But seriously, I recently looked through several threads of games that I used to like. For most, nothing has changed; the yellow banner next to their game titles remains in place; Some of them don't, but their developers struggle with the "writer's block"; I don’t know what this bullshit means, I hope it’s not a new covid strain. Many of them started at the same time as Ocean.
I'll try to explain it to you from a developer's perspective:
Let's start with the basics: What do you need to bring to develop a VN?
1. You should be a developer, or at least have some empathy, although I don't attach great importance to this part
2. It is essential that you are an author and can tell a story. You should also be very knowledgeable when it comes to choosing words!
3. Graphic designer with a penchant for expressive images and animations, with the appropriate hardware power
4. Strong-willed, a VN isn't just created, it takes YEARS!
5. A concept or storyboard that is worked out and written down in detail. That too takes time.
Many developers underestimate points 2 and 3, but especially point 4! Everything takes time and if I e.g. For example, if you read here that 2000+ renderings were made, that's a lot of wood! And for point 5 I can give you 2-3 examples that cannot be surpassed in terms of lack of concept!
What is the general process?
At the beginning of a VN, the inclined developer is there with enthusiasm, will and energy. Here he overlooks the fact that the story and characters are not yet complex and so it is not surprising that they generate rapid progress in a very short time. Well, and then you get to a point where working on this VN turns into real work. Or the developer's personal circumstances have changed that were previously unforeseeable. It could also happen that the hoped-for EBIT does not materialize. But the fact is that developing a VN is real work and requires a constant high level of motivation. Basically, after an update, the developer starts again from the beginning -> from 0. The question of meaning that the developer asks himself always lingers. As long as the VN does not have the status "complete", there is always the risk that it will appear "abandoned". It doesn't matter whether it happens after the first or second to last update.