"The sad truth is, the future is uncertain": Indie dev asks community for help after supporting its dinosaur Stardew Valley on a "shoestring budget"

The independent team behind Paleo Pines is seeking community help to find financial backing for its dinosaur farming sim follow-up. 

Developer Italic Pig launched its 3D Stardew Valley-like last year, and while the game's friendly dinosaur gimmick charmed a large crowd and attracted a 'Very Positive' reception on Steam, the studio is still struggling financially. 

"The sad truth is, the future is uncertain," the developer tweeted in today's update. "For the better part of this year, we've been working behind the scenes to create a plan for the next iteration of Paleo Pines, filled with stunning new regions, quirky new NPCs, plenty more adorable dinosaurs, plus eggs, babies, and, yes, multiplayer."

The studio explains that it's been "searching high and low for a production partner," or some kind of investment to help fuel a "bigger, better, shinier Paleo Pines", but such deals have fallen through on "several occasions." 

To secure its future, Italic Pig has instead turned to the online community for help. The Paleo Pines developer asked for interested publishers and investors to get in touch, while letting existing fans know that they can support Paleo Pines 2 by buying the first game's DLC, befriending one of the game's cute plushies, generally spending money on their official dino-merch, or the free method of recommending the game to a friend.

"This isn't just happening to us," the studio noted, echoing common sentiments that the indie game industry is in a "death cycle" that's leading to layoffs and closures aplenty. We wrote at length about how indie games funding has become a battlefield and how, generally, "the industry is f**ked" earlier this year, and the situation has only become more dire in the months since.

"The whole indie game scene is facing a sudden drying up of publishing and investment opportunities. Thanks to the unwavering dedication of our small team and the massive love from all of you, we've been able to support the first year of Paleo Pines on a shoestring budget. We've managed to keep the lights on... until now," but the note warns that it won't be able to keep the team together unless it finds a partner.

There’s no shortage of upcoming indie games that you should definitely keep an eye on.