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Hey Breakers,
I’m Matt, and I’m responsible for running Spellbreak’s in-game shop. When last we spoke, I laid out the pillars of the shop, outlining some of our commitments to always have straightforward pricing and our belief that the core experience of Spellbreak should always be accessible to everyone, regardless of their level of financial investment in the game.
Today, we’re here to talk about something a little less weighty, but still pretty exciting for our team (and we hope for you): upcoming holiday content—and a new way for you to get a sneak peek at upcoming store offerings.
The month of February is packed full of celebrations, both in the world of Velnor and IRL. This year, we’ll be paying homage to some of these holidays, albeit with a Spellbreak twist. It’s important to us that we stay true to the spirit of the holidays we’re introducing this month, and we promise to respect their real life analog.
Just like our own world, Velnor is a place steeped in cultural traditions and holidays. And especially in the wake of the Fracture, the refugees of the Hollow Lands seek solace in their celebrations. Here are two upcoming holidays that you’ll see featured in upcoming store updates.
To set the stage, I’ve asked our Content Director, Toby, to give a brief introduction of the festivities ahead.
Rosebloom Rumpus
When winter finally releases it’s icy grip on the land, lovers have traditionally given each other roses and rose themed presents to show their affection to each other. These gifts could be a simple single rose, rose shaped jewelry, or bouquets larger than their lover’s head. Towns all across the Highlands create sweet treats to keep their spirits up as winter comes to a close. Bakeries and confectionaries create elaborate creations.
Day of Remembrance
On this day, the people of Velnor traditionally honor their ancestors by guiding their spirits to the afterlife. Each kingdom has a different variation of the tradition. Bogmore fills their rivers with boats carrying lanterns. Halcyon townsfolk light a candle in their windows. Longwatch shoots flaming arrows to light bonfires. Banehelm keeps the candles in their libraries lit all night and reads passages about their ancestors. Dustpool burns incense of their departed one’s favorite scents. But all share the common goal of beseeching the departed and asking for their blessings in the year to come.
Hymnwood Festival
When the leaves of the Hymnwood have grown, the music of the forest returns. The people sing loud, cheerful songs of triumph and merriment. Towns are flooded with music, dancing, and beautiful flowers as everyone sets aside their troubles to celebrate. The colorful costumes and playful masks of the festival celebrate the continuation of life in its many forms.
The holidays in Spellbreak reflect the multinational audience the game has attracted. But more than that, we want to make sure the content we offer is as steeped in the fiction of our game as much as we draw inspiration from real world holidays.
Thanks Toby.
If you haven’t already figured it out, we’ll be introducing some new, and pretty awesome, bundles to the shop, in celebration of Valentine’s Day, Lunar New Year, and Carnival. Our art team has crafted some amazing new cosmetics (Outfits, Cloudbursts, Afterglows, and Emotes) that will be introduced to the game in the coming weeks. For a sneak peek of what’s coming to the Shop for these holidays, be sure to watch the Community Stream on Twitch on Tuesday, February 9, at 11:00 AM ET.
One important expectation to set: there won’t be any related in-game events to these holidays this year. While this is something that we’d like to achieve down the road, right now our focus is squarely on the core, fundamental aspects of the game.
To us, holiday cosmetics are most fun during their related season. Because of this, explicitly seasonal cosmetics will typically only be available during their intended holiday season, or in some instances, thematically relevant dates. This means that some of the items will only be available in the shop for a limited time, afterwards making their way “into the vault,” only returning during the next holiday season. On the other hand, you will see some of our more generically “spring themed” outfits throughout the year.
Thanks to everyone for your steadfast support, and I’ll see you next quarter with another update from the store team.
Matt
Principal Product Manager