What's Next for TrueClash 🥊 (Patreon)

Hey everyone,

We want to walk you through some big changes coming to TrueClash over the next few months. There's a lot happening at once and we think you deserve the full picture rather than scattered updates. Grab a coffee, this is a long one.

The short version

A free visual update is dropping on itch.io this week, becoming TrueClash's permanent free demo (100k+ words across all routes - larger than many complete commercial VNs in the genre)

TrueClash is launching on Steam later this year — wishlists will open soon

Season 1 will officially close with a brand-new Chapter 3 — currently being written

The Patreon tier structure is being refreshed — existing patrons keep their current price while gaining new benefits

Champion and Legend patrons (and their legacy equivalents) will receive a free Steam key at launch

For everyone curious about the details, keep reading.

The visual update — 

This week’s release brings a complete visual overhaul to TrueClash on Itchio. We’ve introduced new character art, refined sprite work, lighting improvements and overall polish across the board. Please note that there is no new story content in this update; the build finishes at the same point just before the climax of Chapter 2.

This release stands as the definitive free version of TrueClash. With over 100,000 words spanning all routes and decision branches, this demo is more substantial than many full-length visual novels in the genre. It will remain on itch.io as a permanent, free entry point to the project for anyone who wants to experience the story.

We realize that 100k words is an "absurd" length for a demo. While we were advised to shorten it for this visual update because ‘shorter demos sell more’, we decided to keep the content intact as a thank-you to everyone who has supported us on this journey.

What’s next? Future updates including the climax, its aftermath, and the brand-new Chapter 3, will debut on Steam as part of the complete Season 1.

TrueClash on Steam — coming later this year

This is the big one. TrueClash Season 1 is coming to Steam as a paid release - the complete package which will include Chapter 1, the full Chapter 2 (fight, climax, and aftermath) and a brand-new Chapter 3 (more on that below).

A few things worth knowing:

The free itch version stays free. What's free today will still be free tomorrow. Nothing gets walled off retroactively.

The Steam version offers more. Beyond the additional story content of Chapter 3, the Steam release brings achievements, cloud saves, automatic updates, and the polish of a finished, complete product. It's the definitive version of Season 1.

Wishlists matter - Steam's algorithm rewards games with strong wishlist numbers at launch. If you can spare five seconds to wishlist when the page opens, it directly helps with visibility for everyone who hasn't heard of the game yet. We'll share the link the moment it's live.

Chapter 3 — the Season 1 finale

Here's where things get exciting. Until now, Season 1 was planned to end with the climax of Chapter 2 (the fight, the aftermath and a setup for what's next). But we want Season 1 to feel like a complete season, not just a buildup that ends on impact.

So we’re working on Chapter 3: "That Week" — a brand new cooldown chapter set in the days following the fight that will slowly introduce you to season 2. You'll get to:

See the cast process and react to what just happened

Meet some of the new characters joining us in Season 2

Go on a first date with one of several characters (your choice)

See the seeds of what's coming next, planted firsthand

This is genuine new content that doesn't exist yet — being written from this point forward, with patrons getting early access, in milestones, as it comes together. And we promise you, you won’t be waiting long.

Patreon tiers — refreshed

The Patreon is getting a refreshed structure with clearer benefits and a new entry tier. The new structure looks like this:

Supporter (3€) — Discord access, polls, monthly devlogs, name in credits

Fighter (8€) — Everything above + early access to development builds, intermediate patches, impactful polls, monthly behind-the-scenes

Champion (15€) — Everything above + experimental builds, monthly Q&A, sneak peeks, free Steam key at launch (after supporting us for at least 3 months on this tier),

Legend (30€) — This one is for those who want to support us even further. It includes everything above and a Steam key for you and a friend (after supporting us for at least 3 months on this tier).

What this means if you're already a patron

Your monthly price does not change. We will select an option so that Patreon's automatically locks you in at whatever you're paying today.

If you're paying 3€ (Supporter), you keep paying 3€. If you're paying 5€ (Fighter), you keep paying 5€. If you're paying 10€ (Champion), you keep paying 10€.

Keeping your original price is on purpose. It's how we want to thank you for supporting the project from the beginning. You get the new benefits of your renamed tier without paying the new prices that newcomers will have to.

The only situation where the new pricing would apply to you is if you cancel your subscription and rejoin later. We can’t do anything about this, as long as your support stays continuous, your locked-in rate stays locked.

⏳ A quick heads-up: Legacy prices stay open until May 15th We are holding off on switching to the new prices until May 15th. If you’re currently following us for free and want to jump in, or if you're an existing patron who wants to upgrade (like grabbing the Champion tier at 10€ to lock in that free Steam key before it moves to 15€), you have until the 15th to do it and lock in the cheaper lifetime rate. 

Steam keys for patrons — the details

To recognize the people who funded development before the Steam launch existed, here's how Steam keys work:

Champion (15€) and Legend (30€) tiers receive free Steam keys at launch, provided you have supported Trueclash for a minimum of three months.

Legacy patrons in the equivalent tiers qualify on the same terms

Legend tier patrons additionally receive a second key, for a friend

This rewards continuous support rather than one-month sign-ups and ensures the people who actually helped fund development get recognized — including those who've been here since the beginning.

We want to be transparent about why all this is happening.

The Steam launch isn't just a new storefront, it's the moment TrueClash becomes financially sustainable enough to commit fully to Season 2 with the ambition it deserves. The Patreon refresh and the Chapter 3 expansion are part of building toward a full Season 1 release that does the story justice.

You're the reason Trueclash exists. The patrons who funded the early years, the itch players who keep the community alive, the Discord regulars who shape feedback through every poll and bug report — TrueClash exists because every one of you and the next phase is built around making sure that continues.

More details, dates and the Steam page link will follow over the coming weeks. Questions? Drop them in #questions on Discord or down below.

Thank you, genuinely.

— Zak and the team.

🥊 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Why change? Why now? 

A: This transition has been in the works for a few months now, and launching this massive visual update felt like the perfect milestone to set things in motion.

As for why, it comes down to one big reason: we want to create the best visual novel in the genre. An unrealistic goal? You may so. But the only way to find out is by working toward it every single day. To achieve that level of quality, we need a solid team, resources, and above all, visibility. These changes allow us to publish our game on other platforms and give us the stability to focus on making TrueClash truly excellent alongside your feedback, rather than stressing over arbitrary deadlines. We are prioritizing a highly polished, unforgettable experience for everyone. 

Q: How often can I expect new updates as a patron? 

A: We are going to stick to our usual release rhythm of roughly every 6 weeks, as it’s a workflow the team is highly comfortable with. However, this timeframe might be slightly shorter or longer depending on the technical complexity of what we are building during that cycle, or where it makes the most narrative sense to wrap up a milestone. Pacing and quality will always come first.

Q: What is the difference between Experimental builds and Development builds?

A: Experimental builds are the "bleeding edge" of our development. They contain the absolute newest content (like early Chapter 3 milestones) the moment it's playable, but they will also have rough edges, placeholders, and more bugs. Once our Champion and Legend patrons test an experimental build and provide initial feedback, we polish it up, fix the major bugs, and release it as a more stable Development build for our Fighter tier.

Q: When will the new Fighter tier (Tier 2) receive patches?

A: Ideally, Fighter tier patrons should receive patches no more than 3 weeks after they're released to the higher tiers. That said, since this is a new cycle for us, we want to see how it feels in practice before settling on it definitively. The same goes for our overall release schedule — we aim to keep the 6-week development cycle, but it may sometimes be a little shorter or longer depending on what we can fix, polish, and implement based on your feedback. Our focus will always be on releasing when it feels good, rather than sticking rigidly to a fixed timeline — but we'll always do our best to make it sooner rather than later!

Q: How exactly does locking in the legacy price work?

A: As long as you are an active patron before May 15th, Patreon will automatically lock your current monthly rate. If you upgrade your tier before the 15th (for example, moving to the 10€ tier to secure Champion benefits), you will keep paying that 10€ rate forever, even after the tier officially changes to 15€ for newcomers. Note: You only lose this locked-in rate if you cancel your subscription and try to rejoin later.

Q: If I’m locked into a legacy price, can I change my tier after May 15th and keep the old rates?

A: No. Due to how patreon works, any change to your tier after May 15th will automatically switch you to the new pricing structure. For example, if you are locked into the 5€ (Fighter) rate and decide to upgrade to Champion after the 15th, you will pay the new price of 15€, not the legacy 10€. The same applies to downgrading. To keep a legacy rate, you must switch to your desired tier before May 15th and maintain an active, continuous subscription.

Q: How do I make sure I get my free Steam key at launch?

A: To qualify for a free Steam key, you need to be subscribed to the Champion tier or higher (or its legacy equivalent) for a cumulative total of at least 3 months by the time Season 1 launches on Steam. If you are in the Legend tier for 3+ months, you get two keys (one for you, one for a friend). Continuous support is what funds the game, and this is our way of rewarding the players who got us to the finish line!

Q: When will the Steam page be available? Where can I wishlist?

A: The Steam page is currently being reviewed by Valve before going public. As soon as it's live, we'll make a dedicated announcement post with the wishlist link, so you won't miss it. Wishlisting early genuinely helps us a lot with Steam's algorithm at launch, so every single one counts! 🙏

Q: Will the free itch.io version ever get Chapter 3?

A: No. This week's visual overhaul is the definitive, permanent free demo for TrueClash (featuring over 100k words and ending just before the Chapter 2 climax). Chapter 3, the Season 1 finale, achievements, and cloud saves will be exclusive to the complete, paid Steam release. Alternatively you can get early access to content through Patreon.