Well, this is not the message I wanted to be typing today, but here we are. It looks like we aren't going to make the funding goal for Bite the Hand. To all those who did pledge, and especially to those who went above and beyond to help me do promotion, you have my deepest thanks for believing in my little game! And don’t worry, BackerKit doesn't charge anyone’s cards for failed campaigns, so you’re keeping your money. I’m still gathering my bearings after this crazy month, but I’m sure you all have the question, “what now?”

SHORT ANSWER: The game is still going to get made, just with different art and likely a different release date with digital coming first in early 2026. Follow us on any of the below platforms to keep up with the game:

Discord: https://discord.gg/m73w9Fbhfa 

Itch: https://spellbookgaming.itch.io/ 

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/spellbookgaming.bsky.social 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_uRH2ssgVQ2cCxthcTETsw

EDIT: Get the game on Itch: https://spellbookgaming.itch.io/bite-the-hand

I’m still working out the finer details, but crucially, the game will still definitely get made. In all the ways that really matter, the game already is made, it just needed art and editing. I’ll still get it to you soon, it’s just going to look a little different than I had imagined. 

First, a moment for the other members of the team, who are really the ones who will be impacted by this. All of the money that was supposed to have been gathered by this campaign was going to go to them, so if any game developers are reading out there and are looking for an artist, a copy editor, or a sensitivity reader, I cannot recommend them enough, and I know they’re free for work in the coming months. Hopefully I’ll get the opportunity to work with them another time, but for now, they’re all yours.

Manuel Lavalle, artist: https://unamart.com/ 

Jordan Boschman, editor and game developer: https://www.atypicalfaux.com/ 

Laura Briskin-Limehouse, editor and sensitivity reader: https://www.laurabwrites.com/ 

Zach Hazard Vaupen, alternate cover artist: https://emo-sludge.com/ 

So, the game. As I said the dust is still settling so I don’t have all of the details worked out just yet, but I am still going to get it out there. My current loose plan is to spend some time reformatting a few things through December, and then have a digital version out for public release in early 2026, probably January. This would be a V0.9 version with all of the intended updates, just minus the professional copy editing and such. I’d put it up on Itch for $10, which would be a cheaper “early access” price that’ll go up by a few bucks when we hit v1.0. During this time, you in the community would have a fully playable version of the game to enjoy, with all the bells and whistles other than a physical copy. Once it generates enough money for me to hire Jordan and Laura (or some other editors if they’re super busy), I’ll have them do their work, and then prepare a physical version for release. The V1.0 will just be an update to the v0.9, so there’d be no need for a second purchase upon release, and I’ll see if I can do discount codes for physical copies as a thanks for early buyers (though no promises there). For my game dev friends who know me personally, feel free to offer tips, but I’m feeling okay about this plan.

What about art? Unfortunately, that’s the biggest expense. It makes sense, it’s hard work, and you definitely get what you pay for if you cheap out on it. I very likely won’t be able to afford Manuel’s time, so again, if you’re reading this and you have a thing you need illustrated, please hire him. 

Let’s not bury the lede: I still won’t use AI. AI is stupid, and if you use it for creative tasks you’re stupid. I’m most likely going to create the illustrations myself in much the same way that I did for Proxy Error, by modifying real stock photos with good old fashioned image editing techniques, and possibly a fun piece of software called Dither Boy. I don’t think it’ll be as good as what Manuel would’ve made for us, but I’m gonna take my time with it and do my best to deliver you something stylish and cool. I will most likely also use the “additional content” from the $9000 stretch goal to fill in a few spots I had planned to have full page art, so that helps too.

Why not just try crowdfunding again in the spring or something? Well, that might work, but to be perfectly honest with you all, I hated doing this. This was not fun. Running a crowdfunding campaign without the benefit of the following of an established IP is extremely stressful. Plus, I don't think I could handle the hypothetical embarrassment of failing twice. Even if we had met our goal, I don’t think I’d be doing this again for any future projects (unless the YouTube channel really pops off someday, or it’s a collaboration with another designer/company). The entire culture of crowdfunding seems alien and unhealthy to me, but I suppose that’s a longer discussion for another time, I’m rambling.

But, ultimately, this is better for you. The game will be available (at least digitally), much sooner than it would have been, so you can get started playing sooner. I’ll be quiet through December with the holidays, but you’ll hear from me again soon. Like I said at the top, follow Spellbook Gaming on all platforms so you don’t miss it when V0.9 becomes available.


On a more personal note, if you’ve followed me on YouTube for a while, you might have heard me mention that I’ve been unemployed off and on for nearly three years now. It’s been rough at times, but it is probably why I had time to write a whole game. Well, I just found out literally yesterday that I’ve been hired for a real full time job! It’s a very bittersweet moment with it coinciding with the failure of this crowdfunding campaign, quite the emotional rollercoaster to say the least, but this does mean some of my own money can contribute to making this game a reality too. Plus, it gives me something to be happy about despite the outcome here.

It’s a bumpy road, but it’s going vaguely in the right direction still, and I thank you for walking it with me,

-Alex Vigna

P.S. – We’re doing an actual play of Mythic Bastionland starting in January, watch it maybe:

https://youtu.be/QBGTE5n3Uwg