Will there be another style after limelight?

[imaginarywinter]

I really hope they stop with that.

[JemU776]

We never know

[imaginarywinter]

im sick of new styles being sprung on us, why can’t episode be like choices where they stick with one style?

[Briana_M]

I they should add another style ya know. I think it would be cool if Episode did.

[imaginarywinter]

if they do add a new style I hope its not as hideous as limelight

[coolandlazy]

Why not lol as technology improves so will episode styles. Even episode said the new technology being used with limelight makes new assets faster so I would excited to see what other styles have to offers when technology allows it.

[JemU776]

Episode can’t be like choices because both are unique in their own way
Personally it would be interesting to see new styles!
And limelight is pretty cool XD

[luciaricci]

I bet there will be a new style eventually, seeing that ink was still popular when limelight debuted, but I sincerely hope it will be a loooong time before a new style is created. Limelight has so much potential (just check out Jesse’s latest update on the future of character tech) and is far from having a complete library of clothing. In my opinion, there needs to be a lot of updates to limelight before Episode abandons it to work on a new style.

[Clarkiiie]

Yeah I really don’t want another Style, But I bet there eventually be another one. Hopefully super realistic

[Lemniscate]

Well, based off what @Liz stated before in another thread, I would say that most likely, yes, there could potentially be a new style after Limelight.

@Liz

As a mobile platform we have to innovate and update our technology to stay current and competitive. Ink was built on a more technologically advanced system than Classic and Limelight is more advanced than Ink. Each of these art styles is accompanied by an underlying (if behind-the-scenes) technology upgrade allowing our storytellers to do more. These updates also make it easier and faster for us to create more assets. With each new style our artists learn more and are able to improve our production pipelines. Several of the most requested features from our community, like different body types or freckles are simply not easily achievable on our older styles - to move forward we need the freedom to expand and change so we can grow.

A good analogy for this is the development of animated films over time. Early animated feature films were hand drawn as was the standard at the time. Then later on films like Beauty and the Beast or Aladdin started using a combination of hand drawn animations and CGI because that was best tech available at the time. Now films like Moana or Coco are done entirely in CGI, the new standard for animated films.

This is analogous to what is happening with Episode art styles. We don’t stop loving our styles, but we have better tools available to us. Our goal is to always be expanding and updating the underlying technology for our platform to stay current. Our art will always be storytelling, but the tools we use to tell those stories will continue to change and develop.

Episode doesn’t really have a reason to not do this. Episode doesn’t update Classic and Ink anymore despite there still being people who love the older styles. But the thing is, they can’t. I’m sure they’d do so if they could. We just gotta work with what we got; at least they are still available to use. At the end of the day, they’re a business, so I understand it. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean they’d need to change art styles completely, especially during a high demand for something previously marketed. An existing style could theoretically be recreated and enhanced in new software rather than creating an all-out new style. But at the same time, if you want to move forward and appeal to an array of audiences, you cannot do that, and just stay in one place forever. In my opinion, it wouldn’t be logical otherwise. Improvements should always be made.

Anyways, back to the main discussion. Software and technology are always improving at rapid rates and the older software becomes phased out by the new, persumably more efficent ones… Who knows, maybe they are even developing a new style in the background that is even more advanced than Limelight, and is something that we haven’t imagined yet?

I just fear that it’ll split the community even more, giving Episode a less uniform identity as a game and storytelling platform. It’s like SEGA and Sonic the Hedgehog video games. You have so many different types of Sonic games, that you don’t really have an identity for the franchise. Nintendo on the other hand, you have an identity there. Mario. But you have the Mario Kart series, the Mario Bros. Series, the Party series, the handheld series, and so forth. It is an identity of continuity across differentry categories. SEGA doesn’t really have that, and tend to rely on many different games and themes. In Episode’s case, I think there are similarities to both but mostly Nintendo. And, in my opinion, it’s a double edged sword. It’ll be diversified, but maybe at the expense at a more divided community among art styles? I don’t know, but it will be interesting to see what Episode has up their sleeves in the future. New styles will probably be phased out as previous styles have and only then, it will then depend on the community to keep those old styles alive just as much as the new ones flourish.

If they are working on a new style as we speak, I doubt they would release it now. But you never know. Limelight debuted last year, and Ink was released the previous year; mid-2017 and early-2016 respectively. And Classic has always been there since 2014. So, who knows? Only Episode does. Perhaps next year or in 2020, I can see Episode making new style but a lot of factors will determine that, such as timing, careful development, demand, Episode’s goal, and of course the tech or software available.

But I do believe there will be new styles and improvements that we haven’t seen before. I am very interested to see what the future holds for the app and this community.