Hello everyone,
I’m writing this with a heavy heart, but I need to be transparent with you.
First, the good news: I’ve finally released the last UE4 test build, the one I really didn’t want to drop initially. Over the past two weeks, I patched up a lot of issues, disabled problematic features, and made compromises just to get something stable and playable out there.
This version lets supporters explore more levels and sequences. It will be the very last UE4 build.
As I’ve fully switched to Unreal Engine 5, and development on both Lula and Chiks’n Eggs continues there.
This UE4 build is being shared exclusively with supporters who have been with me for more than 2 months (as Great Lover tier and above), as a thank you for sticking around.
Now, the harder part.
As I’ve mentioned several times over the past months, I’ve tried everything to avoid raising prices. Unfortunately, it’s become unavoidable.
After platform fees, currency conversion, taxes, etc., I’m currently left with roughly half (or less) of what you pay.
Right now, my net income (Patreon + Substar combined) barely reaches €100 per month.
That doesn’t even cover the cost of a single small commission, let alone allow me to live decently.
My health has been deteriorating for a while, and I simply can’t afford proper care, basic well-being, or even consistent meals.
Some people still drop in for one month, access everything, cancel immediately, or worse, use chargebacks that leave me with nothing.
This pattern has made the current pricing unsustainable.
That’s why I’m making the following changes:
First Lover tier → now $10
Great Lover tier → now $20
To be fair, I’m introducing a 30-day “trust period”: full access to the newest and most recent content will only unlock after your second consecutive month of support.
Current supporters who stay on their existing tiers will keep the old pricing for as long as they remain subscribed, I want to reward the people who have been helping me consistently.
On Patreon, the old prices are still available until the end of this month (but the 30-day trust rule already applies for new/recent content). Starting next month, Patreon will match Substar’s new pricing.
I’ve also doubled commission prices. I used to offer very low rates to try to make fans happy, but almost all requests were unrealistic (months of work for $60 total, leaving me €30 after fees…). Except for a couple of very kind exceptions, it became exploitative rather than collaborative. I can’t continue like that.
Despite all this, I’ve never stopped working:
- Migrating everything to UE5
- Continuing development on both projects
- Investing in an online AI for dialogue system (I already showed proofs and explained the server costs in Discord)
- Integrating a local generative voice system that runs efficiently on CPU without hurting game performance
- Moving websites to a small, affordable VPS (because I can no longer commit to paying a full year upfront for the old host)
I’m still counting every penny, skipping essentials, and putting money back into the projects, even when it hurts.
If you enjoy what I create and want to see Lula, Chiks’n Eggs, and future ideas continue to grow, I urgently need more sustainable support.
Without meaningful change in the coming weeks/months, I will have no choice but to stop everything here and pivot to something else for a different audience.
That would break my heart, especially for the long-term supporters who have never let me down. Honestly, without you, I would have quit long ago.
Thank you so much to everyone who has helped and is still helping.
Thank you for reading this.
If you want to join or upgrade, the links are there.
Take care.
