April ‘26 Recap
Hello, hello!
(Cough, cough! Yes, it has been just a tad bit more than a week, but I'm here and I'm present!)
Pardon the radio silence, this past month has been very busy and very productive.
While Skull Jockey is busy with Prophesy Walker, I'd like to take this time to thank everyone who stopped by the booth and who reached out after PAX East 2026! Your interest and support in the game even at its rough start was and is greatly appreciated!
Skull Jockey is working hard to make sure your support pays off. We’re doing everything we can to make this game worth the wait, and our sights remain set on a release date toward the end of the year!
Rumor has it that this Prophecy Walker said the following:
"I am the Shepherd, and this is my favorite game on the PAX East show floor."*
That said, I'd also like to take this opportunity to clarify any confusion that might've come about while at PAX.
The booth staff and I were delightfully overwhelmed during this first year. Our expectations were blown out by the sheer volume of booth visitors stopping to try out the salvaged and hastily reconstructed early build demo and discuss the game in spite of the challenges the booth and demo faced.
Of course, such a busy, bewildering success presented its own challenges. For the staff, the constant foot traffic to the booth, especially on the weekends, made food-runs and other essential breaks a logistical puzzle unto itself. For myself, all manner of questions popped up whenever, wherever. There were even times where while I was making a quick run to the restroom, my phone would suddenly start buzzing with a fury of rapid-fire texts, all questions from the booth staff on behalf of booth visitors.
Many thanks to the exceptional patience, endurance, and enthusiasm of the staff at the Skull Jockey PAX East 2026 booth! Among the many other expressions of gratitude from the studio, they were treated to Korean barbeque at our Post-PAX Mission Accomplished party.
With so many disorientating factors at play, many of the answers that were given out were spur-of-the-moment. Depending on the question, when it was asked, and who else had previously stopped by the booth to chat, the answers would evolve. So without further ado, I'll take this opportunity to clarify a couple of questions and get some (mostly) definitive answers out there.
(I can't guarantee that some of these answers won't change as time goes on. Anything said here should be treated as subject to change with regard to its subject.)
Skull Jockey now presents...
The Assuredly Definitive Post-PAX East 2026 Prophesy Walker FAQ!
Q1: What inspired Prophesy Walker?
A1: Great question! At PAX I gave a variety of answers, all being variations of "it's complicated" and then me going on semi-related, somewhat intelligible tangents and then trying to remember what we were even talking about. This was due in great part to the chaos going on, emergency-disaster-mitigation-burnout, immense sleep debt, and concerns that altogether acted like brain fog. Now that the first-ever Skull Jockey PAX booth is over, I have a better, more coherent answer based on what I can more clearly recall and not what I'm trying to remember on the spot while a bunch of other things are going on around me. It's not as simple as "Ah, I really liked playing X and so I'd make a game with the same hook but with a twist!" so I'll save that answer for the next update.
Q2: When will Prophesy Walker release?
A2: Target release of full game is end of this year, 2026. At PAX East, Q3 and September-ish were mentioned. Early Q4 this year is the current target, and this comes after some post-PAX developments.
Q3: Will Prophesy Walker be featured at Next Fest this June?
A3: No. Prophesy Walker was originally planned to be featured in June's Next Fest, but is now on track to be featured at the Steam Next Fest this coming October!
Q4: When will a demo be available on the Steam Page?
A4: We anticipate a public demo's release somewhere mid-to-late May. Be sure to check in occasionally on this site or the Steam page for any updates or changes!
Q5: I/We reached out at PAX for playtesting and access to an early build. When will we get access to one?
A5: Playtesters, press, and content creators who reached out and received confirmation via email will be getting their previews in advance of the public demo's release on Steam. In terms of demo delivery scheduling, refer to the following. Arrows mean, "once the group to the left has received or finished testing, given feedback, and had their feedback used to update the game before the group on the right has received their build":
Internal Testers -> Playtesters/Partners -> Media and Content Creators -> Public Demo Release
For tester groups and content creators, please look forward to multiple preview builds! Your feedback will be greatly appreciated as it was on the PAX show floor.
Q6: I/We are media/content creator(s)/curious player(s), and weren't able to stop by at PAX East this year or didn't get a chance to grab a promotional Prophesy Walker business card. How can I/we get access to playtesting an early build?
A6: Shoot a message to media@skulljockey.com stating who you are, how you heard of Prophesy Walker, and how soon you can give feedback. Once we receive your email, we'll take it from there.
That's it for the FAQ for now. Thanks again to everyone who stopped by this year at PAX East and those who reached out since! Your excitement and feedback has been and is still valuable.
Until the next monthly update (or sooner),
Gabe @ Skull Jockey
*This is a reference to a joke in the Mass Effect games.