This week's a little different. I'm (James) joined by Justin Vasquez of Elastic Games to talk about how the sudden closure of the Discord Store drastically altered the future of what was meant to one of the shop's flagship titles. Last Year is a 5v1 teens versus monster horror game deeply rooted in B-movie aesthetics, a charming and unique take on asymmetrical competition that I personally prefer to the easy, but not entirely accurate comparison, Dead by Daylight.
But Last Year hasn't had the easiest time standing out. Shortly after launch on the Discord Store, the future of the game was put on the fritz when the shop suddenly closed. The team went dark for months much to the dismay of their busy Discord community, but Elastic Games has since found a new direction and road map for its debut, and more importantly, a new home on Steam.
Vasquez takes me through the moments the Discord Store shut down, the trouble of maintaining healthy communication with a fervent community, keeping up team morale in a difficult time, and the new shape and direction of Last Year.