As is usually the case, we're well into development with 99% of the chapter written and shot (there's like one last scene we're thinking of adding). Now comes the polish and rewrite passes, with inserting audio and story flag coding. Nothing really new here. We keep the gears on the machine oiled and running. 

So, it's come up a few times on the Discord and social media asking how much longer we have, and we've mentioned it before in passing, but here's it stated plainly to confirm: TOXICity is planned for 29 episodes followed by an Endings release. There will also be additional content in a 0.99.0 release, but we're still figuring out what that looks like. Probably some combination of side stories of other "survivors" coupled with a "one year later"-like epilogue." We're of the opinion that the main story is packed enough that outside of some minor self-reflective character moments, there's not a lot of room for new content.

While it was initially planned to be 24 chapters, we've let the experience breathe a little. But, to be fair, we start every project with the idea that it'll be 24 releases split into 3 acts of 8 episodes (often with a big story moment at the end of the second act). 

For The Interim Domain fans, the 1.00.0 release is on the slate for later this month. The files are built and uploaded and we're just lining up the release around TOX's latest chapter. This will have no new content, but it will have text cleanup and a few code tweaks to clean up some continuity errors.

Thanks for your interest and patronage,
-Kinderfeld

All right, it's just about Halloween, so everyone stay safe and have fun, however you do it. Me? It's a movie marathon and a combination of candy and whiskey. I don't get Trick-or-Treaters around here (is that even a thing anymore?) Right now, the slate is The Thing, The Cell, Skeleton Key, and Alien (RIP Tom Skerritt). 

As a Halloween bonus, here's another wallpaper of Kallie as Spider-Gwen, this time higher res than we posted on social media.

Halloween 2026 Public #1 Hi-res version (3840x2160)

As for the next update, we're already well into it and keeping in mind what conversations and revelations need to be made for the rest of the game. We're also looking at tweaking some of the audio as we've had concerns about volume levels, though this may be something that gets looked at more in depth when we have time. There is some planning going on surrounding bonus content for the 0.99.0 release, but that's basically brainwork at this point. 

On a tangentially related topic: one of my favorite bands recently released what they noted as their penultimate album after declaring that due to health issues they wouldn't be touring again. It got me to thinking about creators calling it quits on their own terms. Then I listened to the album and thought it was okay. It felt like a collection of tracks from previous projects finished and slapped together, which feels like a sad way to start your exit. This helped confirm our standing policy to end projects in reasonable timelines, certainly before the experience overstays its welcome. Too many shows have gone on for seasons when they should've stopped while they were on top (I won't name them to save you spoilers). I've seen games in development for a decade with no sign of an end in sight, which makes me wonder if they didn't know how to end it, or if the project became too big for them to comfortably resolve. Plus, there is a very real concern that ending a fan favorite project will cause an exodus of patrons/subscribers. I know I've seen it happen to more than just ourselves here.

Thanks for your interest,
-Kinderfeld

You know what time it is. The update is polished and in the middle of uploading to our file share sites. You'll be receiving release notifications over the next week while we take a day or two off before jumping into the next chapter. 

An update on my father for those who saw the previous announcement: He was in and out of the hospital in a little more than a day. They amputated it below the knuckle, leaving him with about a half-inch of finger. I saw a picture of it and, yeah, I'm not posting that here. He has wound care and occupational rehab to deal with (also learning how to type and use a mouse with one less finger), but he's home and doing better. Thanks for all the well wishes!

Here's the release schedule for 0.23.0 (all scheduled for 11:59 am EDT release):

Tier 3 - October 16, 2026
Tier 2 - October 18, 2026
Tier 1 - October 20, 2026
Public -  October 21, 2026

Thanks for your interest and support,
-Kinderfeld

I was going to do this whole update and write about the creative process, but I got a call @ 3:30 that my father cut off a finger with his table saw (never go Full Dale Gribble) so he's in the hospital waiting to find out if he gets to keep it or not. Right now I'm on my cellphone trying to get more than one bar of signal and fighting the autocorrect. 

As for the new build, we're mostly done with the writing and shooting, now focusing on code-work to clean up some sequences. There's some brain-work being done to make sure all the stats you've been working on have some value in the final chapters. We do have a few moments planned for 24 that are going to require certain stat values to trigger.

Fun fact: Did you know that Selene (TID) is actually Carol (N&T) but altered? Made taller, changed her eye color, made her face more creased and older, dropped the freckles, and changed her hair. But the core structure of Carol is the foundation on which Selene was formed. Why? Because Selene was introduced as an antagonist and we wanted there to be a link to a favorite character that was probably only going be recognizable on a subconscious level. 

Thanks for your interest and patronage.
-Kinderfeld

Yeah, you know the deal. We've started development of the new build. At this point, there's nothing new to be said about it, so we'll decide to talk about other things. That is until Game #4 is formally announced and ready to be teased (more than the handful of test renders floating around). 

It's interesting to me how interest in TOXICity has evolved since the initial release. We'd gone into this project wanting to do rein in our tendencies to let builds get bloated (especially for a monthly release calendar). After TID ballooned and got really challenging to manage towards the end, we knew we had to return to a more compact experience. Something limited cast-wise and built on a similar framework as Now & Then. We were learning the new graphics engine, so not putting too much on us in terms of storytelling and an overly complex code base for a VN was a needed choice. 

Sure, we built the story around specific and obvious influences, which evolved based on feedback. But, we never really expected it to garner this level of attention, so much so that people are really delving into the finer details of the toxins and the monsters. Which is funny to me because, like, shit going sideways is just the motivator for a story about survivors that are dealing with mature, adult trauma. Constantly applying tension and horror is the balance to a chapter where the main character might be slipping it to four separate women.

That's not to say we don't appreciate and enjoy all the fan theories and head canon. Some of them are pretty fun to read, and some of you focus on things I wouldn't have thought to care about. Except Witch Ass, which is apparently the Siren's call for some of you. Like some KMFDM "A Hole in the Wall" level obsession. Just be aware that things are being left open to interpretation intentionally, because I hate Information Dump characters. And if we ever decided to do a second game, we would want something substantial to explore.

Thanks for your interest and patronage,
-Kinderfeld

And it's that time of the month again. Updated files are being uploaded and the release notices are going to be scheduled before the afternoon is over. After the late reveal at the end of 0.21.0, I'm sure some of you are wondering what in the hell that thing was. You'll find out soon enough. 

On a technical front, this update should complete the changeover of the Kiss sound effect from the Sound channel to the Voice channel. It's a minor quality-of-life change for those who want to mute "lewder" sounds while playing with the sound and music going. 

Now that it's Professional American Football season, you might not be getting the best out of me on Sundays. I've got a fantasy team I still have hope in (Go Josh Allen and Jahmyr Gibbs). Once that hope is gone, I'll be able to better invest my days, so by week 5. 

Here's the release schedule for 0.22.0 (all scheduled for 11:59 am EDT release):

Tier 3 - September 16, 2026
Tier 2 - September 18, 2026
Tier 1 - September 20, 2026
Public -  September 21, 2026

Thanks for your interest and support,
-Kinderfeld