Hey everyone,

It's time for the traditional yearly roadmap!
 
2025 was a transition year between The Pacifier Project and DreamWalker, and a lot of things happen, but it was mostly under the hood. The greatest thing I did this year was the playtest sessions :  it's just incredible how much they help in improving the game, and everyone playing the demo a bit later will be able to enjoy a far more seamless experience thanks to that. Thanks again to all playtesters !

Now, 2026 is all about growth, so Dreamwalker turn into a proper living game.

Let’s break it down.

Q1: Demo Polish and Release

Final Demo Polish Phase

The first months of the year are fully dedicated to polishing Dreamwalker’s first public demo.  The goal is to make sure the experience feels coherent,readable, and solid from the very first minutes.

Main focus areas include:

- UX clarity 
- First-day pacing and onboarding 
- Balance and friction points  (food balance,continence...)
- Technical stability and performance 

This phase is intentionally not about adding new features right now. 
It’s about making sure the core loop holds up under real player conditions and leaves a strong first impression. I really want to make sure everyone can have a good time.

Pre-Demo Playtest Session

A closed playtest session will be organized in about a month 
This session will focus on:

- Identifying remaining flow issues 
- Catching last-minute usability problems 
- Stress-testing the demo content as a complete experience 


Demo Release Preparation

The current target for the public demo release is around March 1st, with a slight delay possible if needed.  While it's a realistic date, it's also a nice callback to the first build I've released of the Pacifier Project !
The initial goal was to ship by the end of 2025, but natural delays made it clear that pushing a bit further was the healthier choice. I could have released a demo by now, but it's just not up to my standard anymore.

After the playtest :
- I’ll be deep in last-minute bug fixes 
- There will be a short break in mid-February since I have real-life work obligations to take care of.
- Development will then resume for the final stretch and launch preparation 


The Pacifier Project 1.2.0 Free Release

As promised,The Pacifier Project 1.2.0 will be released for free once the Dreamwalker demo is public. 
This closes the chapter properly and ensures everyone can experience the final version of the game.

From this point on, maintenance will be very limited to bug fixes only,maybe on a yearly release.


Early Access Preparation

Alongside the demo release, groundwork will begin for the transition to Early Access.

Once the demo is released, the goal is to move forward with an Early Access phase of the game and onto the "real game". For the demo purpose, I specifically created a game mode, and, of course, some game events and structure are tied to the demo so you can enjoy content. But the real story mode might be sightly different in term of pacing.

Q2: Early Access

Early Access Release

This first Early Access release will likely not be yet about story progression past the first few days, but instead widening the scope a big on the game introduction, properly moving out of "demo mode" and improving the experience following the demo feedback. Don't get me wrong, there will be content, but it will likely extant what already exist. The goal is to validate the demo and ensure our feets are rock solid for the next one.

Subscribers will get access first, with the demo version getting available publicly as an entry point.

Regular Playtest Rhythm

Playtest sessions will now happen a few weeks before each major update, to ensure that feedbacks and bugs are adressed.


Q3: Expansion and Depth

First Major content Update

This update will focus on expanding Dreamwalker’s world and systems.Of course we're still a bit far and things can move, but the general direction will be: 

As usual, subscribers will access this update first, with the previous version later becoming available for free.


Summer Pace Adjustment

As every year, development will slow down slightly during summer,especially August. 

Q4: Consolidation and Direction Setting

Early Access Update

By the end of the year, the goal is to ship a second major content Early Access update.  Since most systems backbones are solids, I expect I will be able to create contents at a good pace, while most of the new features will come from existing systems improvements instead of starting from scratch.


Once again, thank you all for sticking around, for testing unstable builds, for giving feedback, and for supporting this project over the long term.  
2026 will be a great year !