[Ed. note: Read along from top-right to lower-left!]

※ [gentle snoozing sounds]

※ OH NO!
※ I’M LATE FOR THE FINAL EXAM!

※ Nice one!

[This diary entry was first published in our free newsletter, The Secret Onion Cellar. Want to receive development diaries just like this, along with the latest news and behind-the-scenes information on everything happening here at Onion Games? Click here to subscribe, and you’ll also get a FREE MINI GAME, music samplers, downloadable art & more!]

[Ed. note: Read along from top-right to lower-left!]

※ Mornings are very busy resolving bugs…
※ Issue number please!
※ #3756!
※ #4332!
※ #3789!
※ #4348!
※ If there are problems, resolve them in the morning!

※ Nights are for soundtrack talk…
※ This one has to be a powerful one!
※ Ah-hah…
※ Hmmm…

※ As well as SFX discussion…
※ I have questions!

※ Soo sorry, I completely forgot to ask about this part!
※ It’s ok…
※ Understood!

※ Okay… just keep entering all this data!!!

※ The team is climbing as hard as they can up this final mountain!
※ Nice one!

[This diary entry was first published in our free newsletter, The Secret Onion Cellar. Want to receive development diaries just like this, along with the latest news and behind-the-scenes information on everything happening here at Onion Games? Click here to subscribe, and you’ll also get a FREE MINI GAME, music samplers, downloadable art & more!]

[Ed. note: Read along from top-right to lower-left!]

※ One day, in the dead of summer…

※ Finally… the Nintendo Direct…

※ Announcement day has come at last!

※ Stray Children will be released in Japan on Thursday, December 26, 2024!
Price: 4840 yen (tax included)

※ The entire development team have gone completely wild!

※ Nice one!

[This diary entry was first published in our free newsletter, The Secret Onion Cellar. Want to receive development diaries just like this, along with the latest news and behind-the-scenes information on everything happening here at Onion Games? Click here to subscribe, and you’ll also get a FREE MINI GAME, music samplers, downloadable art & more!]

[Ed. note: Read along from top-right to lower-left!]

※ Today, let’s round up some questions from our letterbox…

※ “I wish I could see archives of old newsletters!” — Okkun
※ We hear you! We’ll think about it!

※ “I always enjoy seeing your work. Take care, and really looking forward to the new game!” — Kucchin
※ Thanks mucho!

※ “I’d love to know how the new game is coming along.” — Tensei Mania
※ …urp

[ROUGH AND DIRTY DEVELOPMENT MAP]

※ Ummm…
OK, like..
Let me try to explain…
As of right now… we’re right about here!

Development Begins
WE ARE HERE ↓
Content Complete
Debugging
Gold Master
Store Page Setup
Release Day

※ That means… soon! The time to reveal our release information… it’s getting closer and closer!!
※ Wait what?!
※ First I’ve heard of that!
※ Noooo!

※ Hmmm… did you see that? I thought I saw… our beautiful publicist flashing a wry smile…

※ [Beautiful PR Manager Ms. Tsukiyono] Nice one!!

[This diary entry was first published in our free newsletter, The Secret Onion Cellar. Want to receive development diaries just like this, along with the latest news and behind-the-scenes information on everything happening here at Onion Games? Click here to subscribe, and you’ll also get a FREE MINI GAME, music samplers, downloadable art & more!]

[Ed. note: Read along from top-right to lower-left!]

※ It’s flowing!
[typing furiously]

※ Oh it’s flowing, it’s flowing…
[typing furiously]

※ It’s all f-…
[typing suddenly falters]

※ Something’s wrong!
This succckkksss!

※ Making something for so long, sometimes it blows up in your face…
When this happens, we get together to talk it through..

※ No big deal, let’s talk about it.
※ We can talk…
But I dunno…
I just don’t know…

※ Then, somehow, like always…
[flash!]

※ Those worries just disappear…
[typing furiously]

※ This goes on a lot in game development!
You just have to see it through!
※ Nice one!

[This diary entry was first published in our free newsletter, The Secret Onion Cellar. Want to receive development diaries just like this, along with the latest news and behind-the-scenes information on everything happening here at Onion Games? Click here to subscribe, and you’ll also get a FREE MINI GAME, music samplers, downloadable art & more!]

[Ed. note: Read along from top-right to lower-left!]

※ [Any Given Day of Any Given Month at Onion Games]

※ *typing furiously*

※ *drawing furiously*

※ *typing furiously*

※ *typing furiously*

※ *typing furiously*

※ *typing furiously*

※ *typing furiously*

※ *everyone typing furiously*
※ Nice one!

[This diary entry was first published in our free newsletter, The Secret Onion Cellar. Want to receive development diaries just like this, along with the latest news and behind-the-scenes information on everything happening here at Onion Games? Click here to subscribe, and you’ll also get a FREE MINI GAME, music samplers, downloadable art & more!]

[Ed. note: Read along from top-right to lower-left!]

※ Hey newsletter subscribers! What’s the most important thing in game development?

※ *ahem* It’s health!
※ Uh-huhh…
[Beautiful PR Manager Ms. Tsukiyono]

※ Every morning, take an hour-long walk!
※ Track your heart rate with a smart-watch!

※ Give those shoulders a stretch!
※ Don’t drink alcohol on weekdays!

※ Heh heh heh… Give caffeine the boot.
※ Get at least 7 hours of sleep a day!

※ Game development is an arduous process…
※ It’s like a long-distance marathon—

※ …Hang on, when have you ever run a marathon?
That’s really your analogy?
[PR Manager who ran a 42.195km (26.219 mile) marathon for fun]

※ Guess so! Jus’ lemme!
※ Nice one!
※ Is it though?

[This diary entry was first published in our free newsletter, The Secret Onion Cellar. Want to receive development diaries just like this, along with the latest news and behind-the-scenes information on everything happening here at Onion Games? Click here to subscribe, and you’ll also get a FREE MINI GAME, music samplers, downloadable art & more!]

[Ed. note: Read along from top-right to lower-left!]

※ [In Which the Development Team Holds Its Spring Meat Festival]
※ Sometimes, you just need a break…
※ Let’s drink to meat and making games!
※ [Everyone] Bottoms upppp!
※ [March 2024, a certain day, a certain southeastern region]

※ Meat! Meat! Meat! Nothing but meat!
※ We ate a ton, and drank a ton!
※ And the drunken chit-chat blossomed!

※ Like Taniguchi-san’s ramen experience!
※ I jusht love ramen so mush!

※ And Adachi-san’s Netflix story!
※ Anything good on there?
※ Uhhh, I don’t remember♪

※ Luck-san’s wild art theory babbling!
※ Adding randomness to long-established practice is a waste of time!
※ What does that even mean…

※ And Mr. Kimura’s romantic gossip…
※ Young people! Fall in looooove!

※ And so, the Onions wiled away that spring night…

※ Well, the break has come to an end! Tomorrow let’s all get back to work!
※ Nice one!

[This diary entry was first published in our free newsletter, The Secret Onion Cellar. Want to receive development diaries just like this, along with the latest news and behind-the-scenes information on everything happening here at Onion Games? Click here to subscribe, and you’ll also get a FREE MINI GAME, music samplers, downloadable art & more!]

[Ed. note: Read along from top-right to lower-left!]

※ Long-term projects are a battle of the will…
※ Quiet your mind… quiet your mind…

※ There are times I feel extremely stressed,
but then I think back on certain scenes…

[December 2023: End-of-year Tidying]
※ Time to get this place into shape!
Let’s rearrange so everyone can get together!

※ The memory of that day gives me strength…
※ I’ll move the desks!
※ I’ve got the windows!
※ I got good snacks for the party!

※ I’ll tackle the steel shelves!
※ Let’s squeeze all of this together!
※ Let me handle the vaccuuming!
※ I’ll scrub the toilets…

※ Whoa… everyone’s working so hard…

※ This team is so strong, everyone finds exactly the thing they need to do…
※ We can fly so fast…

※ Let’s all do what we do best…
※ Let’s get that into the game…

※ OK, everyone, let’s have fun making the rest of this game!
※ We will!
※ Nice one!

[This diary entry was first published in our free newsletter, The Secret Onion Cellar. Want to receive development diaries just like this, along with the latest news and behind-the-scenes information on everything happening here at Onion Games? Click here to subscribe, and you’ll also get a FREE MINI GAME, music samplers, downloadable art & more!]

As we have done in the past, we have just put together a fan survey to get to know a little bit more about you, as we plan out how we bring Stray Children into the world in the future!

Are there any particular platforms you’d love to see the game released on? Are there any specific languages you’d love to see it released in?

Are you interested in special edition physical bundles? Do you want soundtracks? Figurines of the characters in the game?

All of this is possible… we just need to know that you actually want it to exist, and this is your way to tell us!

To participate, just follow this link right here and take a few minutes to let us know your thoughts!

It will be a huge help and let us know what we should focus on in the future, so feel free to pass this link to the survey on to any friends you think will also be interested in the game!