Well well well!

It’s been a couple days since we released the update (if you weren’t aware of it prior, then surprise! We released an update last Friday!). Though the team’s been recuperating and taking a much needed break from any form of thinking and working since then, we haven’t missed the love you all have been leaving in our comments and inbox. It’s genuinely so heart-warming and healing to know that so many of you are enjoying your First Spring with the cast. I can’t even begin to describe how relieved and giddy we are over the response but I at least know that a thank you is in order— not just for playing the game but for your patience as well. We’ve mentioned it a couple of times beforehand, but the residents in this house will always be grateful for the support our players have shared as we toiled for nearly a year and a half.

And so, as always, thank you for sticking by us! And if you’re new here— thank you for coming along! We’re excited to continue our journey with Keyframes with all of you.

Which, speaking of, IS FINALLY KICKING OFF! With the update now out there, we’re focusing our attention on our upcoming Kickstarter that’s set to launch October 28th, 2024.

Those of you who are following us on Tumblr have already heard about it, but for this Kickstarter we’re only aiming to fund a portion of the game’s estimated scope. Meaning, we would be campaigning for enough funds to work on the next season, which is your First Summer with the crew. There’s a fair bit of reasoning behind why we’re choosing to do it this way— which you can read about in the following section— but it doesn’t change our resolve in seeing this game all the way through.

And with that said, these next three weeks you’ll be hearing a lot more from us! Whether it’s because of our upcoming Monstrous Desires Jam game, the merch we have prepared for the campaign, or other Keyframes related content— we’ll be keeping you guys in the loop with everything that we have planned. Starting with a Keyframes patch that aims to address the bugs some of you have reported, and some accessibility features for the QTEs! Though we’re reluctant to disable one of the core mechanics that make Keyframes— well, Keyframes— we’re more than willing to meet you guys halfway and work out a compromise that makes it a little easier for players to succeed if you’re having trouble with it.

Andddd that’s about the brunt of all that we want to share with you guys! The rest of this post is going to be sectioned to inform y’all of our Kickstarter and any questions that were submitted when we last discussed it over on Tumblr.

Other than that, thank you for reading up to here and we look forward to seeing you guys in the next update!

(BLANK) House

Kickstarter FAQ

The following questions were submitted in the past two weeks, but if anyone has a question that hasn’t been addressed yet, you’re more than welcome to submit it over on Tumblr or support@blankhousegames.com andddd we’ll address it when we can! 

Why are you campaigning for one season/part of the game instead of the full game?

The studio leads have debated on this for a long while, but it comes down to two reasons!

The first is what it takes to make the full game. In case some players aren’t aware, my plan for Keyframes involves 9 Seasons that take you all the way to your graduation. You’ve already experienced one of those— your First Spring— and I hope that by now you’ve seen all the variations and branches it takes to make one Season. Such as how differently the LIs can act based on how you perceive them, how they perceive you, what events you played, what options you picked, etc. etc. And so, the number of branching narratives and variations we have to account for to be able to make the game I’ve envisioned will only grow bigger as the game goes on— which can only mean it gets even more expensive.

Namely due to writing. Haha big dreams often come at big costs and after crunching the numbers it would take a fair bit of money (upwards and past 200k if we’re being honest) to pay writers to account for all the variations I possibly would want to include in the game— 

And yikes! That’s a lot of money that we wouldn’t dream of asking you guys for, especially as a new studio. 

Which brings me to the second reason: the fact that we’re a new studio.

Although we’re happy to have the attention and support that we have right now— as a new studio, we don’t have the credibility to back the project we’re undertaking. 

I would never say I regretted making Keyframes, but with such a massively planned-out branching narrative as our debut title, it’s more important than ever for us to build a proper foundation with you guys. Meaning, it’s our priority to show you and anyone else who’s got an eye on us what we are capable of.

I mean— a lot of you reading and following this post right now is because of the demo, right? It’s the same principle! If people see that we can produce quality work in a timely and responsible manner, then they would want to invest in us and our game.

We can’t ask for 200k but we can ask for a fraction. And if this campaign succeeds, then we have something to direct new players and potential publishers toward to show that Keyframes IS feasible. It IS worth it. 

TLDR; it’s an expensive venture if we were to fund the whole game, so taking it one step at a time and showing a timely proof of concept to any future players and publishers is what we think is our best step.

Does this mean you’ll make multiple Kickstarters?

Hopefully not— though it could be possible to be funded by player support alone, we’re not relying on that to be our only means. With our Spring release we hope to grab the attention of some publishers who can help us get to the end. Until then, however, the possibility of multiple kickstarters is not entirely off the table.

Will the funding of the whole game be a part of the stretch goals?

Indeed it will be! Though because of how large that goal will be for the reasons I listed in a previous question— we’re not super optimistic we’ll hit that goal. Haha, we believe in our product of course, but as a new studio we will be focusing on what is within reach. It would, of course, be great if we overshoot the goal, but can’t count our eggs before they hatch, no?

Will you have a patreon/or ko-fi for after the campaign?

The leads have been discussing it and we are leaning to yes. Until it’s made, however, I’m not guaranteeing its creation— just that we’ve spent time thinking about how we can handle making the rest of the game! Even if our current priority is getting enough funding to fund the next season.

Will there be physical rewards?

Eeyup! We’ll be releasing teasers for them in the upcoming weeks but you can expect stickers, sticker sheets, charms, prints, pins, and a cute little polaroid of each of the cast on top of some digital awards too.

I don’t have funds to help with the campaign, how else can I support you guys?

Talking about Keyframes will always be a great help to us. Not just because it brings up the team’s morale, but it also helps get our game out to those we can’t reach alone. 

When our Steam page is up, wishlisting us would also be a major help!