The gif could make one laugh if not for the reason for it. It's a shame. This game had promise. But I have a feeling the sandbox element was too much to take on, or people really didn't like that direction.
I think the main reason for the public’s declining interest in this game over time largely comes down to a loss of trust in the developer. He clearly made some questionable, and even disastrous, decisions when it came to public relations.
Not only did he fail to be transparent about his choices and didn’t properly inform his audience in advance, but he also decided to change the game’s direction halfway through development. He likely overreached by trying to transform what started as a typical, story-driven AVN into something much more complex, incorporating denser and more varied gameplay elements.
While the game eventually included some sandbox features, he also planned, if I remember correctly, to add RPG mechanics, kingdom management, politics, and overall create a more sophisticated experience, something closer to mainstream game development. Unfortunately, these ambitions were far too big and complex for a solo amateur dev working on this in his spare time.
At the same time, he began working on other projects, repeatedly putting previous games on hold and promising to return to them later. Of course, none of these ever progressed in the long run. His communication became increasingly rare, updates were delayed more and more until they eventually stopped altogether. Given all this, it’s no surprise he ultimately lost credibility and faced a significant, very negative backlash from his supporters.
He resurfaced recently, reportedly planning to relaunch VIS under a different name on Steam to start fresh without community pressure, but still holding onto those same ambitions that seem just as unrealistic or out of reach.
Personally, I don’t hold a grudge against him, but his choices strike me as illogical, and his aspirations somewhat unrealistic. He would have benefited greatly from better communication, being upfront about his intentions as early as possible, and focusing on delivering concrete results to gradually build trust and earn credibility and respect, things he failed to do or simply neglected throughout the whole process.
Similarly, it seems far more sensible and rational to focus on one project at a time, avoid spreading oneself too thin, stick to a concept, see it through to completion, and only then use that experience to take on new ventures.
At this point, I doubt many people genuinely believe in his chances of success, or in his real, honest desire to produce something meaningful. Again, I have nothing personally against him, but it’s important to stay realistic and avoid fostering false hopes or living in far-fetched illusions.
TL;DR: I’d say this is really unfortunate. The dev made several mistakes, probably due to lack of experience, overly ambitious goals, poor communication, and unclear decisions. He started multiple projects but never finished any. In the end, this game is basically dead and represents a real waste of potential and good ideas.
