Annex No. 1 – Statement of the Parties defining the scope of information excluded from the confidentiality obligation

Laughing Fox Games and Black Lantern Collective announce the conclusion of their publishing partnership on the game “End of Eden”.

The decision was taken by mutual agreement and results from differing approaches to the further conduct of the project, in particular with regard to the pace of production, the schedule for releasing successive versions of the game, communication with the community, and the scope and manner in which marketing activities were carried out.

From the outset, “End of Eden” has been a project developed directly by the Laughing Fox Games team, which was responsible for its production, creative direction, communication, community building, and the preparation of materials presenting the game’s development.

Over the course of the partnership it became apparent that the pace and working methods of Laughing Fox Games required a different approach from Black Lantern Collective’s standard publishing model. The BLC model is based primarily on activities built around representative and suitably prepared sections of a game, whereas Laughing Fox Games was simultaneously pursuing intensive production, frequent communication with its audience, and the rapid publication of new materials.

Given the very early stage of the project and the dynamic pace of its development, continuing the partnership in its existing form no longer matched the current needs of Laughing Fox Games.

Hence the initiative by Laughing Fox Games to end the partnership in this form, which allows LFG to retain full autonomy in making decisions concerning the production, schedule, communication, marketing, and future publishing model of the game.

In order to dispel doubts that have arisen publicly, the parties also wish to summarise the following matters:

Black Lantern Collective did not provide any funding to Laughing Fox Games for the creation of End of Eden, in accordance with the terms set out in the publishing agreement, which stipulated that financing the production was not the Publisher’s responsibility.

The production support proposed by Black Lantern Collective, which Laughing Fox Games had requested, was considered unsuitable by the Laughing Fox Games team; the parties did not reach agreement on the choice of contractors put forward by the Publisher. Consequently, Laughing Fox Games carried out work on the game independently and also independently financed such elements as music, translations, audio recordings, and the editing of trailers and promotional materials. The end of the partnership therefore does not halt production or result in any loss of funding for the project. Laughing Fox Games is continuing work on the game in line with its own production plan.

The materials published on the “End of Eden” YouTube channel, on social media, and through other communication channels were prepared independently by Laughing Fox Games or in collaboration with individuals selected by the studio.

Black Lantern Collective accepted from the outset the independent communication model operated by Laughing Fox Games. Materials concerning the ongoing development of the game did not require the Publisher’s prior approval or ongoing oversight. The exception was the game’s trailer, which was also presented as part of a digital showcase associated with the BitSummit event.

The community gathered around “End of Eden” on the Discord server was run and moderated independently by Laughing Fox Games, without any support initiated by BLC in managing and moderating the community.

Further communication with players remains entirely the responsibility of Laughing Fox Games.

In its marketing practice, Black Lantern Collective relies on content drawn from playable sections of the games it works on. Owing to the short duration of the partnership and the very intensive pace of Laughing Fox Games’ work on End of Eden, Black Lantern Collective’s marketing activities to date were limited to the preparation and distribution of two press releases concerning the title and the game’s inclusion in the publisher’s segment within the digital showcase held in conjunction with BitSummit, which did not meet either party’s expectations in terms of its impact on attracting new players.

As part of the partnership to date, Black Lantern Collective conducted one round of QA testing on 2 June, covering the release candidate of the Playable Teaser. From that point onwards, Laughing Fox Games did not indicate any need for further testing, and Black Lantern Collective did not carry out any further QA testing after the release of the Playable Teaser.

Black Lantern Collective was informed of the planned release date of the Playable Teaser. Having tested the final build submitted to it, BLC recommended — a few hours before the release date — postponing publication, pointing to potential risks associated with releasing the version on the scheduled date.

Laughing Fox Games reviewed the comments received and decided to keep the previously announced release date. The decision followed from the communication plan the studio had adopted and from its commitment to a community awaiting the opportunity to try the game.

The “End of Eden” crowdfunding campaign on the Kickstarter platform was prepared, organised and run by Laughing Fox Games.

Black Lantern Collective was informed of the planned start date of the campaign but was not its organiser, did not manage it, and did not undertake any activities connected with its promotion.

No funds from the campaign were allocated to Black Lantern Collective. All funds raised go directly to Laughing Fox Games as the campaign’s organiser and will be used for the further development of “End of Eden”. The end of the partnership with Black Lantern Collective does not affect Laughing Fox Games’ obligations towards those backing the project, nor the delivery of the campaign’s goals.

The parties jointly concluded that, at the present stage, the best solution will be for “End of Eden” to be developed further by Laughing Fox Games alone.

Laughing Fox Games is continuing work on the game under its own production and communication model, and both companies are ending their partnership wishing each other success in carrying out their future plans.