As we’ve seen in similar stories, the video game industry is fertile ground for unusual stories, and that of Tomas Sala, an independent developer, stands out among the most notable of the last few months. With his title Bulwark Evolution: Falconeer Chronicles, available for $20 on Steam, Sala has experienced a roller coaster of name changes, driven by a mix of frustration, pride and the constant search to connect with his audience.
The creative, known for his mods for The Elder Scrolls Skyrim, rose to fame with The Falconeer, a game that allowed players to soar through the skies on majestic birds. With his next project, Bulwark, Sala sought to offer a free-form building and exploration experience, which he himself described as a “creative sandbox.” However, the launch of Bulwark did not go as expected. Reviews on Steam began to pour in, and to Sala’s surprise, many players compared it to a traditional strategy game, criticizing the lack of a clear objective and endgame content.
So, frustrated by these misinterpretations, Sala decided to express his discontent in an unusual way: by renaming the game “Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles, a creative sandbox building game” and adding that explicit subtitle to clarify that it was a “creative sandbox” and not a strategy game. “Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles, a fucking creative sandbox and not a fucking strategy game, build cool stuff and don’t expect an ending because it’s a sandbox,” it read. This decision, while liberating for the developer, had unexpected consequences. According to Steam statistics, Bulwark lost around 59% of its players in the month following the name change.
You can read: “It’s a fucking creative sandbox, not a strategy one” Developer gets upset with players, calls them ignorant, and changes the name of his game
Although the new title was more straightforward, it failed to attract more players; on the contrary, it alienated some of those who were already playing it. Faced with this situation, Sala decided to make a radical change. After releasing a major update that added a new game mode and a large amount of content, the developer changed Bulwark’s name again to “Bulwark Evolution: Falconeer Chronicles.” This time, the change was motivated by pride in their work and by the need to move beyond the controversy generated by the previous name change.
In the end, although Sala has proven to be a passionate creator committed to his vision, this story reflects that he has also learned that connecting with an audience is a complex task that requires clear and effective communication.
3D Japanese bride simulator game recoups its entire investment in just 2 hours, surpassing its initial sales goal by 260%
Passion for a game can mobilize the gaming community in surprising ways, and the Japanese community has been no exception in the case of the highly anticipated 3D girlfriend simulator, VR-Kanojo. The crowdfunding campaign for this title has shown how fan enthusiasm can exceed expectations, raising its entire development budget in record time.
VR-Kanojo opened its crowdfunding campaign on the evening of September 2, and in just one hour and 40 minutes, it reached its initial goal of 2 million yen (approximately $13,600 USD). However, the project has since received even greater support, with a new maximum amount of 5,206,576 yen (around $35,400 USD), underscoring the strong interest and anticipation surrounding the game.
