The Flayed Man News & Patch Notes

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The Flayed Man News & Patch Notes | SteamScope

An Update On The Future Of Snoring Dog Games & 35% Discount Announcement

snoringdoggamessteam_community_announcements

397d ago

Hi everybody. It's now been roughly six weeks since The Flayed Man changed from free to a paid model and I wanted to share an update with you all on the impact this has had and the future of Snoring Dog Games.

Before I do, I'd like to bring to your attention that The Flayed Man is now 35% off as part of the Steam Sale, including the Give Me Your Skin Bundle. If you haven't already grabbed a copy or would like to gift a copy to a friend, make sure to do so now!

As per my last message, sales of The Supporter Pack were low and so the move to a paid model was an attempt to raise the funds to make another game. I'm very pleased to say we are now 75% of the way there, and it looks very likely another game will be coming your way.

We had previously shared some of the games we would like to make. However, we're still nowhere near the level of funds we'd need to make these a reality at this point. Instead, our next will be a visual novel horror roughly 90 minutes to 120 minutes long. The plan is for this to feature the same art style many of you loved along some really weird, unique imagery and thematic points you probably wouldn't have seen in other games. It's much more along the lines of Slay The Princess, Milk Inside A Bag of Milk and other such games than a traditional VN.

I'm going to put everything I have into the story and the game, and we will be aiming for a 2026 release for this. I'll still be paying the accountant out of my own pocket, so all funds raised from The Flayed Man will be going into paying the artists for the game.

When I say we're at 75%, this is for what I would consider the bare minimum we need to bring the game to life. We can probably still make the game with current funds but we are reliant on your continued support to bring our full vision to life. If we can exceed the 25%, that will allow us to expand and make the game even better.

That's why I'm asking you to help make this a reality. Things you can do:

Buy a copy of the game or Give Me Your Skin Bundle for yourself or a gift to friends.
Share the game on social media or tell your friends and family about it.
Leave a review on the Steam page if you enjoyed it.

Any of these actions will be a great help and much appreciated. I'm hoping our next message will be to confirm we reach our target.

Special Thanks To Our Turkish Fans

Inexplicably our game caught on in Türkiye, and roughly 70% of all sales has been from you. I want to give you all a special Teşekkürler for helping to ensure we will be able to make another game. I would love to have The Flayed Man and our next game translated, but again this relies on funds. If you'd like to make this a reality, then please help us by doing any of the actions above so we can do so.

Lastly, I would also like to offer all of my future games on a special once a year heavy discount on a special day in Türkiye. Republic Day falls into Halloween sales, so if you're a Turkish fan, please let me know a different special day in Türkiye that would be best.

I'm also very grateful to all our fans worldwide who make up the other 30%, you've really helped us and we hope to repay you with another great game.

Our next update will be after the Summer Sale, I hope we will be able to share some positive news and a teaser for our next game then.

The Flayed Man Is On Sale & Has Been Updated

snoringdoggamessteam_community_announcements

436d ago

Hi everybody. Following on from our last post The Flayed Man has now changed from a free to a paid model. You can read the reasons why here and I want to emphasise this is a Hail Mary to raise the funds to make our next game. We have tailored pricing internationally, meaning that it is equally affordable around the globe. I would especially like to thank all of the people who bought a version on the Supporter Pack back when the base game was free, your generosity is tremendous. For those of you who missed the opportunity to grab a copy for free, I'm very pleased to share that The Flayed Man and the Supporter Pack are now on sale until Monday 26th May. You can also buy the Give Me Your Skin bundle containing both and discounted by 15% for as long as we're on Steam. We have added several updates to both the base game and the Supporter Pack which I'm pleased to share with you below: The Flayed Man Base Game

We have added three more achievements to the game, bringing the total number to 18.
Recognising that players unfamiliar with Point & Clicks have been confused by the mechanics, there is now a basics page that goes over how to play the game.
Wondering why there's a photo of a dog at the end of the game? Well the ask to buy a Supporter Pack is gone and replaced by an explanation.

The Flayed Man Supporter Pack

The Supporter Pack now comes with a CC BY-NC 4.0 license, meaning as long as it's non-commercial and you attribute us, you can use everything within the Supporter Pack however you like.
In the spirit of the CC licence, I have now also added .MIDI files of all the tracks in the game, so you can edit & remix to your heart's content.
There have been six avatars added for use on Steam or other forums. Freak out your friends and family by making them ask why you have a skinless man being torn apart as your avatar.
We have added all four of the backgrounds, you can use them as wallpapers or any other purpose you like in line with the licence.

If you already have a copy of the Supporter Pack, all of the new extras should be added. Please message me directly or leave a post Community Hub thread if you don't have access to them. I'd like to thank everybody who has played the game for their support, we hope this final push over the next few months might be enough to help us keep the lights on at Snoring Dog Games to make more games for you in the future.

The Flayed Man Is Moving From Free To Paid Next Week

snoringdoggamessteam_community_announcements

446d ago

Firstly, we would like to give extra special thanks to everybody who purchased a Supporter Pack. It is thanks to people like you that we're slightly closer to the point where we will be able to fund our next game. Your generosity is enormous and we are so grateful for your support. However, following on from our previous announcement, I wanted to share with all players that The Flayed Man will be moving from being a free game to a paid game on the 17th May. We're keeping the price of the game very small and we are also tailoring prices so that fans across the world can afford the game. On the plus side, we will be reducing the price of the Supporter Pack, adding in a few more goodies as well as a releasing it with a CC BY-NC 4.0 license, so you'll be able to make your own hellish adventures. This will come out on the 17th too. I had hoped we would be able to keep The Flayed Man free forever, unfortunately the price of doing so would be that Snoring Dog Games shuts down and we would not be able to make any more games. If players had said they hated the game and wanted to see the back of us, we would have accepted it however, with so many players saying they'd love to see another, "full" game from us, the only viable way to do so is by adopting a paid model. In doing so, it also buys us another month of being able to offer The Flayed Man on Steam (until at least July). I want to emphasise that I don't take this decision lightly. Even with the paid model, the aim is to raise enough funds to pay our artists. I won't be making a penny from the game at all. I have prepared a FAQ below, and welcome any questions or comments. We're hoping this change will allow us to announce our next game in a few months. FAQ What's the rush? Why can't you just be patient? The biggest issue is that our current contract with our accountant ends in October and with it our first year discount. That means to leave The Flayed Man on Steam for another year will cost us £1000 (roughly $1300 dollars). For a game that's commercial, that's fine because even a low trickle of sales means we might make the money back but for a free game, that might never happen. Especially as the game gets older and people move on. If we don't raise enough funds we need to close down Snoring Dog Games. In the UK that means ceasing all trading (which is why we have to delist from Steam, which takes 30 days), receiving any remaining funds, having accountant prepare final accounts, and undergoing the process to strike off the company. The whole process takes 60 - 90 days. We were going to delist in June, but by adopting a paid model, we will take a chance and run it to the razors edge in July, in the hopes that the game being part of sales and other events might give us the opportunity to raise the funds. You're just being greedy, what's the obsession with money? The total cost of Snoring Dog Games and The Flayed Man including all operational costs has come out of my own pocket from my day job and I can't justify spending such money again. I have ensured our artists receive a fair pay and are paid on time. The targets I've shared in previous posts have been to raise the funds needed to pay our artists to make the game. I have never asked or targeted making a profit from The Flayed Man, and I don't expect to see a penny (I'm even willing to pay operational costs). All I want is to be able to pay the artists. In the grand scheme of things, we really don't need to sell that many copies (roughly 1000) but we're only 20% of the way there. The paid model offers the only viable path to getting the funds to make a game. I will always pay artists fairly, and I refuse to offer rev share or lower fair pay. Why not be happy with the large number of players? Aren't you going to lose most of your players? We've had roughly 4500 players and the game is in roughly 36,000 libraries. We also get on average 100 players a day. If it was just me doing the art, then I'd be content with these stats (and I do appreciate you all) but as I've mentioned, the aim is to make another game, at the moment that simply won't be possible. The number of players willing to buy a Supporter Pack isn't at the level we need. Having worked through the figures and spoken to other devs, it might seem odd, but even if we lost 95% of daily players by selling the game, the 5% left over buying the game would raise enough funds by July to allow us to make another game. It's simply a chance we have to take. I've already bought a Supporter Pack, does this mean I won't be able to play the game? Absolutely not, as long as you've downloaded the game before, you'll still have access to the game. You'll also ALWAYS have access to the Supporter Pack with added bonuses, even if you haven't downloaded it. If there are any issues, then I invite you to reach out me on our socials or via raising a discussion on the Steam Discussion page. If you have a valid receipt for the Supporter Pack prior to the change-over on the 17th, I will ensure you get access to both the game and the Supporter Pack. Forever.

Help Save Snoring Games - The Games We Would Like To Make

snoringdoggamessteam_community_announcementsworkshop

448d ago

Hi Everybody, We would like to start by saying thank you to all the kind words and support people have showed us since our last post. Unfortunately after an initial boost in sales, things have slowed down and we are only at 15% of the total amount we need to carry on, with Snoring Dog Games likely to close it's doors in June and The Flayed Man delisted (although if it's in your Library you can play it forever). The Flayed Man sits in 36,000 libraries and has been played by 4000 players with 96% positive reviews. It's clear that players have enjoyed our game and we're hoping that by sharing the games we would to make, it might help nudge you to helping support our studio through purchase of our Supporter Pack. It Waits In The Abyss - Sci-Fi Point and Click Horror Prior to my current day job I served in the military as a submariner, which is where the seeds of the idea for It Waits In The Abyss came from. It Waits In The Abyss takes in place in the future not too far from our own which has been ravaged by tactical nuclear conflict. The world's surviving nations receive a mysterious signal from a rift created during the wars, and pool together there resources to send a submarine to investigate. Things get much worse from there. The game would feature 12 end, determined by hidden values based on your actions and how you speak to others, with the final third of the game determined by a secret counter. The submarine would take a similar concept as Event Horizon and be based on Westminster Cathedral, with influences from the horror drawing on Barker and Lovecraft. This is a dream game and not something we expected to deliver straight away (although if we sold 5000 copies we could!) The Hunger Pit - Point and Click Horror If you loved The Flayed Man, you'll love this one. Dark religious Barker-type horror, mixed with concepts and artwork straight out of a Bosch painting! It takes place in a Leper Colony which has seemingly been abandoned. You play as The Ex-Priest, afflicted with leprosy, who along with the small number of fellow survivors must try to avoid starving. However, food may be the least of your worries as it turns out something unspeakable is also in the camp, something that hungers for flesh. This is a "full" version of the themes and play-style found in The Flayed Man, with 5 endings. If we reach the 1000 copy sold goal, we'd be able to make this. Suffering Inc - Business Sim Horror Ever wanted a business simulator crossed with a horrifying visual novel that requires you to indulge in the worst excesses of capitalism to succeed? Then Suffering Inc will be the game for you. This will feature dos-style, horrifying graphics and feature multiple paths you can follow to progress the game and the story. It will feature multiple endings depending on your choices. As this is less graphic-heavy than our other potential games, we only need to sell 750 copies to make it a reality. The Burnwalkers - Point and Click Sci Fi Horror OR Roadwarden-Style Text-Based RPG Taking place in a biopunk, dystopic Scotland, the world has given up all pretence of civilisation and has dedicated itself completely to war. Accompanied by the dog that helped you escape a laboratory where you would have been turned into an instrument of war, you must travel across Scotland in search of New Eden, a rumoured paradise unaffected by war. Inspired by The Road, WE3, The Plague Dogs, and The Walking Dead games, this will feature some horrific imagery and choices with multiple endings. This will fit into either a point and click game (which would need 1000 copies sold) or a Roadwarden type text-based RPG with the kind of graphics you found in The Flayed Man. We'd only need 750 copies to make this. Moving to Paid Model With all that in mind, we've had a lot of people suggesting moving to a paid model would make the most sense. It was our hope that we wouldn't have to do this, but it looks likely that for us to have any chance of making another we will have to make this change. We will lower the price of the Supporter Pack and keep the cost of The Flayed Man very modest at around $3.99 (and keep tailored pricing for markets). That way, we might have a fighting chance at keeping our doors open. We're aware this might be unpopular, but please remember I won't be earning a penny from this, literally everything goes to our artists. We'll give it a day or two, if we get incredible sales of the Supporter Pack following this announcement, we'll keep it free but if not we'll have to make the transition this week. We hope by sharing our future games, you'll be willing to buy a Supporter Pack to help make at least one of them reality!

Help Save Snoring Dog Games By Buying A Supporter Pack

snoringdoggamessteam_community_announcements

460d ago

Hi Everybody. First off I'd like to thank everybody who has played The Flayed Man and left positive reviews. We've had over 1100 players in a week and The Flayed Man is also sitting in over 18,000 libraries waiting to be played. We've managed to hit Very Positive reviews in that time too, so we're very glad for all your support. When adopting the free-to-play model, our aim was to get The Flayed Man in the hands of as many gamers as possible to show what kind of unique horror games Snoring Dog Games will make. The hope was always that gamers would respond to the free game with generosity to help us pay our artists and to make a new, full-length game unlike anything else on the market. I will always be honest with players, and it pains me to say that as it stands, The Flayed Man will almost certainly be not only our first game, but our last game too. The Supporter Pack has only sold 35 copies. We need to sell 1000 copies to fund our next game, and 2000 to offer financial stability for the next two years. The 1000 copies is the real target. We knew The Flayed Man would rely on word of mouth, but it was always our expectation to sell Supporter Packs numbering 10% of total players in a week and we're way below that. Aside from not having enough money to pay artists to make another game, our current contract with our accountant ends in October and with it our first year discount. There simply isn't any financial viability with current low sales figures to continue to operate Snoring Dog Games past that date. I am not making this or any game out of an aim of financial success but out of love for storytelling. Like most indie devs, I've worked day and night on the game, including on Christmas Day, so that you the gamers might be able to play something unlike anything else on the market. I won't see any personal income even with 2000 copies sold and will still be working my day job too. The reason I make this post is to outline the future paths of Snoring Dog Games, The first path (and the one we hope becomes reality) is that gamers read this message, are willing to support us, and we see an increase in the number of sales of the Supporter Pack. We don't expect to immediately hit our target but rather see a bump that shows there's some feasibility in long term future of The Flayed Man The second path is that If we don't reach our 1000 copies sold goal by 1st July then we will have to delist The Flayed Man and shutter Snoring Dog Games. We were hoping we would never have to make this post, but with such low sales, we wanted to be open with you all and let you know the situation at the moment. We thanks you for all your support so far, and hope you will be able to enable us to keep Snoring Dog Games open to make more games in the future.

The Flayed Man news & patch notes

The Flayed Man news & patch notes

We hope by sharing our future games, you'll be willing to buy a Supporter Pack to help make at least one of them reality!

Steam news for The Flayed Man