The Thorns of War

Reading the comment on Guillaume route, I was doubtful. But I Find it very interesting and even Guillaume “behavior” can be understand on the light of the story.

I have read several VNs with lot of choices and consequences and quite often I was disapointed on how blind the choices are. In Thorns of war you do a great job to provide choices with consequences but by being “attentive”, you can do the “right” choice ( maybe not the perfect but still ). That’s quite rewarding and immersive. ( I have currently reach I think the best end with Guillaume on my first play ( the last one in ending list ) and stil have to discover the “alternative” that I suspect :-) ).

For those who discover the game, playing Rose of Segunda, then the extra with the Love Interest selected and then Thorn of wars do a great job of providing a “mariage and politic” story with a great MC with a strong character.

I highly recommend it. ( Even in early access, routes already done are complete ).

You know what they say about young husbands - they want the flowers of marriage and none of the fruit. Pure gold A+ !!!

Are there still plans for Sir Mathys Aurele or Ambassador Vesela Brovik LIs? Also, when you do get to Charlotte (I find it disturbing that people would rather see her with her brother over Charlotte), can you have more involved in the plot to overthrow the king than Sophia was?  That part was very disappointing when it came to Sophia's storyline.

hi hi, how are things going :)

I loved onii-chan's route in the Rose of Segunda and I'm looking forward to its continuation in the Thorns of War!! It's so rare to find a romance like this in otome so a million thanks to the creators X3 Do you guys know when his route will be released?

I've finally gotten around to playing Bastien and Sofia's routes, and holy moly, why did I wait this long to play this masterpice? I love it. Love how we can actively participate in the politics, and love how there's conflict around the romances too, and the option to change :D

The stakes are so much higher than in TRoS with the politicking. It was already great in Bastien's route, but Sofia's route seemed like a step up from even there, you guys keep outdoing yourselves. 

I really appreciate how the morals are explicitly questioned in universe, yet we are allowed to do questionable things, in both politics and romance! That poly, my heart, that's everything I needed ;; From the first option leaning there, I was getting overexcited for it! Thank you so much for inlcuding that!

Game mechanics wise, I am amazed by the amount of branches there are, I have yet to explore all of them. Not even talking about the custom personality of the MC and how that must affect dialogue and choices. Tipping my imaginary hat for you!

I really can't believe Duchess di Parisi and her double dealings and intricate web of lies. I wanted to hate her, but I do get where she is coming from. She is so well-written. My favorite character is still Frederique though, he is just so loveable! Also his disguises :D He had me laughing more than once.

I'm excited for the routes to come! Thank you for your hard work in bringing us this game, because it is amazing!

I loved the Rose of Segunda and can’t wait for the squeal, but I kind of hope that we could have a child at the end. 

Dear Blackcross & Taylor team, 

Thank you so much for bringing us Rose of Segunda and now this! I made an account literally just to ask this question hahaha - is Guillaume still on track for this November? I'm planning on getting this as soon as his route is out (my heart <333). 

Much thanks ~

Dear Blackcross & Taylor team,

Thank you so much for this addictive otome !

1/Bastien was my least favourite character in "Rose of Secunda" but seeing him becoming a partner worthy of MC (when she relentlessly expresses her faithfull love and patience)... I was so proud of him !

Pietro is an awsome addition to this sequel !

2/I usually don't play yuri games, but I was curious about Sophia's sequel. Reading this story, I had a twinge for all the lovers who had/have to hide themself because not "straight". Thank you for giving a slight idea of what these people has/had to do to have a bit of hapiness.

3/ I love Frederic as a character but... Are Frederic and the MC biological siblings ?

Stay safe ! (Salutations distinguées de France)

Is Guillaume still on track for this month?

Hi! I loved the original Rose of Segunda. I'm wondering, because my favorite route is perhaps not the most conventional one, if a Frederique route will be available in the sequel? (please don't judge me lmao i just loved the dynamics between the characters and he was my preferred love interest) Thank you in advance for your response!

Hello

I have just finished the current content ( Bastien / Sofia ) and I think this is a really good visual novel. Interesting story and the way the characters are described is well done. I was sometimes lost around all the countess but that just meant there were a lot of them :-). Choices are also interesting to do and really contribute to the ambiance. I do recommend the game ( as a visual novel ).

And congratulations by providing complete routes ( without game issue or feeling something is missing ) while the full game is still in development. I will be pleased to start a new game on each route release :-).

I think I am looking forward to Charlotte's route more than I've ever looked forward to any game, EVER. Died a little inside when I saw her while with Sofia :'(. One day...keep up the good work, guys!

Guillaume's upcoming release include the loveless marraige route? (is that still a thing? I haven't played the demo for so long) I was very intrigued since I know that's bound to be filled with angst especially with the tension between the di parisi siblings. Will there also be a thing between them in this?

My sister got me the first game as a birthday gift and I was especially in love with Leopold, Frederique and Charlotte! 

I was waiting until I got paid/had some spare money to get this but I heard about the Itch Creator's day so I had to buy it today! Super excited to play Bastien + Sofia's routes! <3

Hello! I understand this is a sequel to "The Rose of Segunda," but do you need to play that to understand the events within this one? :)

I just finished Sofia's route, and to be honest it's one of the best visuals novels I've ever played. I really loved the first game too, but this improved on pretty much every aspect of it.

I absolutely love the MC in these games. She's genuinely intelligent, witty, and a bit devious. I love of much freedom is given to the character too. I felt like I was able to really express how I thought she would react to various situations.

The way the relationship between Sofia and the MC is written is also excellently handled. You can't help but fall in love with this pairing. It's so rare to see a game where you get to play after the relationship has started. Even rarer to see a game where a continued relationship between characters feels like the characters have actually grown together. The witty banter between them is super adorable. When they argue it doesn't feel like plot contrivance or drama as it often does in VNs. It makes sense why each character would have the perspectives they do, and it's great watching them try to work through that. It's believable regardless of how things turn out for them. 

Also worth noting how well the same-sex angle of the relationship is handled here. As a lover of yuri games, it's refreshing to see a game tackle some of the deeper emotional and social aspects of the relationship, and the struggles the characters face.

And of course the rest of the cast is amazing too. Frederique is one of my all time favorites. Same goes for the Duchess. She's a genuinely intimidating foil to the MC.

Thanks so much for this game! Can't wait for the rest of the routes.

Hi, I came to the sequel page because I have another question (last one, I swear): would you consider putting the early access game on steam? In truth, i would love to accompany the game episodically but buying on itch would mean buying in dollars, which is significantly more expensive because of my country's currency, so I would like to know if you thought of that option. But, if that isn't possible, I will try to be patient for the full release or save money ~

Also, for the full release on steam, do you plan on putting achievements? It's something I missed on the first game :) again, love your game and thanks for your time

ahh im so excited for the full release!! i cant wait for Leopold's route lol. i've replayed the demo like a million times. thank you for all the work you're doing on this!! =)

Yay, i can't wait for a full game, or at least my fav route is released. Tried out the demo, any game that is allow me customize the MC personality is a plus.

So based on the current release schedule, there's no estimation for Leo's route yet or am I misunderstanding?

So...I was initially going to wait until this game is released on Steam before I buy it there but my anticipation got to me and I got the game myself (I will definately replay this game though in Steam because It's that good so far!).I have to say, this game is really in a league above Rose of Segunda, a game I already deeply love. The amount of work and quality the 2 route's writing alone has is simply amazing! And it really has me anticipating (and worried for my faves, heh) for the remaining routes when they are released.

Bastien's route was just as heavy and depressing as the demo made it. I am one of the people who had Bastien as one of my least favourite routes in TROS, but his route really made me pay more attention and appreciate his character so much more. It was painful to see him struggle throughout the route, depressing to know that his father not only regret's his existence but also blames him for his wife's death and that itself caused Bastien so much grief. But it makes his good end all the better especially when he decided to not let people talk him or his relationship with Iolanthe down.

Frankly I was almost guilty to even follow through with the other romance and even the platonic Frederic direction because of how much it hurt to hurt Basien when he was struggling so much but I did and I also enjoyed Pieto's character and the romance it went with it.

Sofia's route...It was something else, it felt more cutthroat and direr than Bastien's but I seriously deeply enjoyed it. The various plots with the nobles where interesting. Also the new characters like Lucette and more of st Rue. God I loved Lucette for what we saw of her.

The main conflict itself was very realistic, it's sad but Sofia's mother never having accepted her daughter as a lesbian because she wants her daughter to be 'normal' is still very common even at our times. I found it hard to have Iolanthe be 'understanding' since I also can understand why she'd be very upset being the one being sligted so badly but alas, I also could't be too angry with Sofia since it's her mother, cutting off family is never easy, especially if you care for them like Sofia does.

Also the whole issue with if you should keep things from Sofia or not. I intentionally hid everything from her first because I wanted the worst outcome over and done with and Oh boy, It was even more painful than Bastien's route because I knew it would come down crashing and it really did. When she was ranting about her father's past actions, how she hated his lying the most out of everything, I knew things where gonna go to hell later on. I felt so bad fo Iolanthe and Sofia.

Now Frederique, god I loved him. In both routes, he is at the very least your most closest confidant and the possible option of him being in a poly relationship with Iolanthe in Sofia's route was just amazing. The way you built up their relationship (if you choose it) was a nice touch, I simply loved it. 

Now for the mother herself. She is quite a character, she is very much a love to hate character to me. She is very interesting and ruthless in a way I can appreciate. But damn, I also heavily dislike her, it's no wonder why Iolanthe and Frederick barely cares for her when she is very blunt in just using them as tools. 

I will say, I am going to be so much more in pain when Frederique's, Leopond's and Charllotte's route (my top 3) are out because I know I will always wanna get the other ends first and the Good/Best end last so....the angst and complications will kill me. But I will enjoy it because you're writing is really great.

Overall, I'm anticipating for the rest and you're doing an amazing job so far!

EDIT: Also I want to add, Poor Francesca. She is truly a pitiful character, I did not end up liking her but I certainly felt more sympathy for her than the 1st game. She got duped in a crappy situation with people looking down on her. That must hurt..

It seems it's often hard for sequels to capture the "spirit" of their originals, but when they do, it really adds to the whole thing. Not a thing was lost from TROS, only built upon. Don't know how you did it, but I can only thank you for figuring out what might as well be magic. I liked all those touches of worldbuilding too, and the MC is probably the best written one I've come across in games of this type.

Don't know if you'll ever go about a third game, making this a trilogy, or maybe some DLC, because that worldbuilding is interesting, and I can certainly imagine a lot of things with it, especially in regards to the endings.

For now, I'm good with imagining, and I'll be sure to check out the other routes when they're done.

Such a good game honestly...only two routes out so far, but I'm confident that each route you release will be awesome. I've loved Bastien's and Sofia's routes, even the bad ones...so beautiful. And the whole 'feel' of the game is very mature, honestly, which I like. It's like, a lot of sequels to Otome games shy away from the more mature aspects of a relationship and the struggles that come after you get together, but you didn't and I love that.

However, two things did bug me a little - one, it'd be really nice if in the save/load screen we could see what page we were on. Like maybe the number of the page we are on would be highlighted? Just a little UI thing that kinda bugged me. 

And two - there's that one background art scene near the statue of Saint Lucio (in both Sofia and Bastien's routes) where the crowd has a bit of clipping going on in the crowd where the grey overlay's edge shows up:

Again it's a little thing, and obviously, it's not a big deal just thought I'd point it out :)

SPOILERS in the rest of my comment, sorry it's so long I got excited ;)

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So, I finished all the content for Bastien and loved all the endings, even when they were heartbreaking. I was really surprised at the hidden love interest, I was not expecting it! But I loved him, even as I felt for Bastien and it killed me to see their relationship devolve. I thought it was a very mature way to handle romance and marriage, and the struggles of depression, which is rarely seen in  VN's. Honestly, a lot about this VN is not seen in other VN's lol, including the spicy awesome MC. I love how much her personality really changes the dialogue too, especially if the 'witty' characteristic is picked. Seriously some of her comebacks made me laugh out loud. That scene with her and Francesca where she's lamenting how sad she is to have lost to her in the bid for the prince in such an obviously over-the-top way had me in stitches lol! On a more serious note though, that talk with Bastien where he confesses how he's been feeling and all his struggles after his father's death...literally made me cry. I just connected so much with what he was saying and how he felt that I couldn't help myself. It was heartwrenching to do the other route's and not support him during that conversation...omg like it really killed me, which is a compliment to your writing skills lol.

As for Sofia's route, I thought all of the endings were interesting in their own way, though of course, my favorite is Home Sweet Home with a side of Frederick. Personally, I feel the route where you win and stay with Sofia and add Frederick into your relationship should be its own ending rather than grouped into Home Sweet Home, but I guess I can see why it's a bit more 'hidden.' Again, the themes of the romance were so mature and well handled, even Sofia's relationship with her family and her mother's sudden denial of her and the MC's relationship. Like people can say you should instantly cut off your family if they don't accept your preferences, but in real life that's not as easy to do as it would sound, and I feel like Sofia's attitude and her reluctance to confront her mother on it all was very realistic in that aspect, even as it made me sad lol. 

It was super hard to do the Full Circle route ending though...I had the MC lie to Sofia and they break up in the end because the MC can't give up her brother,  and it was super devastating. But I liked how you still remain on good terms with her in the end if you win. I thought that was handled super maturely because yes people break up in real life and it doesn't mean they have to hate each other for the rest of their lives. I'm sure it's slightly less happy if you lose, but I couldn't bring myself to do that, the pain of breaking up with Sofia was already too much lol. 

Really love the game, and I'm super looking forward to the next route and the extra reward scenes! Guillaume's route in the last game was actually one of my least favorite one's, but I think, considering the circumstances of this game, that I'll really find his route interesting this time around for the sheer fact that you'll be a princess in the middle of all the political shenanigans. To be honest I found his relationship with Francesca in Sofia/Bastien's route very interesting too, especially how you didn't necessarily make either of them the 'villain.' Francesca being so pitiable was a real surprise to me, but I liked how you humanized her a lot, especially in Sofia's route.

Also, Lt. Rue!! Break out character. Her flirting and character design and just everything...I love her. I was a bit disappointed that she's not a possible love interest, to be honest, but I'm sure I'll love Ambassador Brovik's route when it comes out :3

Great job so far! *claps into infinity*

The quality of the intrigue and wittyness of the main caracter were fantastic, I expected no less !

I was quite impressed by the length and complexity from my first run off Sofia's story. It sure wasn't as romantic as the Rose of Segunda, but the tension and hurdles felt very realistic and at the same time, sweet.

Mother di Parisi was quite the presence. Reminded me of Olenna Tyrell from Game of Throne ^^'

I didn't remember having "super intense" feeling from it (no intense crying), but the whole thing felt so vivid I had trouble to pause even for eating/sleeping !

I'm eager to see more and actually, I still have a lot of "variant world" to try. Thanks for putting so much work into this <3

EDIT : and a polyamourous ending too. Sweet !

EDIT2 : my replays took more time than my first run. 2 almost full day of playing, my eyes hurts !

EDIT3 : ...So much betrayal options. It's hard. It's so hard every time.

...And they actually have effects. I wonder tho. Is there is of one case in Sofia's route where a letter in the trunk can make her come back ? I found the "violent letter" extra vivid and I really though it'd work (I get the paradox, but guess "showing my wounds" was way more humain than "I'm sorry" or "I understand your grief")

I didn't think it was possible, but I liked Thorns of War even more than The Rose of Segunda (and that one was already one of my all-time fav VNs <3)

The political intrigue and the scheming was great and I really appreciated having so much choice in my character's decisions. I just finished Sophia's route and I was so on edge the whole time, but I managed to get the good ending on my first try ^o^

Looking forward to Charlotte's route someday in the future! Just out of curiosity, will there be other yuri routes besides Sophia and Charlotte? I have no idea how much interest there is for the GxG routes in general but I would be totally down for more :p

I have to say I'm looking forward whenever Guillaume’s route is released. It's one of the routes that has a lot of diverting paths considering there are 3 ways Iolanthe be with him (arrangement, throne only or romance). So i'm definitely curious to the impressions of his route in the future.

I just finished Sophia's route! Ahhhhhhh!!!!! I did not expect that ADDITION, but I was so glad for it! 

SPOILERS AHEAD. 

BIG SPOILERS.

SCARY SPOILERS.

DO NOT PROCEED IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED.

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Frederique!!! When I started the route, I had a feeling something was going on... I didn't know what would happen exactly, if we had to choose between them or what, but I was EXCITED. Dear author, you really spoil us too much! Adding so many variations! Same with Bastien's, we get 2 routes for 1. Thank you so much for that. Your hard work is very appreciated! I love Frederique with a passion, my second favorite RO after Leopold, so this surprise was the best thing I could hope for. Problem is, after I got this PERFECT ending: 

I don't want to unlock the others! (I will, eventually) But this ending was PERFECTION. I wasn't sure how I would feel about Frederique and Sophia falling in love too, but they didn't, so it was really everything I hoped for. Kind of a harem route, ohoho~ (Also, what a beautiful CG)

I must say this, however: it makes me sad that MC's ROs don't stand up for her until the end. It happened with Bastien too. I hope some of the others will defend her from the beginning. It was painful watching MC berated and pushed aside and her ROs pretending nothing is going on. She deserves to be protected, too ;_;

Funny thing that happened: my MC is called Yvette. 

Also, iconic line:

I know. Rumours are abound. After all, a lady unmarried this long must have so intractable flaw.

I do. I have my own mind.

Yes, you do Yvette, yes you do. 

Question many Love interests will this story will have? Plus will there be any secret romances as well?

I just got this game and played through it immediately. It's really impressive how much work has clearly been put into it! I'm looking forward to the next routes :)

BELOW THERE BE SPOILERS:

MORE SPOILERS:

Poor Bastien was my least favorite RO from the first game, so unfortunately I neglected him in favor of the new characters. I was so SHOOK when MC ended up with Pieto, but like in a good way! Seriously, I loved how he would stand up for everyone, but I was still hurt when Bastien wanted a divorce lol. Which is perfectly reasonable when the MC is cheating on him(although I'm not sure if he actually knew? It would be easy to tell but Bastien doesn't spend much time with MC if she avoids him.) 

Since I went for the Frederique and Pieto scenes first, I was really surprised at how romantic and how much less drama my playthrough had if I prioritized Bastien and I ended up admiring that he decided that he needed to grasp his own happiness and stand up more for himself. There was that one comeback that was just... incredible! Like wow, did that boy just say that? I swear my respect level for Bastien grow ten times larger at that.

I ended up getting all the endings except for the  3rd ending. Any hints at how to get it? Spend more time with someone/side with this person?

Thank you and good luck on the rest of the game!

Heya so the next update is only in may right? 

so..uh, clearly I missed kickstarter thing, is there a way to get access to "Backer extra rewards scenes" in the future?(´;ω;`)

The first thing I think every morning : "is Sofia's route out yet ?" - then comes the realization : end of january is not there yet ! (but seriously take all your time you beautiful angel, don't dare sacrificing quality on a darn schedule~)

Also I just remembered, no mention of a Charlotte route ? Wasn't my prefered one (by far), but I guess it was my second choice~

EDIT : just read there was 8 route planned, my bad.

I think I’ll wait to the game is released on steam, but I am super excited to get the chance to play it!

Just finished all but 2 endings and found all of the CG's for Bastien's route!

Wow, you did an amazing job on this one! Bastien is actually my second least favorite RO (he's too quiet for me) but the story was really interesting and depending on your choices vastly differn't! I ended up with 5 playthroughs!

I actually like that you're releasing one route at a time, it would be a way too overwhelming if you weren't. This way I can spend a weekend, going back to get all the choice options in the route and see the reaction changes (Which for Bastien differed vastly!) And that's with the same MC traits!

Can't wait for the next couple routes!!! :) Seriously I'm hooked.

I absolutely loved the Rose of Segunda and wasn't sure how the sequel would compare, but somehow it is even better than the original (if that is possible!). Leopold and Guillaume were my favorite routes in the first game, and I suspect I’ll love them just as much once their routes come out, but so far, Bastien's route was wonderful! 

(Minor spoilers) Bastien's route wasn't an easy "happily every after"- a noble woman married a servant and realistically, that makes a "happy ending" much more difficult. This route is sometimes sad and often painful, but it hurts in a good way because it makes the joy at the end even sweeter. 

I wasn't initially pumped for the civil war plotline, but it was actually really enjoyable. The intrigue! The drama! The choices felt very high stakes and I was constantly second-guessing what was right. It was great! I loved seeing characters from the first game, but I have to say, MC's mother really stole the show for me- she’s callous, ambitious, and more than a little power hungry, but her dry sense of humor and exasperation at her "three children who won't listen to (her)" cracked me up (Frederick, MC and Bastien can be a handful!). This is a wonderful game, created by people who truly loved/respected the first installment. I cannot wait for the next routes! Now, please excuse me while I go replay “The Rose of Segunda” for the hundredth time.   

OKAY I'M BACK! I have unlocked 3 endings, and I need to scream here before I go back for more. The first ending I got was the WORST one. It was so sad, but I aaaalways get the bad endings first because I'm just that unlucky haha. But the other 2 endings were great, so I'm super happy. 

NOW, SPOILERS! BEWARE! GO BACK!

Really. I'm spoiling a lot of the route.

Like, a lot. Like, turn back. 

Okay? 

Okay. 

PIETO TRISTE, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. Look, I know this will sound terribly cruel, but... Bastien who? It's his own route but Pieto STOLE THE SHOW. The moment MC and Pieto met at the Ball... man, I felt something change. It was so subtle, and every little interaction showed just a little more, but you could feel something was happening. Pieto stole my heart, completely. He is perfect for MC, he can be and give her everything she ever wanted or needed. And she can do the same for him. He's also hot, have you seen that scene while confronting the two "lovers" at the inn? He's so freaking commanding. "SIT DOWN!" Hell yeah, that's a future King you're talking to! After having Bastien allowing every insult thrown at him and MC, it was so refreshing to see Pieto threating to cut someone's tongue off for being slightly disrespectful to MC. 

I was super scared about him, tbh. Because every time I saw him I liked him more and more and I had suspicions he'd end up being manipulative and with his own agenda. Charlotte and Bastien didn't seem to like him, and I was on edge. But thank god! He's honest, and good, and honorable, and--! I just love this man so much! You gave us two routes in one, and I'm so grateful for that. What a delicious surprise. AND MC GETS TO BE QUEEN WITH A KING THAT ACTUALLY DESERVES HER (yeah, I'm salty with Guillaume after his demo). 

Moving on from King Pieto Triste, long may he reign, Bastien's route was so sad. I felt bad for Bastien and MC, they were so unhappy together, even when you're trying to make it work. It was so difficult and painful. And I could understand why, it wasn't unnecessary drama, but... it was hard. MC had to endure so much pain and embarassment, I felt terribly for her. Bastien also broke my heart, especially in his bad ending and in Pieto's ending. Poor boy, I hope he manages to find real happiness without MC in Pieto's ending. He deserves to be happy, and THERAPY. GIVE THAT POOR MAN THERAPY! LOTS OF IT! Also, and excuse my French, but... fuck his father. The character I hate the most. I don't even hate other characters, just him. Fuck him. When MC was like "Good thing he's dead, or I'd strangle him" I was like YEAH GIRL, GO FERAL ON HIM. Have I mentioned MC is amazing? She is. 

NEXT! Albertine! Baby girl, you changed for the best! I love her! I liked her more than Charlotte this time, and I found Lottie adorable in TROS, so... 

And I must talk about my favorite boys. Leopold and Frederique. My all-time favorites. THEY'RE PERFECT STILL. I talked like... twice with Leo, and man, was I pining for him. I can't wait to go all Queen and King stabbity stab goodbye Auguste see ya later Guillaume. And Frederique is my man to the last, to quote the man himself. He's the one who has the most dangerous relationship with MC and I bet he would NEVER allow anyone to talk shit about them. Someone WHISPERS something about Minette? You're done. Aaaaand, I've seen he appears as a third option if your marriage with Bastien is crumbling, so I'm gonna go back to the game and explore that. I doubt it's a romance route like Pieto, because Frederique has his own route, but... even if it's just a sibling route, he's my man to the last <3 

I'll leave with the quote that made me think "I'll marry that man": 

A young lady of Yvette's wit will make a King of any man. 

I love Bastien's route and the story as a whole so far! He was never my favorite in TROS but there's some real gems in his scenes here. Makes me even more excited to see the characters I loved (and the politicking in two PARTICULAR routes). But PLEASE give me some hints as to the second and third ending on the list. I can't seem to get them or even really figure out what they might be at this point and it's driving me batty!

Hello, I was wandering how much time will the game stays in sales ? (To know if I have time to wait for my salary or not >.>)