It's been a week since I've launched Stakes so I think this is a good time to go over some of the stats of the release weeks and my findings about them. My goal here is to be transparent and I feel like I it's good practice to keep you all up to date with the basic behind the scenes stuff. First things first I should say that I botched the release in several ways. 

My original plan was to release the game as in synch as possible with F95zone, Patreon and SubscribeStar. It quickly became apparent that this was going to be quite impossible since to verify my account with SubscribeStar and Patreon I'd have to release it first so they could check that I was actually creating something and that it would comply with their guidelines. Okay, no biggy I thought, I'll just do a soft launch on Itch, link the project to my Patreon and SubscribeStar to verify those accounts and then get the game indexed on Itch and post it on F95zone. I'd already created accounts on everything, set up the initial release pages as drafts and made sure my F95zone account had the three posts necessary to be able to post a thread in the Game Requests section. And then, after uploading the latest PC and Mac version game files to Itch.io I accidentally released the game and apparently it ​did ​get indexed automatically (something I mistakenly thought would have to happen seperately). I only found out I had released the game proper after a couple of hours while I was going over the draft of the F95zone thread I was going to make that my game popped up in latest updates! I go over to my Itch.io page and yep, it's been released alright.

Now in retrospect I don't think the simultaneous release plan was ever going to go swimmingly and I now very much doubt it was going to impact overall numbers a significant amount, what I did completely screw up however was the release of the android version. The Android release was honestly a complete afterthought in the first place. I'm a PC gamer through and through and I honestly don't play any games on my phone whatsoever nor do I own a tablet. I'm honestly quite a bit behind when it comes to all that stuff. When I uploaded the Android version to the Itch page through the Ren'py launcher I thought I put it on private but apparently it got released along with the updated versions of the PC and Mac builds. Untested. Yeah, I'll come back to this mistake after going over the numbers so I can put it in perspective.

​Okay so these are some of the stats I get to see from Itch.io It also gives me some seperate numbers in regards to which game version (PC/Linux, Mac or Android) was downloaded what amount of times: 227 downloads for the PC/Linux version, 25 downloads for the Mac version, 350 downloads for the Android version, and 14 downloads for the Windows/Linux update patch. I'd say about half of the total downloads were made within the first two days. That's the numbers for Itch.io, I also have some rough estimates in download numbers from F95zone (I say rough because I only have the numbers of about half of the mirrors since Mega for example doesn't track how many times something has been downloaded). The numbers I do have are a total of 1273 downloads for the PC/Linux version, 29 for the Mac version, 308 for the Android version and 19 for the update patch. That makes a total of 1629 downloads, which with the other mirrors taken into account I'll make a conservative estimate of between 1800 and 2000 downloads in total. 

So the good news if we take into account both Itch.io and F95zone: holy shit my game was maybe downloaded 2500 times! That is way more than I expected! Bad news: the Android version was unplayable until I was alerted it was broken on wednesday. (Thank you Fap_Master_69 and betaboy_69. A sentence I truly in my wildest dreams would've never imagined ever typing.) That means that more than half of those Android downloads were instances where I absolutely disappointed those people. For my sanity I must assume that people must've thought their download failed and perhaps they attempted to download the game again, meaning that I disappointed fewer people BUT that also means that I've wasted even more of those people's time! And then I must assume that of the Android users that maybe tried this game again after the Android rebuild, there will be people who downloaded it before I fixed the font size! That means yes, the game was technically playable but they'd likely need a damned magnifying glass to play it! (Thank you Pgsurprise who pointed out the necessity of a text size slider). So all in all I just have two things to say to Android users: I'm sorry. I'll do better in future. Due to the borked launch I don't have an exact estimate how many of you there are but hey, what I do know is that basically nobody plays games on a Mac​. (Jokes, sorry 54 Mac downloads but I have no idea if your version works or not since I can't test it, but since nobody let me know I assume it does.).

Now about the money. Yes, only a single person donated on Itch. No, I'm not too disappointed by that. If the main aim of this release was to make cash then I wouldn't have released it for free! I'm immensely grateful to the person that did, I don't know if you played it and then donated afterwards or if you're just that nice of a person that you donated the suggested amount not even knowing if the game was any good. I sincerely hope though that you aren't one of the people I disappointed with the Android release. In regards to support on Patreon and SubscribeStar it follows the same trend with one paying member on each, which I'm also absolutely grateful for that there are even people out there who want to support me financially! I promise to do my utmost to deliver with every subsequent release of the game. Also shout-out to the 51 Itch users that put this game in a collection, the 17 followers on Itch, the 10 free Patreon members, and everyone who left a review or commented on Itch or on F95zone.

​TLDR:
- Botched the Android release, sorry
- Holy shit 2500 downloads?! (itch + F95zone)
- Thank you!

​Development Log #1
So first two days of release week was spent mostly on making the first two fixes and obsessively refreshing every possible online page related to the game (yeah, the adrenaline rush was a bit larger than I'd anticipated). When that initial hype died down I got back to work and properly scripted out the dialogue for the first four 'scenes' of Episode 2. The way I divided up scenes in Episode 1 was mostly location-based (which meant that the two Litmus wrestling matches and stake claiming segments were technically all one long scene) but now I might tweak that slightly with the first scene of Episode 1 shifting between two locations and not taking up that much time. I also created five character models for new characters that will appear in the next episode, one of which will get a lewd scene. Lastly I created 50 renders for the first scene of Episode 2, not a huge amount but it's a good start. 

My goal for next week is to finish up the first scene, both creating the images and coding the scene into the game, and start work on scenes two and three. If development goes smoothly I plan to release the first preview version of Episode 2 (hopefully consisting of around four scenes) in the first week of August for all Enhancement Talent-tier Patrons/Subscribers and above.

After issues with the Android version of the game and the first rounds of feedback I've added some fixes to the game as well as an update only patch for the PC/Linux version.

Changelog:
- Rebuilt the Android version
- Increased the font size of certain sections
- Removed one of the game recommendations at the end to comply with Patreon standards.
- Added a slider to adjust the text size of the dialogue
- Added a slider to adjust dialogue textbox transparency
- Widened the text box to accommodate the changes in the maximum text size
- The save screen will now automatically open at the end of the update (It might also appear after loading an existing save at the end of the current build)
- Uploaded a patch with just the fixes for the Windows/Linux version. After extracting, merge the game folder with the existing one of your installed game and override duplicate files.

Thanks to the people who gave me the feedback and I'll keep an eye out for more easy fixes and accessibility features I can add to episode 1 but the more complicated stuff might have to wait for the next main release.

Download the new version on itch

Stakes is a wrestling themed adult visual novel set in world where wrestling is both the biggest sport and the most popular form of entertainment. But there's not just regular wrestling, there's also stake wrestling. A mixture between a wrestling match followed by a live sex show, stake wrestling is a match type where the winner has sex with the loser's 'stake' - a stake most of the time being a sexual performer or other wrestler.

You take control of the main character as he works his way up in this world of wrestling. He's got a bit of a chip on his shoulder and feels like he has something to prove, so he's more than eager to get started. How about you?

The protagonist has aspirations to become one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, but right now he has to start from the bottom. To put food on his plate, he works day shifts at Hot Coffee - a café by day and an adult service lounge by night. Now he is eager and prepared to take his first opportunity in the world of wrestling: Litmus - a permanent venue that hosts wrestling matches by open application. It is a promotion that has proven to be a springboard for many an undiscovered talent since its establishment in the Eighties.

Someone with ambition needs a support network. When the main character arrived alone in the country a year ago, his first companion was a cat. Not long after he befriended his coworkers and reconnected with an old gym buddy acquaintance and his wife. But a gym buddy alone won't cut it where he's going and the protagonist will have to work with new teachers and mentors if he wants to succeed.

On the climb to the top there will always be obstacles. Things become complicated when those obstacles are people. The main character will have to deal with them, one way or another, and hopefully for him things won't become too messy along the way.

Luckily people aren't always obstacles. Sometimes people are new friends, partners or allies. Sometimes they are one night stands, hook-ups or friends with benefits. And sometimes - sometimes they are something more.

On your way to the top, the main character is but one of many. There are many hungry newcomers who are driven to make a name for themselves, and many established veterans and legends who could make or break the carreer of any young lion.

I'm aiming to make this visual novel a fairly linear narrative with optional side paths. This means that overall I'm expecting a maximum of two- maybe three endings and a lot of different sub-ending depending on which love interests you decided to pursue. Besides that, your choices will also taylor the protagonists personality, making him behave more like a face or heel outside of his wrestling persona. 

After the initial stages of getting his carreer started, I am considering having two or three alternate routes whether your character wants to pursue a face, heel or tweener character. How much this routes will differ story-wise I cannot currently say, it might offer completely alternate matches and scenes or it might just be some slight dialogue and costume changes. It'll all depend on your demand and how feasible I find things to make within certain time frames. I will say that right now the plan is that the characters personality stats will not exclude you from selecting a certain route - meaning a face personality protagonist could pursue a heel run as a wrestler, making I'm sure some interesting interactions. All of these plans are subject to change.

When it comes to gameplay during wrestling matches I am currently leaning towards it purely consisting of narrative choices, where you'll have to pay attention during match preparation and have to try and read the main character's opponent during the match itself. Depending on how development goes I also have the idea of having implementing some form of tcg-based minigame but right now that is something out of my scope as a creator and should I ever implement this it will be optional.

All sexual content with the exception of nudity is avoidable or skipable. One of the big aspects of the game will be the sexual interactions with stakes in front of an audience, so naturally there will be a lot of possible exhibitionist content. Otherwise I am aiming to include a variety of different kinks with a few exceptions:

There will be NO true NTR, non-consent, incest, loli, guro or bestiality content. I say no true NTR because there will be optional sharing content that is kayfabe NTR - kayfabe referring to the in-game made up storylines and narratives revolving around wrestling. An example might be when a face wrestler is being cuckolded by a heel, but in reality it is all scripted behind the scenes and everyone involved is okay with the storyline. If that doesn't sound like something you'd want in your game, don't worry! As I said: all sexual content involving the main character (watching or participating) will be avoidable or skipable. I guess technically it will be possible to come out at the end of the game without performing or witnessing any sexual interactions but I do expect that will feel a bit odd at the end.

Last but not least I'll anticipate the harem question. Short answer: yes, kind of. Long answer: it will be possible to be in a polyamorous relationship with multiple love interests. Some of them might be open to it immediately while others might be hesitant or have to define what polyamory means to them (e.g. interactions with other partners in the relationship or not). There will however most definitely be the possibility to form a kayfabe harem - a harem within the wrestling narrative.

I'm a solo developer and this is very much my first project like this. It has taken me while to pull the trigger and start working on it properly and I'm under no delusion that I still have - and that there will always be - a lot to learn about working with ren'py and improving the quality of my images, animations and writing. I look forward to improving myself while working on this project and do hope you'll enjoy the results.

This first build is the result of about two years of the idea roaming in my head plus some initial writings, renders and worldbuilding in my spare time, and the last three months of actual proper working on it. I am honestly very excited by the prospect of finally releasing this first build and share what I've worked on with you guys.

 The main releases of this game will always become available for free! If you wish to support me however you are welcome to subscribe to for previews, behind the scenes content, access to preview builds, input on polls regarding future content and early access to main releases. If you don't have the ability or simply don't wish to support me financially but do want to help me continue this project I absolutely appreciate any comments, feedback or reviews (though it might be a bit early for the last one?) here on public posts, or on itch.io.