A Change to League Play
Hey everyone!
I have an important change to Hooked to share with you today, and I wanted to take some time to explain not only what is changing, but why I've made this decision.
When Hooked was created, the vision for the game was primarily a solo fishing experience with a strong community around it. Explore different Locations, work on your accessory collections, complete quests, chase achievements, find rare catches, craft things, and play at your own pace.
The Leagues were added as another fun piece of that. A way to track your progress, add a little friendly competition, and earn some extra rewards along the way.
But over the last seven months, something I didn't anticipate happened:
For a significant portion of the player base, the Leagues stopped being an extra part of Hooked and became the entire focus of Hooked.
And that has gradually changed the direction of the game.
I've found myself on a constant treadmill trying to keep up with League play. I've released more Locations than I'd originally planned, continually adjusted and balanced systems around competitive play, and made development decisions based on what the Leagues need rather than what I think will make Hooked itself better.
More importantly, the competitive nature of the Leagues has sometimes created friction and division within the community.
That's probably the hardest part for me.
I wanted Hooked to be something that brought people together. I want our group to be a place where people genuinely enjoy playing alongside one another, enjoy sharing achievements, and celebrate each other’s games.
When one feature begins working against that goal, I have to be willing to change it.
So, what's changing?
At the conclusion of the current League round on September 27th, League rewards will officially end.
The First Place Winner purchases that have already been created will remain available throughout October, giving our winners plenty of time to purchase them. At the end of October, those will also be retired.
And, for those who enjoy knowing where they stand in the rankings, your League ranking will remain in your Stats on the HUD.
This does not mean I'm stepping back from Hooked.
It means I can put that development time and energy back into the parts of Hooked that I've wanted to grow.
I'm planning more community-based challenges, activities, and games that we can participate in together rather than always competing against one another.
I'll also be increasing the availability and variety of Pearl Vendor rewards, giving you more reasons to visit different Locations, complete your Daily Quests, earn Pearls, and work toward rewards that way.
Without needing to continually feed a competitive League cycle, I can spend more time developing Locations and features because they're fun and interesting additions to Hooked, not because I need to keep ahead of a leaderboard.
One thing I really want to make clear:
This isn't a punishment.
Nobody did anything wrong by enjoying the Leagues or by playing competitively. They were part of the game, and some of you embraced them wholeheartedly. I know that means this change will be disappointing for some players, and I don't dismiss that.
But after seven months of watching how the system has affected both the game and the community around it, I don't think continuing down this path is healthy for Hooked long-term.
Sometimes a game evolves differently than you expect once thousands of hours of real player behavior are involved. Part of my job is recognizing when something isn't taking us where I hoped it would and being willing to change course.
There will still be goals to chase. There will still be rare things to earn. There will still be challenges, surprises, new content, and plenty of reasons to yell at your HUD.
We're just changing what we're chasing.
I sincerely hope those of you who have loved the Leagues will stick around and give this next chapter of Hooked a chance.
There's a lot more fishing ahead.
~ Cort
When Hooked was created, the vision for the game was primarily a solo fishing experience with a strong community around it. Explore different Locations, work on your accessory collections, complete quests, chase achievements, find rare catches, craft things, and play at your own pace.
The Leagues were added as another fun piece of that. A way to track your progress, add a little friendly competition, and earn some extra rewards along the way.
But over the last seven months, something I didn't anticipate happened:
For a significant portion of the player base, the Leagues stopped being an extra part of Hooked and became the entire focus of Hooked.
And that has gradually changed the direction of the game.
I've found myself on a constant treadmill trying to keep up with League play. I've released more Locations than I'd originally planned, continually adjusted and balanced systems around competitive play, and made development decisions based on what the Leagues need rather than what I think will make Hooked itself better.
More importantly, the competitive nature of the Leagues has sometimes created friction and division within the community.
That's probably the hardest part for me.
I wanted Hooked to be something that brought people together. I want our group to be a place where people genuinely enjoy playing alongside one another, enjoy sharing achievements, and celebrate each other’s games.
When one feature begins working against that goal, I have to be willing to change it.
So, what's changing?
At the conclusion of the current League round on September 27th, League rewards will officially end.
The First Place Winner purchases that have already been created will remain available throughout October, giving our winners plenty of time to purchase them. At the end of October, those will also be retired.
And, for those who enjoy knowing where they stand in the rankings, your League ranking will remain in your Stats on the HUD.
This does not mean I'm stepping back from Hooked.
It means I can put that development time and energy back into the parts of Hooked that I've wanted to grow.
I'm planning more community-based challenges, activities, and games that we can participate in together rather than always competing against one another.
I'll also be increasing the availability and variety of Pearl Vendor rewards, giving you more reasons to visit different Locations, complete your Daily Quests, earn Pearls, and work toward rewards that way.
Without needing to continually feed a competitive League cycle, I can spend more time developing Locations and features because they're fun and interesting additions to Hooked, not because I need to keep ahead of a leaderboard.
One thing I really want to make clear:
This isn't a punishment.
Nobody did anything wrong by enjoying the Leagues or by playing competitively. They were part of the game, and some of you embraced them wholeheartedly. I know that means this change will be disappointing for some players, and I don't dismiss that.
But after seven months of watching how the system has affected both the game and the community around it, I don't think continuing down this path is healthy for Hooked long-term.
Sometimes a game evolves differently than you expect once thousands of hours of real player behavior are involved. Part of my job is recognizing when something isn't taking us where I hoped it would and being willing to change course.
There will still be goals to chase. There will still be rare things to earn. There will still be challenges, surprises, new content, and plenty of reasons to yell at your HUD.
We're just changing what we're chasing.
I sincerely hope those of you who have loved the Leagues will stick around and give this next chapter of Hooked a chance.
There's a lot more fishing ahead.
~ Cort
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