Today we'd like to share an important announcement about the future distribution of High School Days.

Since the very beginning of development, one of our biggest goals has been to make the game available to as many people as possible. That's why we decided to release two different versions of the game:

• A free censored version, available for anyone to download.
• An uncensored version, available for players who choose to support the project's development.

Very few developers choose this approach. Most require some form of payment or support before players can download the game at all.

Recently, we've seen the number of downloads for the free version grow dramatically, and honestly, that makes us incredibly happy. Knowing that so many people are enjoying High School Days is one of the biggest rewards we could ask for.

Unfortunately... servers, software, and artists can't be paid with download numbers alone.

Our core team currently consists of a programmer, a writer, and two full-time artists-one focused on illustrations and another dedicated entirely to animations. On top of that, we regularly collaborate with around five additional freelancers whenever development becomes especially demanding.

Our priority has always been to continue producing hand-crafted artwork and animations without lowering the quality or, even worse, replacing our artists with generative AI tools. We believe that's part of what gives High School Days its identity, and we'd like to keep it that way.

To make that possible and ensure the long-term sustainability of the project, we've made a difficult decision.

Starting with the next update, the free censored version will no longer release simultaneously with the uncensored version.

Instead, the free version will always be updated to match the previous uncensored release.

In other words, High School Days will remain completely free to play, but free players will receive updates one version later than supporters.

We're making this change for two reasons.

First, it helps us continue funding development without compromising quality or forcing ourselves into exhausting crunch periods every time a new update approaches.

Second, we want to offer an even greater benefit to everyone who supports the project-even if it's just $1. Every contribution helps us pay the team, improve the game, and continue delivering regular updates.

As we mentioned previously, all Patreon, Itch, Subscribestar or Boosty supporters, regardless of the tier, will continue receiving the newest version on release day.

Only the free censored version will follow the delayed release schedule.

To everyone who has supported us over the years-thank you. Your encouragement, feedback, and generosity have allowed High School Days to grow far beyond what we ever imagined.

And to everyone enjoying the free version, we sincerely hope you'll understand why we've made this decision. We remain committed to keeping the game free while ensuring we can continue developing it for many years to come.

P.S. If you liked the artwork featured in this announcement, you can download it as a free 4K wallpaper here: https://thsd.fun/MainBanner

Thank you for being part of this journey.