Hi everyone!

We wanted to write this devlog to share our experience showcasing V-Shift at the Game Developers Conference and, more importantly, to talk about the future of V-Shift moving forward. We also have an exciting announcement—we’re letting YOU decide the next playable character in V-Shift!

The entire team had a blast in San Francisco, and we want to thank everyone who played our game at GDC. Hearing people say they loved a project we’ve worked so hard on over the past six months was incredibly encouraging. All the feedback we received was much appreciated and serves as the driving force behind what we’ll be discussing.

Now, let’s dive into the heart of the devlog—the future of V-Shift! While the game is a solid proof of concept for the fast-paced, action-packed multiplayer experience we set out to create, we realized it needs some directional changes to truly reach its full potential—a V-Shift for V-Shift, if you will. 😆

More specifically, we see two main directions the game could take:

• Enhancing online multiplayer by implementing dedicated, non-client-hosted matches.
  
• Leaning into local couch multiplayer for a more casual, party-style experience.

The first option would require significant reengineering of our current netcode, along with server costs on a national (and potentially international) scale as we work to localize the game. However, the upside would be a more competitive online experience with no reliance on host connections, eliminating host advantage.

The second option moves V-Shift in a more casual direction, making it fully playable with friends on a single device. This would involve changes to the game’s input system since it would be primarily played with controllers. Given our interest in eventually porting to the Nintendo Switch, we’d also explore a streamlined control scheme that works even with a single joystick, like on a Joy-Con.

After gathering feedback from playtesters and discussing our options internally, we’ve decided to push toward local play! We truly believe this direction will open the most doors for us and cement V-Shift as the ultimate “destroy your friends” party game.

That said, we want to assure our players that nothing from the current game is being removed! While we’ll be experimenting with new combat systems and controller layouts, we currently have no plans to replace the existing combat and controls of classic V-Shift. If any changes are made, we still plan to save this current version of V-Shift for posterity, so if you love how the game plays now, there’s no need to worry.

We’re excited to announce that a new challenger will be joining the V-Shift roster, and YOU will get to decide who (or what) it is! Let’s meet the possible warriors:

The Princess: A child princess from an ocean realm who commands the dogs by her side to do damage on her behest. Her body is made of shell, which she can morph at will. She can turn herself inside out and change form into a large, snapping clam.
The Punisher: A beefy warrior constantly afflicted with pain. Poisonous blood runs through her veins, but she can release it in a deadly burst upon retracting armored spikes into her flesh.
The Beast: A speedy, snake-like beast. She's one to fear, able to slice, dice, or maul her enemies to death with either dual-wielded blades or razor-sharp teeth.
The Wraith: This combatant doesn't need any weapon besides his massive claws. Watch for the skies—the fleshy, bat-like creature can soar down and tear the head right off your body.
Voting will take place in the V-Shift Discord server, so be on the lookout for the official poll!
🔗 Join the V-Shift Discord![discord.gg]

Thanks again for all your support—we’re excited to bring you the best V-Shift experience possible!

The V-Shift Team