Cory Jones Open Letter

Hello HEX players!!! We have some very exciting news about HEX—we have begun self-publishing!

I know this was already stated in the general press release, but I want to repeat: This will NOT change the core elements of HEX.

There will be some minor tech elements to the transition, as is expected. We will have new billing arrangements, there will be a small downtime as we make the actual transition, and there may be a few other slight adjustments. But, overall, it should feel relatively seamless and nothing in your actual collection is in danger of changing or being lost.

Most importantly, I am (as I have always been) in control of the game and its direction. You can continue to be sure the well-being of HEX and the happiness of its players is our number one priority.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Gameforge for all of their tremendous support. We literally wouldn’t have gotten here without them, and they deserve all of our thanks (they certainly have mine).

Let me make it clear that HEX is healthy, and we are carefully managing our resources to maximize our success. Running the game intelligently will allow us, with your support, to continue indefinitely. Not many people know this—and I haven’t really made it public—but to date HEX has had over $25 million spent on development. Yes, $25 MILLION! I know, it’s crazy, and I certainly had no idea when I started out that making a game like HEX would be so unbelievably expensive. As it turns out, one of the reasons there are no other great fully-featured digital TCGs out there is because it’s INCREDIBLY difficult and costly.

But here we are! With a great game, an amazing engine, and the best community possible. So, let me assure you our continued focus will be on adding new features (we have a long list) and developing amazing card sets. Luckily, we are in the best possible position to make that happen.

One of the things I declared when HEX started is that we would only sell packs and decks but, as time rolled on (over three years now), it has become clear that this may not have been the best decision. We regularly see players asking for fun cosmetic additions to the game. We want to add them too. In the past, we’ve used these items to reward gameplay, but now we want to provide the opportunity for you to buy some of them as well.

To be clear, I am only talking about cosmetic items… and this will help us achieve our goal to increase revenue so that we can continue to improve the HEX experience. As the publisher, we need to carefully manage the day-to-day business and, of course, part of that is watching the bottom line. However, I still want to increase the amount of money we SPEND to make the game better, and increase the number of prized tournaments. To do this, we need to ensure HEX is generating enough revenue to make these great tournaments possible. I would call this an experiment and, if it doesn’t work or players hate it, we can discontinue the practice. One of the things I love most about HEX is the chance to chase crazy ideas, and I don’t think that is going to stop anytime soon.

So what are some of the things we are going to try?

Well, first off, we are starting the HEX CLASH, a weekly limited format tournament with $1000 in cash prizes and some pretty insane in-game rewards! Trust me when I say the cash will be secondary when you see the in-game stuff. One fun thing we are doing is giving fantastic prizes to lucky tournament players as a participation prize each week!

Next, we have created a COLLECTOR’S DECK, which will be a very special pre-constructed deck that features several alternate arts, our first ever AAA card (Animated Alternate Art), AND an animated sleeve. It should be very, uh… collectible!

We are also adding the “CHARK MART,” a new tab in the store that will sell all kinds of fun stuff. The first big addition is collectible Battle Boards. To begin with, it will be one board a month (available for a very limited time), featuring each of the boards we have created for the PVE campaign.

There will also be more items for gold as we look for interesting new sinks. We have the Kismet’s Reserve pack that features a number of in-game items, each built around a specific theme. The first is focused on the Silver Talon and includes a mercenary, alternate art PVP card, a sleeve, and PVE cards/equipment.

Dino has been kind enough to do a more in-depth write-up of all these plans and has posted it here. We will also be doing a Q&A stream on the official HEX channel starting at 4pm PT (Worldclock). Please leave your questions in this HEX Reddit thread for consideration.

Overall, I am VERY happy to be publishing HEX. We have some very big plans moving forward and, as HEX continues to grow (the game has gradually grown EVERY month), we will have some great opportunities to be bigger and better than ever. I want to thank you for continuing to support HEX. We love your passion and know that without you we wouldn’t have the chance to spend every day making the game we always dreamed of.

Cory Jones, CEO

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