together. We are committed to keeping you informed and look forward to sharing updates with you as soon as they become available.

- Spearhead Games