The latest updates from Phoenix Online are:
May 2015 -
Today, I have some good news: we can actually play through all of Episode 5 from front to back!
Now this is far from saying it's DONE--just that we have enough of the logic and placeholders in there such that it's possible to get from start to finish, and that logic is all working right now. There's still a ways to go, but that we can actually play through the whole thing is definitely a big step.
Our current percentages stand at:
Game logic and programming: 95%
Props: 80%
Backgrounds: 70% (without polish)
Cinematics: 55%
Characters: 30% (including uprezzing and rigging)
So, good job team, and keep tuning in for more updates!
March 2015 -
I know we've been very quiet and lax on giving updates, and I know that's frustrating. So upfront, my apologies for that.
While I feel it’s been said before, but maybe not in one place, is that progress on TSL Episode 5 is very slow. We absolutely DO want to release it, we WANT to close out the story that we started, that desire is 100% there.
The team working on TSL and the people working on the commercial games are different groups. The majority of the ones working on TSL are volunteers and as has always been the case, working on the game in your spare time is a slow-moving thing. There are reasons that it took us ten years to release the first episodes, and those shared most of the same backgrounds and characters! A video game is a LOT of work even if you're working on it full time with a full team. These people are awesome to be giving their time to this, because they have jobs, classes, families, and so forth. Currently, the team is very small, yes, and while those of us doing commercial work try to help when we can, that's also hard because we likewise have day jobs (that is, the commercial games).
That said, there is progress happening, and yes, we are getting closer to completion. So here are some of the things we’ve been working on, a rough status check, and a few new images to show you how the game is shaping up now.
Engine Upgrade. As you all know, we’ve moved from Torque to Unity. This is a big change and means not only that everyone using the engine needs to learn how to use it, but also that many assets are being adjusted or even remade entirely to work with Unity.
Visual Upgrades. By this, I mean both upgrading scenes used in Episodes 1-4, as well as finishing and upgrading the new screens. We've especially been working on giving them a lovely new painted look. For example, here's the Isle of Mist Sacred Circle, the Forest Sanctuary and the Forest Entrance as seen before in Episodes 1-4, and for Episode 5.
Model Upgrades. The characters are also all being upgraded from their previous version, and new models are being made/upgraded to match this look. Here are the old and new version of Rosella and the icy Ooga Booga land we last saw her in:
Status Report:
Game logic and programming: 80%
Props: 80%
Backgrounds: 70% (without polish)
Cinematics: 50%
Characters: 30% (including uprezzing and rigging)
So while there is still a lot to be done, we have also made a lot of progress, slowly but surely. I'd love to say the game will come out this year, but I can't promise that will happen. When we DO know when it will release, you can be sure we'll plaster the whole site with that information!
As well, I'll try to make sure that I or other team members make some more regular updates. I won't promise a specific schedule or frequency beyond that, though, because I don't want to disappoint anyone further if we then get off that schedule. But I can at least say we will try to do better than we have, and I hope that helps.
To close out, I want to reiterate: we DO want to finish this project, and we WILL. I can't give you a date, but I can promise that much. It's a very big deal to us to finish TSL, and everyone who has supported us along the way more than deserves to see that ending for all their belief and patience over the years! It truly does mean so much to us, and thanks to that, we've been able to work on these commercial games, from Cognition to Gabriel Knight, and they've all been dreams come true.
Ana
for the info. 
