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Server time: League Day 68, December 13, 2024 / 19:14

On the future of Profootballsim

Posted by Admin on December 13, 2024 19:14

Hey guys,

Hope you guys have been doing well. I would like to apologise for the lack of communication from my side for the last few months. I’ve been busy with some other projects beside the game, and lately, with the game itself.

Now, I have some news I would like to share about the game, and what I am hoping to achieve in the near and far future.
1. Not sure how many of you know, but the game is made entirely by a single person (me!). Its been more of a personal hobby than anything for me, because I always wanted to play an online football manager that it’s interesting, and I always thought I could at least try to make something that could work. Believe it or not, but I’ve started work on the game around 2012. The one you guys are playing is like the 3rd or 4th version (I’ve done a lot of reworks).
2. I managed to get the courage and finally launch the game in January 2019, 7th of January being the 1st day of the now Profootballsim. It’s been a bit of a journey since then.
3. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very easy to take care of it once launched. From the always low number of people playing, to the various bugs or people complaining about the game in various ways. I tried to not allow it to bring me down that much.
4. Unfortunately, after almost 3 years and a half of dedicating my time to it, the game is not even close to where I was hoping for it to be. Both features wise and financial wise. With the years passing by, it’s getting increasingly harder to invest my personal time into something that is played by a small amount of people (not to say you guys are not important, but that the game is not attracting other people in) and also that the game is not attracting people willing to invest in the game, and both of these dissappointing in their own right.
5. I’ve been thinking for months now (pretty seriously) of simply waiting out the remaining of the paid subscriptions and just close the game, and to try something else with my free time, something that hasn’t happened in almost 10 years.
6. The fact that I’ve been receiving a lot of emails from you guys discussing about people that are cheating has made this feeling even worse - simply analyzing player behaviour, going through hundreds of transfers and stuff like that takes hours & days of my personal time, a time I am not willing to invest as it’s extremely difficult for one guy to simply do.

So, I can think of only 2 options: either close the game and be done with it, or try to do something different, in the hope that from my experience with PFS I could do something that can be at least a bit more interesting, that can potentially attract more people.

I’ve been dwelling on the thought a bit, and here’s what I would like to do in the near future:
1. I’m going to try something different - stop support for the current version of the game, and start a new game (let’s call it PFS2).
2. Include from the beginning some ideas I couldn’t finish - National teams & Federations being some of them.
3. I would like to change the technology of the game - instead of a standard website, I’m going to build the game in a different sort of technology - namely React Native. This is a sort of technology that is going to allow me to make the game and publish it into more environments (I would like to make a mobile version - iOS and Android, a desktop version - Microsoft store, and also - Steam). Apparently, there’s a possiblity to do that. The general idea is to get the game to potentially new people that could make the game grow.
4. I’ve reinvested all the game income in the past months working with a designer to make better game graphics - better player faces, better jerseys, soon better team logos and some other things. I will include these in this new version.
5. I would like to do something like an Early Access version of the new game which I can make public, and grow the game from there. I think this will give me the possibility to see if this new road will be more successful, or I can spend less time in building something that most people are not interested in.
6. I have some ideas I want to make - new Match Engine, Transfer Windows, National Teams, Federations. I also want to limit transfers in the future by a Team Board. And some other ideas that I would like to run with the people that are interested in helping build something with me. I would like the game to be less prone to cheaters, and more focused on doing fun stuff into the game.
7. Match Engine - some of you know I’ve been working on a better version of it. I’m happy to let you know that I have finished something that I am somewhat happy with (if someone is interested, I can give you access so you can help me test), that will be included in this next version of the game. I am going to add a lot more tactical options in the game, and I’ll be working to improve it with whomever is interested in helping.
8. I am going to try to be available every Monday on Discord (evening Romania time) to discuss with you guys about the game, starting next week.

So… yeah! That’s what has been through my mind lately. Let me know your thoughts. I tried to explain as best as I could my state of mind, and what my feelings are at the moment.

Cheers!
Cosmin

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