📢 Inquisitor Shepherd June Development Log

Hello.
This is Narrow Deep, the developer of Inquisitor Shepherd.

In the June development log, we share news about the expansion of global publishing collaborations, the rebuilding of the demo version, preparations for Japanese voice acting, and participation in domestic and international events during May.

Last May was a month where, alongside the ongoing development of Chapter 2, preparations to introduce Inquisitor Shepherd to more global users officially began.

In this development log, we will share news about the expansion of global publishing collaborations, the status of the demo version rebuilding, preparations for Japanese voice acting, the status of Chapter 2 development, and news about event participation and selections.

🔔 June Key Development Status Summary

🎮 Detailed Development Progress

1. Expansion of Global Publishing Collaborations

Previously, we had signed a co-publishing agreement limited to Asian regions, focusing on Chinese-speaking countries and Japan, with Neverland Entertainment.

Following additional discussions, we have decided to expand the scope of collaboration to global publishing for Inquisitor Shepherd.

Accordingly, we are preparing various tasks together to better introduce Inquisitor Shepherd to overseas users, going beyond simply adding languages.

The main tasks currently being prepared include  demo version rebuilding, Japanese and Chinese localization, Japanese voice acting for the demo version, new trailer production, new key visual production, and participation in overseas events .

These tasks are preparations to more clearly convey what kind of game Inquisitor Shepherd is to global users.

We plan to continue preparing localization, promotion, and event participation step by step with Neverland Entertainment.

2. Demo Version Rebuilding Underway 

We are proceeding with the demo version rebuilding based on the currently available demo.

This rebuilding is an effort to launch a new demo version with Japanese voice acting and introduce Inquisitor Shepherd to more global users.

With the addition of Japanese voice acting, we are refining the existing demo to be more immersive and complete.

We are adjusting some configurations so that the evidence submission and judgment flow, which were fully introduced in the latter half of the original demo, can be experienced from the beginning.

Additionally, we are organizing the flow of the initial story and key dialogue scenes, and adding the Codex system and doctrine collection mechanics.

Hidden doctrines can be found and acquired in investigation sections, and acquired doctrines can be checked in the Codex.

We are also improving the movement method and UI feedback in the investigation sections. We are modifying it so players can move by directly clicking on locations on the screen, and visual feedback is provided on the phone UI when evidence, information, or doctrines are acquired.

The 'Integrity/Rift' system, introduced in the April development log, is also planned to be partially revealed during the demo rebuilding process.

Although it will not be fully functional in the demo version, it will be applied in a way that shows that the player's choices and judgments can influence Shepherd's future direction.

Through this rebuilding, we expect the demo version to become more immersive and gameplay-rich than before.

3. Japanese Voice Acting Preparations

We are also preparing Japanese voice acting for the demo version.

Since Inquisitor Shepherd is a game where dialogue and atmosphere are important, we believe voice acting greatly influences character impressions and scene immersion.

This Japanese voice acting is not just about adding voiceovers; it's a task being carried out alongside the demo version rebuilding to reintroduce the game to global users.

While we cannot reveal all the details yet, we are preparing the Japanese voice acting in a direction suitable for the demo version with Neverland Entertainment.

We will proceed carefully to ensure that the atmosphere of Shepherd and Hoshi Village is well conveyed to Japanese users as well.

4. Chapter 2 Development Status

Chapter 2 development, which was ongoing, had been proceeding smoothly.

However, due to the current need to prioritize preparations for the global relaunch, demo rebuilding, and new trailer production, the full-scale development of Chapter 2 is temporarily on hold.

Chapter 2 is a section where the world and main systems of Inquisitor Shepherd are significantly expanded in the full version.

We ask for your understanding that we cannot disclose details about the content currently under development, as it is directly connected to the core story.

Instead, we are sharing some of the Chapter 2 illustrations currently in development in this dev log.

While we cannot reveal much yet, Chapter 2 is also being prepared step by step.

✨ Event Participation and Award News 

- Participated in PlayX4, Game AiCON Seoul, BitSummit

In May, we participated in PlayX4 and Game AiCON Seoul.

At the events, we were able to introduce Inquisitor Shepherd directly to many people and hear their actual gameplay reactions and feedback.

In particular, we were able to reconfirm the flow of the demo version and the method of conveying the early game experience, which greatly helped in organizing the direction for the subsequent demo rebuilding.

We also participated in BitSummit, held in Kyoto, Japan.

BitSummit was an important opportunity to introduce Inquisitor Shepherd to Japanese users.

Based on the reactions and feedback received at the event, we will continue to meticulously prepare for future localization and global relaunch.

- Selected for PlayX4 Indie Award TOP5

Inquisitor Shepherd was selected for the PlayX4 Indie Award TOP5.

We are very grateful to have received such positive recognition among many excellent indie games.

This award has been a great encouragement to us and has provided an opportunity to continue our development with greater determination.

This award has also opened up opportunities to participate in future overseas exhibitions and various support programs.

We will strive to leverage these opportunities to introduce Inquisitor Shepherd to even more users.

- Selected for Tiny Teams 2026

Inquisitor Shepherd has been selected for Tiny Teams 2026.

Tiny Teams is a global Steam online festival hosted by Yogscast Games, highlighting indie games created by small development teams and solo developers.
Among the diverse indie games showcased each year, selected games are introduced to overseas users and creators through Steam, Twitch, and YouTube.

While not yet widely known in Korea, we believe this is a meaningful opportunity to showcase games made by small teams to overseas users.

As Inquisitor Shepherd is a game developed by Narrow Deep, a two-person development team, this selection feels particularly significant. We will continue to make the most of this opportunity to introduce Inquisitor Shepherd to more users.

✨ In Conclusion

May was the month when Inquisitor Shepherd began actively preparing for its global launch and introducing the game to more users.

Concurrently, we are undertaking rebuilding work to present a new demo version with Japanese voice acting.

While the increased number of events, publishing, and localization preparations has made the development process more complex, we believe the game's overall quality is paramount.

In June, we are also scheduled to participate in Pan: PLAY — Gyeonggi Contents Korea Lab × IGGK × Gyeonggi Global Game Center Indie Game Exhibition. The exhibition will run from Monday, June 15th to Friday, June 26th.

Additionally, participation in BilibiliWorld is planned for later, and we will continue to prepare to introduce Inquisitor Shepherd to even more users.

We will do our best with the rebuilding demo and global relaunch preparations to repay the users who are waiting with an even better experience.

Thank you sincerely for your unwavering support.

Sincerely, Narrow Deep

X: https://x.com/narrowdeepgames

DISCORD: discord.gg/2r9cpBBZjg

GG

PLAY THE ANIMATION! Epic Seven! 

Hello, this is GM Alkares. 

We sincerely apologize for the significant inconvenience caused to our Heirs due to the Guild War participation error that occurred after the 6/4 (Thu) update.

As this is a content created through the cooperation and effort of our guild members, we are taking to heart the disappointment and inconvenience felt by our Heirs due to this error.

While we cannot fully resolve the disappointment and inconvenience you have experienced, we are preparing apology rewards with our sincere apologies, and related details will be provided in a separate notice later.

We ask for your generous understanding, and we will do our best to provide a more stable service environment in the future.

■ 6/4 (Thu) Notice Regarding Guild War Participation Error

1> Issue Description

- This error occurred because Guild War matching was not proceeding normally for some guilds due to server overload after the update.

- We have proceeded with server expansion to resolve this, but server overload is still being detected, and the error has occurred additionally.

- We are prioritizing our response to prevent this error from recurring through further server expansion and stabilization work.

2> Follow-up Actions

- We plan to provide apology rewards to Heirs belonging to guilds that experienced the Guild War participation error.

- Detailed reward information and distribution schedule will be announced through a separate notice.

Once again, we sincerely apologize for the disappointment and inconvenience caused to our Heirs,

We will take your feedback and criticism seriously and do our best to prevent the same issue from recurring.

Thank you.