Simon!

Thanks for letting us know about this, Simon.

Thank you so much, Simon! What a kind gesture.

Thanks Simon.

Thanks, Simon!

Simon, just want to say thanks for your continued game development and contributions to the adventure genre (not to mention hosting adventure jams to foster new interest!). I'm glad you made a complete list of your games as I had missed a few somehow. Well technically you call them demos, but they are unique experiences all their own!

Thanks lakerz, that means a lot! I usually call them demos because they are short, and most of the time I have many more ideas in my head to expand those games further, so the resulting games are just a very small part of my view. Maybe someday they could become real games for some of them... That would be cool! Even if it was made by other creators based on my work, who knows? I'm very opened to all kinds of cooperations.

Sometimes I want to expand these short experiences by adding chapters when I see that people seem to like a specific "demo". It's what I did for My Village is Magical which has 2 short games already (if you look at my previous list). And also with Francium: A Museum for Robots, for which I created a 2nd chapter during another game jam. Chapter 2 has been even more successful in terms of views and number of downloads, so it's really motivating. It's more likely that there will be a chapter 3 made in November during AdventureX if I succeed to do it (2 weeks are short to create a game!). But game jams are intense and also make me very tired, so it's really more for the fun and to learn new things.

Back to the Black Cube series!

As promised there is a special sale event this week during the French quarantine. It might not look as great as the first quarantine where ASA and Catyph where completely free, but this time more of my games are impacted together, and it's quite an effort in my situation and compared to the usual Steam sales. This is also a way for me to engage in supporting furthermore indie adventure games in general with FireFlower Games (DRM-Free). I hope you like it and that you'll find it interesting!
https://fireflowergames.com/news/black-cube-lockdown-sale

Thanks everyone for your interest in my games! I think I had not read so much support for a long while and it does me good!

Thanks so much for the link, Simon! We appreciate it.

That's what I mean Simon, it is cool that even now you still participate in game jams (as well as foster new ones) and stay so connected to the community. Big thumbs up! Your sale is great, as was your generous gift to community when lockdowns first started. Adventure genre remains strong and in good hands...

Thanks lakerz! Well I'm doing my best in those difficult times...

If some of you have some time and are interested to read a long message from me: I was asked last night on Adventure Gamers forums if the site Steamspy is right when they say that I sold 6 games for a total of 37,000 copies at an average price of $12.39 (which would mean that I earned $500,000 from my games).
I have to admit that it made me a little angry and here is my reply: https://adventuregamers.com/forums/viewthread/2683/P135/#167836

Simon, I just read that reply and I am in shock. I would have thought steamspy was over calculating your sales revenue as your games are good enough to deserve a lot of support! Honestly, even an overinflated $500,000 is a decent number but divide by 7 years + pay other contributors and licensing, etc and money goes away quick. As you so adroitly put it, if it is a lot less then life gets complicated rather quick. I apologize, I did not know that you were having to make so many sacrifices to continue on as a game developer. I was one (of the few I guess) to support you on Desura ha ha until it folded. I definitely have Boinihi on my xmas wish list. I wish you a newfound burst of success that can lift your spirits and put you on a stronger path of game development success!

You know, you now make me think more about all the devs that have a passion to succeed, but it is such a tough industry to succeed in! Steam is great ... except for the fees they charge plus the insane over saturation of games that have hit the site these past years. Adventure genre alone seen a TON of new entrees on Steam with a somewhat limited audience. I imagine a great many studios are keeping fingers crossed they can find success.

Yeah, well it is difficult for me to expose my situation and personal life like this, so I didn't share all of this explicitely before (I seem to remember that we talked about this in another thread on GameBoomers?), but when I see how it is easy to be fooled by these stats, I thought I shouldn't remain silent.

With every new game released and hard work achieved, there is the hope that things will get better. But the market in general is too saturated and oriented to specific kinds of games (the most entertaining ones - not those that require a real brain lol - just kidding).
Even in the indie adventure genre there are much more games that release all the time compared than before when I started as an indie dev with ASA. It's difficult to convince people that my games are good enough to be purchased, and the sites who make good reviews of them are usually not viewed by a lot of people, compared to AAA games who can be seen everywhere on the internet. In top of that there is the challenge of dealing with steam curators, streamers and youtube influencers today, and most of them love to ask free copies of my games but they almost never talk of them, because they are too difficult for them and not fun enough for their community (I'm not saying all of them are like that, but a vast majority).

Today I take it more with philosophy and see that as long as I can put a foot before the other to progress on my path, and as long as I am rewarded by all the great people (like you) that I cross along the way and who enjoy my work and encourage me, then even if not for money, I am still happy to continue to build my work year after year and to enrich my world of new creations (it's a little useless and they will be completely forgotten in a few years, so I also do it for me because I love telling stories).
Of course it remains very hard day after day, as explained in the other thread, and sometimes I want to give up (which I did for the Black Cube series this Summer - at least temporarily), and many times I see my energy and motivation drop down as if I was facing a too high wall. But everytime something happens or someone comes to tell me how they loved my games and I decide to continue with all my passion. I don't have a depressed mind, I don't want to become famous or rich, and I always say myself that I am lucky to have my current house and a place to live in.

It would be more comfortable however if I could earn more, also for the day I will retire because I will not have enough energy anymore. But for the moment I am confident and am taking care of my health as much as I can, and I hope I will be able to continue to create games for a long time! Thanks for each copy of my games that you purchase, it is a great way to help, and if in return you enjoy the game then I'm happy!

Simon, I also read your post on adventuregamers. As we don't know each other and only exchanged 4-5 messages on GB so far, I of course
did not know all these details about your financial situation, but based on a few comments I read here and there in the last 1-2 years, for some
reason I 'knew' that you are struggling financially. Which I think is a shame, considering how much you contribute to the myst-like genre.
That is exactly the reason why I encouraged everybody here to buy your games a few weeks/months ago. Something I would normally not do for many reasons. But I am really thankful for the great joy you brought me and my gaming buddy with your games. It is a shame the financial output is so low for you, considering the amount of skill, dedication and work it takes to create games like this alone/in a small team. So, whenever you are down and have doubts, please never forget you do have a fanbase out there and your work is appreciated and admired,. Granted, that does not help you financially, but hopefully at least a little bit emotionally/psychologically.

PS: Sorry for not having emailed you as I promised, just like you, it sometimes takes time for me until I respond, but I will respond.

Thank you mike_bn!
Following everything we said previously, it took me a while to get ready but this is my way to thank you all for your support!

7 Years of the Black Cube series, Artbook

You can easily download it in PDF version with this link:
https://bit.ly/35bIfH3
(directly from my server simonmesnard.fr, just click and download, no registration, no scam)

Or for those who prefer I have prepared a paper version on the self-publishing book Lulu.com:
https://www.lulu.com/en/en/shop/sim...-artbook/hardcover/product-1vgm9jep.html

Available in English and French (both in the same book).
I hope you enjoy!


https://zupimages.net/up/20/45/i6yn.jpg

https://zupimages.net/up/20/45/ho6b.jpg

https://zupimages.net/up/20/45/8otu.jpg

Hi! Forgive me if I am very active on this thread lately, I hope it doesn't look like spam, but there has been some news again that I would like to share:

First of all it's the last hours to get ASA, Catyph, Boinihi and Myha at the best possible price for this year on FireFlower Games:
https://fireflowergames.com/news/black-cube-lockdown-sale

Then my friend Klemens Koehring (voice actor of Boinihi) made me the surprise of posting 2 video clips that summarize his work on Boinihi, and I think they're great. If you have not played the game it might help you decide if you want to get it or not?

Video 1: Hero Astronaut scenes
https://vimeo.com/428239613

Video 2: Boinihi Hermit scenes
https://vimeo.com/427384516

Klemens is a true professional actor and has been working on several games, including Catyph in the past, and more recently Dark Nights with Poe & Munro (you can see him on the game cover, on the left)


Finally, don't miss the free digital artbook in my previous post, I don't know for how long it will remain online (probably for months however, don't worry. It's just if I clean my website someday that I could remove it but it is a high possibility that the link won't work in a few years)
It's not just a PDF with screenshots from the game, I really took the time to pick the best views and sort them in several themes/chapters, write original texts and descriptions, include new and bonus content... 130 pages of space adventure!

I really hope that you like it, and don't hesitate to let me know if it helped you to have a better understanding of the whole Black Cube series! Thanks!

I caught this thread in time and bought all 4 games. Thank you so much for this deal.
I am doubly excited because I finally upgraded my gaming computer, and have a high end system and monitor to enjoy the games on.

Thanks a lot colpet for your purchase, it really helps! I hope you will like them and will be happy to discover the series! Don't stop at your first play if you don't like it, as each game is different (and they can be played in any order).
ASA and Catyph work on "small" computers and Boinihi needs a little higher specs, but it is mostly for Myha that a "more modern" computer is required (as it is in full 3d).
Have fun!

Thanks for all the recent info you've shared Simon!

No worries on "spamming" the forum or thread. Your posts are more than welcomed!

I am playing the Black Cube games now. I have just finished ASA Remastered, and am fully into Catyph. I love how there is a wider story arc connecting them. I am blown away by the details in all the datalogs and the little 'winks' and SF/F references. Just incredible imagination and dedication.
I highly recommend these games for anyone who enjoys a puzzle and exploration type game. My only quibble is the navigation system takes some getting used to, just a matter of paying attention to where the on screen arrows are. Other than that, there is a good amount of challenge, lots of clues to think about and some great 'Aha' moments to be had.

Thank you Colpet for sharing this here! I'm glad you could finish ASA and are fully into Catyph!
Oh yes the navigation... This is something other people told me and that's why it was changed in Myha and Boinihi. I hope you'll find it better in these two games.
Have fun then, and don't hesitate to ask if you're stuck (for any reason)!

Hello! I recently posted this on twitter and thought that you don't have all an account there, and might want to be notified:

"Better late than never, I have written a FAQ about the Black Cube series!"
It is on the official site: https://theblackcube.fr/faq.html

I think you already know the answers! ahah

Nice!