I’m Placing Project: Dustfall on Hold

Okay, so I know I literally just announced Project: Dustfall a few days ago—but the more I sit with the idea, and the deeper I get into pre-production, the more I realize: this game might be... kind of big.

Not huge, but definitely bigger than I expected. And honestly, my current skills as a game dev aren’t quite where they need to be to do it justice. Rather than scaling it down and diluting the vision into something more manageable, I’ve decided to put Dustfall on hold—for now—until my abilities match what I want the game to be.

Don’t worry, I’m 100% making that game. The story is there (and it's pretty great, if I do say so myself). The setting, the atmosphere, the vibe—it’s all alive in my head. I just want to make sure it shows up on the screen the right way.

So what now?

Well, with that being said, I’ve decided to buckle down and do some more foundational learning regarding game development, and, more specifically, Unreal Engine 5. However, I’ve had another idea in the back of my brain that I’ve recently dusted off and think would make for a much better first project.

It’s more focused in scope. Shorter in length (think 30–60 minutes tops). And way more doable on a tight timeline.

The truth is—I don’t want to spend five years working on my first game. Not yet. I want to get my hands dirty. I want to ship something I’m proud of. And Project: Dustfall is looking more like a “2–3+ years in development” kind of game. For my first project, I’m aiming more in the “2–3+ months” ballpark.

That’s not to say I want to make something inferior. I think the narrative hook of this new project is pretty interesting (again, if I do say so myself), and I think the overall vibe and tone will be super sick…I’m really excited about it.

So for now, Project: Dustfall is on hold, and instead I’ll be working on…wait for it…

PROJECT: DEEPSLEEP.

More on that in the next devlog. Thanks for coming along for the ride.
—Steve