"Before We Leave should be playable on MacOS by the end of August - and we'll have a release date for the Planet Editor update then too!"
Hello peeps! We're back from NZGDC in Wellington - a big thank you to everyone who came and said hi or watched our talks! I’m happy to be back home writing our August update for you all.
Planet Editor and MacOS News
I have news for our MacOS players! Before We Leave should be playable on MacOS by the end of August - and we'll have a release date for the Planet Editor update then too; it's currently undergoing some rigorous QA and testing. I know this has taken a little longer than expected, so thanks to everyone for your patience.
Beta Branches
That said, if you want to get your hands on our next update now, you can!
In July, we announced our Steam and EGS beta branches! We know that people are keen to get their hands on the Planet Editor, so opening beta branches was a great way for us to make that happen without the risk of releasing an incomplete update.
If you’re keen to join in, check out this Steam post for instructions on how to participate, or if you're one of our EGS players, join our Discord and head down to the #beta_branch channel.
Weekly News Videos
Speaking of news, to try and keep you all abreast of what happens with Before We Leave on a weekly basis, I’m trialing a segment on our Twitch channel that gets edited into a succinct news video on our YouTube! Sam and I briefly chat about updates to the game, and what’s coming next. If this is the sort of thing you're into, please head over to YouTube and subscribe to our channel so you never miss an update!
NZGDC 2021
Being back in Wellington for another conference was (and always is) a real treat. The four days of NZGDC were wonderful, full of awesome talks and panels, great food, and many nice conversations with the local development community. It felt especially good considering that NZGDC 2020 was cancelled because of Covid - it felt like a step towards normalcy.
As I’ve mentioned previously, Sam and I were also on panels through the conference; Sam actually delivered the closing keynote for it! To any of our community members wondering if they’ll be able to see it online - yes. It should be available in the coming weeks. I participated in a panel for NZGDC student day talking to students about how the four other panelists and I got into the games industry. The coolest thing about this panel, for me, was that it was entirely women! Change is coming, folks.
NZGDC was also our first conference as a studio where we dedicated time to participating in talks; it feels like an important distinction, and a big step towards becoming further established in the wider game development community.
Solidarity
Last month wasn’t all good news, though. All of us at the studio are sending love and solidarity with our peers at Activision Blizzard who are fighting for justice and positive change within their company. We reject any sort of bullying, discrimination and harassment at Balancing Monkey Games, and we strive to make an environment that’s safe and fun for everyone who interacts with us and Before We Leave. I sincerely hope that this is a watershed moment for the games industry - we absolutely must do better moving forward.
Thanks for reading - I'll be back in the next few weeks with release date news!
