Hey everyone! Yite here, it's been a while since I wrote a blog post.
The Time I Have Left is back! Not that it really left, but things have been in a difficult spot for us these past few months.
But here we are at it again. Today I’ll briefly discuss how things are now and also clarify how we will move forward, so let’s cut to the chase!
Short Version
New trailer at Indie Quest!
We closed our studio but the core team members are back as an indie team.
We have no budget… but the game is progressing nicely!
We want to release the game on consoles and in many languages but we’ll need your support.
Long Version
New Trailer and gameplay reveal
Did you know we debuted a new trailer during the IndieQuest Showcase? If not, you can check it out right now:
Did you catch all the new stuff? Since quite a few people have tried the demo already, this time I wanted to share something that gave more information about what’s to come for people already familiar with it. Most of the new footage focuses on the second chapter of the game: the urban area of Platform 57.
We will be presenting some of these features over the following weeks, but feel free to discuss and speculate about them in the comments ;)
Demo Update
Keep in mind that everything shown in the trailer is real footage already playable in the current build.
We did a small patch to the demo a few days ago to ensure that everything was as up-to-date as possible for new players. We would love to keep adding more things to the current demo, but for now, we're focusing on creating new content!. That doesn’t mean there won’t be changes or improvements made on Chapter 1, only that you’ll need to wait for the final release to see them.
The Team
So…who’s making this now? Didn’t the studio close forever?
We went from solo dev to a two-man indie team, to an indie studio…it’s been a crazy ride. We made our plans, reached out to almost a hundred publishers, traveled to events, and even tried a Kickstarter. It didn’t work out, and after tedious paperwork, Ground Game Atelier does not exist anymore.
We are back to being just an indie team, continuing the work that was done under that umbrella. We take back our original name (just “Ground”) and will keep domains, handles, and everything else the same, so you don’t have to worry about it too much!
The critical staff of the original team is still contributing to the game, but now that we are not a company anymore most of them are working on it in their spare time, at least for now. I am the only one still working on it regularly (and tirelessly) at the moment but even I will have to find a job sooner than later to support its development.
Because, you know, at the time of this writing we have a total budget of zero. This is of course less than optimal, but the game has been slowly progressing without a budget for a while now. Thanks to the work done over the years things are going pretty well and we are still looking for ways to be able to dedicate more time and resources to it, so it can only get better from here on!
Despite MANY setbacks over the years, the game is still in development and in better shape than it ever was!
Consoles and localization
We have received lots of messages from people asking for console versions and localizations to different languages. Those of you who followed our Kickstarter know that we really want to do both, but both things require extra time and money that at this point is impossible for us to manage.
Here is our promise to you though: if the final game is released on PC, it will also be released on consoles sooner or later. Also, once we have the finish line in sight we will make sure to expand the languages available for the game.
Either if you want the game to be ported to your favorite platform or localized into your preferred language (or both), make sure to wishlist the game and support it in any way you can, that will greatly increase our chances to do it!
A sincere thank you
You’ve heard passionate indie speeches a million times, and you’ve seen a thousand cool projects die for one reason or another. This is the beginning of a second chance for us to complete this game, and as long as someone out there is looking forward to playing it I won’t let all the team’s efforts and support you’ve shown go to waste.
We will keep working on it until it is complete, so please keep supporting us so we can find the means to do it.
Thank you to everyone who has supported us at any time, from the game’s reveal until now. We will keep working to release the final game as soon as possible and give you a game worth playing.
Sincerely,
Yite
Patch Notes: May 29 2025
Hey everyone!
We just debuted a new trailer (you can find it in the gallery!) and to go with it we have prepared a small update to the demo.
Nothing too big if you have already played it, but there are some important things that we wanted to patch in there!
Changes
Added a Credits and Licenses section.
Added an additional red highlight to Aline when doing a dodge with perfect timing.
Small UI animation improvements.
Changed all instances of “Ground Game Atelier” branding to “Ground” (More info on this in a future blog post).
Bugfixes
Fixed various minor issues (performance, localization, gameplay, etc).
Fixed several Japanese translation errors.
Your old saves should work as before without issue, but let us know if you encounter any problems in this new version!
Sincerely,
Yite/b]
Demo Update: Added Japanese localization!
Hello everyone!
Nitro here. We've got another patch incoming!
The Kickstarter campaign has about a week left, and we still need your help to reach our goal. We encourage you to check it out and share it with your friends! And your enemies too, while we're at it.
The big news in this patch is that we're adding a new localization to the demo: Japanese! You can switch languages in the Options menu.
Now, onto the changelog:
Features
Added the Japanese localization.
Some UI elements now have an automatic scroll when their text is too long to fit.
Balance
The melee attacks for Enemy 3 (the one with the spikes!) now consume much more of the creature's Willpower to compensate for them being so difficult to avoid.
Bugfixes
The Map App no longer freezes if you open the Quick Navigation menu while there are no named locations to quick-navigate.
Fixed various minor issues (performance, localization, etc).
We've been reading everyone's feedback and, after some consideration, we've decided to offer additional options to tweak the difficulty of combat while playing in the "Story Play style".
These tweaks are optional: You can unequip the associated Passive Skills to completely disable them if you wish, making it so the only difference between the different Play style Modes is how the timer is treated.
Bear in mind that to receive the new skills in Story Mode you will need to start a new game (do not load a previous save).
Story Play style:
* The passive Skill "Reflexes" now increases the size of QTE success areas (e.g. when you attempt to kick down a pillar).
* Added two new Passive Skill
Perception: briefly slows down enemy attacks when they're close to hitting you.
Polyvalence: allows you to dodge any attack by pressing any directional button.
* The Passive Skills "Perception" and "Polyvalence" are now unlocked by default in Story Mode. Only "Reflexes" and "Perception" are equipped by default. You can unequip or reset them in the Skills Menu.
Balance:
* Enemy AI has been slightly adjusted. Enemies are now much less likely to Accumulate SP and Cast during the same turn, and the boss won't restore its own WP as often during the second phase.
* The defensive Skill 'Breathing 𝛼' now restores additional WP.
* The command 'Focus' restores additional Tension.
* Reduced the effect of the command Skill "Focus 𝛼" (boosts the Tension gained by 'Focus').
General:
* The "App Menu" shortcut (Q on the keyboard, L2/LT on the controller) now instead opens the map.
* A variety of UI and localization errors have been fixed.
We hope you're enjoying The Time I Have Left so far! And if you haven't had a chance to try it out, please feel free to do so! Your feedback will be much appreciated.
As a small self-funded team without publisher, this campaign is decisive for the final stretch of development. We are looking for support to complete and improve the game with all your help.
But what better way to ask for your support than sharing with you a lengthy new demo? During this 1-month campaign, you can play the first chapter of the game (almost) in full and see for yourself if it lives up to your expectations.
Also, you can also help development by just sharing the demo and the Kickstarter page with your friends or on social media!
And don't forget to check out the latest trailer!
We can't wait to hear your feedback.
Sincerely,
The team at Ground Game Atelier
New demo (and more!) for The Time I Have Left
Hey everyone!
We've got some exciting news! First of all, did you catch the new trailer we released in The MIX? If you haven't, you can check it out on our YouTube channel! Or on the game's store page: Whichever you like the most!
Of course, there's a special third option: To watch it in-game! We're releasing a new demo for the game, which contains a handful of enemies, a boss fight, and overall about an hour or two of content (unless you're a speed demon or have already played it during Gamescom, in which case we'll have to say it's a skill issue on your part. Because you're just too good).
Try our new demo and tell us what you think! As per usual, you can contact us on Discord.
Finally, we have one final announcement: We are launching a Kickstarter campaign!
Yes, we know what you're thinking: Wasn't this game supposed to launch in 2024? That was our initial goal, one that could have been possible with the support of a publisher. Unfortunately, we had to adapt our plans midway to keep development as a completely self-funded studio, so it has taken more time than initially planned.
You can read more about why we're choosing to go for Kickstarter and what is the state of the game on our campaign's page.
Sincerely, The team at GROUND Game Atelier
The MIX Fall Showcase: Get ready for a new trailer!
Hi everyone!
We hope you're ready for what's to come this week because we have a juicy update for you!
Tune in next Thursday for a brand new trailer during The MIX Fall Showcase!
And that's not the only surprise we have 👀👀👀
📅November 21st 🕙9:00 PST / 12:00 EST / 18:00 CEST 📍 Youtube / Twitch
See you on Thursday!
Turn-based RPG Fest
Hi everyone! The Turn-based RPG Fest is here and we didn't want to miss it :)
This time we have prepared a special in-depth feature about the combat system in The Time I Have Left and how it ties with the exploration. Also, this is your chance to take a first look at one of the bosses!
The stream will run from Friday 4th, at 19:30 CEST, until Monday 7th, at 10:00 CEST (times subject to change).
___________________________
NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES: TURN-BASED COMBAT WITH AN ACTIVE TWIST
Duration: 45 minutes
Language: English
Host: Yite (Creative Director)
Yite will host a special developer feature discussing some of the unique aspects of The Time I Have Left’s combat system, including answers to some of the most common questions we have received during development. ___________________________
Indie Dev Day 2024
Hi, everyone!
Are you in Barcelona (Spain) this weekend? Then you have a new opportunity to try the new playable demos for The Time I Have Left during Indie Dev Day!
We have made some tweaks after the feedback we got during Gamescom, come have a chat with us and let us know your opinion about the game!
The Time I Have Left at Gamescom 2024
Hello everyone!
Once more we are heading back to Köln, Germany, for Gamescom 2024 (August 21-25)! This year you can find us at the Indie Arena Booth (Hall 10.2), Booth 3, with Catalan Artsand a few other Spanish studios.
If you want to get a taste of The Time I Have Left, feel free to come by and give the demos a try! Yes, you read that right: we'll have 2 DEMOS AVAILABLE!
One for first-time players.
One for returning players with brand new content.
Plus... a little surprise for those of you who want to experience the challenges to come.
With this, we bring an option to test further into the game for those who tried the pre-alpha demo, either on Steam or last year at Gamescom, so make sure to check it out for some spicy encounters!!
Also, on Tuesday 20th we'll attend Courage Cologne, an indie game showcase night. If you are in Köln and want to try the demo at a relaxed venue, come say hi! Tickets are free, you just need to get them on their website.
Have a great Gamescom and we hope to see you there, The team at Ground.
