Let's Talk Art!
Can you believe that this year marks the 10 year anniversary of Choices? It's wild to think about and more than a little bit humbling. Over a hundred books later, the app we know and love has undergone some significant changes since our first book released in 2016. 📚
Here's something that might surprise you: most mobile games only last for about 3 years on average. The fact that Choices has made it to a decade is honestly incredible, and a big part of that longevity comes from our willingness to adapt as the world around us changes.
So let's talk about what's changing, and why.
As some of you know, a few years ago Choices ran into financial trouble. 🫣 The old production methods weren't sustainable (books cost more to make than the income they generated), and we had to make some difficult choices about how to keep creating content without shutting down. We've been using AI-assisted tools in our production pipeline since then, which our art team discussed openly last year on our blog.
We're bringing this up again because we know the natural response to any art change is "just put it back the way it was." We understand that impulse, but going back isn't possible without going back to an unsustainable model. We're committed to keeping Choices alive and thriving, which means moving forward, not backward. 💪
We've also been listening to your feedback about our current art, and are deeply grateful to those of you who took the time to share your thoughts with us. You've told us about expressions that feel off, faces that look stiff, and backgrounds that don't quite work. We’ve heard you, and we've spent the past year refining our tools and processes. Starting March 1st, new Choices books will feature updated art styles that are more polished and consistent than before. None of your existing stories will change, and your favorite books and characters will always look exactly the way they do now. Before we show you our new art, here's a quick word from Heather, who leads our Art Department:
"I’m Heather, the Art Manager for Choices. I was one of the first ten employees at Pixelberry! I've been here almost since the very beginning. We have a small but passionate team of amazing artists. We sometimes prefer to hide from the limelight, but I promise you, we are here. We are real. With every book, we try to do something that is just a little bit better than what we have done before. Over time, the art style in Choices has slowly evolved. A lot of thought and effort has gone into this new and improved art style to bring you stronger characters, better outfits, and even more amazing locations both real and fantastical. We’re really proud of what we have come up with. We love it, and we hope you will love it too. - Heather C."
We know not everyone will be excited about this change, and we understand that. What we're asking is that you give the new style a fair shot and judge it by the stories themselves when they launch. We genuinely think you're going to see real improvement! Let's show you some examples from our upcoming title Overdrive!
We're still experimenting with occasional deviations from the art style above when it makes sense for a book. In March, our new K-pop book IDOL is set to release, and because it's such a different type of story for us, we wanted to try something different visually as well. We're calling this style "flat-stylized," and you can expect to see it in a small number of books this year as we continue exploring what works best for different stories.
We know you’re likely to have questions or may want to talk with others about the art style change. Come join us in Discord to connect with the Choices Team and other fans!