Fran Bow news
Music while reading: Fran Bow OST
You can also watch the news video on Youtube: News Video
Hello sweeties!
Everyday we get the question: Fran Bow on consoles, when?
And we wanted to let you know that: While we have been working on it on and off, for a long time. We have recently dedicated ourselves to making sure it finally gets completed!
And as for the answer to “when?”, let me tell you a story.
We all know Covid changed everything and we at Killmonday weren’t the exception.
When Covid hit, we got into a long period of adjustment and just that made it impossible for us to keep the deadlines we had promised. We got to learn new ways of communicating and laying out the projects. And during this adjustment a lot got lost in translation.
And with the challenges of the pandemic, the stress got the worst of us. We didn’t manage to communicate properly, we started to go different directions, not prioritizing the things that we had already begun.
We have been working on too many projects at the same time and communication wasn’t really working between managers.
That had the whole company going forward producing a lot for the “Benjamin game” but not finishing what we had started, which was the Fran Bow port to consoles and the extra chapter of Fran Bow.
Now things are different, and we are more connected than ever before! We have gathered all forces to finalize the Fran Bow port to consoles and the game is finally getting into Quality Assurance times!
Fran Bow is expected to be released on Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.
The release date for the port/extra chapter is still TBD. Instead of promising a release date and failing to meet it, we want to take our time and ship the game when it is ready."
We still need to fix bugs, polish, balance out sound design and overall UI inputs as we are adding control/gamepad support, a slightly new UI design.
For the Fran Bow port on consoles, we want to keep it as close to the original as possible and wow! That has been quite the journey!
Many have asked us; but what is so hard about porting the game?
We were faced with the challenge of learning a new coding language to make the port. To translate the game from GameMaker language to Unity 3D language (C#) was a long journey.
And then, we needed to re-do every single piece of code and arrange the game’s art, animation and sound design.
Then, there were rumors about a “DLC” or a “new chapter” or “Fran Bow 2” about Fran Bow.
Let me tell you another story…
As we developed the extra chapter, we have decided to do a standalone game instead. It will be a short game, but nonetheless filled with Fran Bow wackiness and the amazing universe. We will get to know more about the Ultrareality, and we will explore deeper into Fran’s role as a keeper of the key.
Jica walking to the convenience store. And Valokas being confused.
It’s going to be an emotional journey and we can’t wait to show you! More news about the new game will appear for sure next year. As for now, we want to concentrate 100% on finishing up the console version of Fran Bow.
The Benjamin game took a lot of time and effort from us and we learned a lot. We were able to create beautiful levels, art, and narrative, but we gotta put that game on ice until we can release the Fran Bow port to consoles and the new Fran Bow game. The Keeper of the Key.
We are very excited to jump into the Benjamin game again though, as it has been a very passionate project for us to create.
Work Name: The “Benjamin Game” WIP.
But as you see, we added too much to our plan between 2020 and 2022, and at the end, we have nothing to share with you. Lesson learnt! From now on, we will only have 1 project going at a time. We realize we can maximize our strength that way.
It’s easier now to see; we wonder sometimes, how could we be so blinded?
But that’s how it works sometimes. You are going forward and never stop, until you realize you were walking on the wrong side of the road.
Now Killmonday is in a better position, we know each other a bit better. We know our strengths and our weaknesses and that makes it possible, to be able to drag us out of the dark, into the light again.
Yours truly,
Killmonday Games.