Fellow Olympians, it’s time for another Jock Studio Development Update! We have a new physical merchandise item to show off, as well as a very focused Development Diary on one of our exciting mechanics! Please read the following post for full details, as it contains information for all fans of Jock Studio!

Physical Merchandise Preview – Sticker Sheets!

First up, we’ve previewed lots of physical merchandise in the past, but there was one item left to go – Sticker Sheets! These cute chibi stickers come in two flavors – sports uniforms and casual attire, and have been designed by our artist, Magia! Check out the design sketches below:

Adorable, aren’t they? You can receive these sticker sheets as part of your Reward Tier, or add extras onto your pledge via PledgeManager, alongside any other merchandise you might be missing! And speaking of…

PledgeManager – One Month Left!

As we announced on our previous development update, we are almost ready to begin Physical Merchandise Production & Fulfillment*, and that means that PledgeManager pre-orders will be closing in just one month, on July 1st, 2024 at Midnight EDT! That means you have just over two months left to either fill out your pledge information or become a late backer, so please, if you haven’t yet, make sure and do so right away, Olympians!

Most of this merchandise will not be available in the foreseeable future outside of this opportunity, so if you’re on the fence about any of it, please consider purchasing it now! Additionally, if you’d like to see any of the designs, including the brand-new sticker sheets previewed above, to help make a decision, you can check all of them out on our website, at the link below:

https://www.blitsgames.com/js-merch/

Make sure and take advantage of this last chance for bonus rewards, Olympians!

PS – All digital items, including a digital copy of Jock Studio, will remain available on PledgeManager after July 1st, 2024 at Midnight. Only physical merchandise will be unavailable after this point.

PPS* – All physical merchandise production will begin after July 1st with the exception of Physical Game Copies and Guidebooks. These items will be produced and fulfilled at a later date, after the game is complete.

Development Diary 8 – The Workout Phase!

Next up, we’re going into a bit of a different development diary this time – instead of a variety of development aspects, today we’re going to be talking in detail about just one, unlocked as a stretch goal as part of our Kickstarter campaign – the Workout Phase!

Part 1 – What is the Workout Phase?

As mentioned above, the Workout Phase was a stretch goal unlocked during the Kickstarter Campaign that directly ties to the character stats. We’ve already discussed character stats in a previous development update, but to remind everyone, these stats affect Ace and the Jock’s performances in the Filming Sessions. But how do you gain these stats?

That’s where the Workout Phase comes in! In order to perform at their optimum condition, Ace and the Jocks must participate in workouts every week, enhancing the character stats of your choice! Take full control of who gains what stats, and make the Filming Sessions unique to your preferences!

Now, let’s see how this phase works, starting with a showcase of what to wear!

Part 2 – Workout Attire Concept Preview

Ace and the Jocks can’t be seen working out in their casual attire, as most of those clothes are far too bulky to wear at the gym! With that in mind, each of the characters, including Matt and Jacques, have all been given a unique gym attire! Checkout each of their brand-new costumes below:

As many of you know, there are many ways to workout throughout the gym, including weight-lifting machines, treadmills, and even a swimming pool! Thanks to the latter, all the Jocks also have their own unique gym swimming attire – check them out below:

These cute swimsuits will be seen whenever you decide for the Jocks to take a dip in the pool at the fitness center, and are different from their official swimwear, which will be revealed at a later date!

That’s all for costumes, but what about the workouts themselves?

Part 3 – Workout Animations Preview

In our last development update, Leo showed himself off in a brand-new puppet model and animation preview, and now, we’re happy to show you the first use of these puppet models, this time featuring sketch puppet models and raw animations of all six Jocks! We know these animation previews are still in the early phases and have lots to fix before they’re ready for the game, but we wanted to showcase them early to get everyone excited, so check them out below:

That’s right – during the Workout Phase, you’ll be treated to a host of animations, featuring each of the Jocks doing whatever workout was assigned to them! These previews are just the beginning, and every Jock will be interchangeable for each workout, with several more activities that have yet to be seen!

And also, as a side note, as much fun as it is to see the Jock’s working out in their birthday suits, they will each be dressed in their gym attire, previewed above, for their respective workouts! We’ll have more to show off with updated puppet models and animations as development continues, as it is still in the very early stages of this department!

But for now, let’s move onto the final part of our development diary…

Part 4 – Workout Plan Interface & Gameplay Preview

… Setting a workout plan! At the start of each workout session, the player, as Ace, will determine what everyone, including himself, is participating in! By choosing a workout for each of the Jocks, you have full control over which stats they are gaining, helping you to optimize the filming minigame! Checkout a preview of how it works below:

With the Interface designed by Peach and the programming by Sticmac, the Workout Plan truly lets you immerse yourself into the Workout Phase! As seen above, it consists of the following parts:

• Step 1 – Assign a workout for all Jocks: Choose what each Jock is working out, determining what character stats they will gain.
• Step 2 – Choose a Jock to Focus On: Next, pick a Jock to focus on and play through a minigame related to the workout chosen. By playing through the minigame, you can gain even more stats than otherwise possible! (But don’t worry – if you aren’t a fan of minigames, you can always skip and take the default minimum score!)
• Step 3 – Pick your Difficulty & Booster, and Go: Finally, set the difficulty level of the minigame you’ll be playing, with higher difficulties providing you even more stats! You also have the option to choose a booster when available, increasing your stat gains even further! Once all that’s done, hit the go button and start the game! (Or you can skip straight to the results, like mentioned above!)

We’ll have much more to show about the minigames themselves in a later development update, but for now, that closes out the preview for the Workout Phase! We hope that everyone is excited about the possibilities this phase brings, and how many new and exciting mechanics are available throughout it!

Closing Word

That’s all for this development update, Olympians! We hope that you all enjoyed the previews shown, and we have just one more thing to close out this update:

We hope that everyone can see and get excited at the potential that these new puppet models offer in Jock Studio! There’s a lot of work left to do on the puppet models’ art and animation, but we know the final product will be more than worth it, so you’ll have to wait for a future update to see it all come together!

Speaking of, our next update will be in late June, so please stay tuned until then! In the meantime, don’t forget to check out PledgeManager before time is up!

Lastly, we also want to give a quick shout-out to anyone who pre-ordered the Yoichi Yukimura Gentleman Studio Figure – please check your email, as we have sent out additional information for you regarding your shipment!

Thank you again as always for your support, Olympians!

Lots of love,

~BLits Games