Hey folks, Dirk here.

It's been a little over three years since I officially released Ocean Avenue. I started out this project as a way to cope with my college social life being taken due to the pandemic. It was a mix of an ideal world and one where I could expand upon my own prior experiences. I had no prior creative writing experience, and jumped headfirst into "sharing my story"; that was always the goal. I was pleasantly surprised by how positive the reception was. My story had an impact, and I enjoyed delivering that to you all!

However, that enjoyment has faded, especially over the past few months. Many factors in my life have shifted over the course of these three years, and I'm in a position where I want to move on to new endeavors. With that, here's what is happening:

Ocean Avenue is going on an indefinite hiatus. Work may be done on it occasionally behind-the-scenes, but an official return will not be made unless that work becomes frequent and recurring.

I will release one last update, then leave things there. In this update, the supernatural elements are fully removed from the story. In addition to that, the following changes have been made:

• A prologue (Day 0) has been added to the start of the story.
• Some events have been swapped around on Days 1 and 2.

While I feel Ocean Avenue is unfinished, let alone polished enough, to fully reflect its new story direction, I believe it is better for me to leave things as is than to push myself, "stop while the going is good". I have been leaving this community on radio silence numerous times, and it is not fair to you all. You deserve a story with love and care put into it.

I can't thank the creators on this project enough for their contributions. It wouldn't have been the same without them! They have been nothing but supportive of my work, and have battled the ups and downs I've had making it. You can find their credits on the itch main page, or in the Credits section of the Ocean Avenue game.

With all of this in mind, I would kindly ask people not to message me about Ocean Avenue once the update is out. Feel free to leave feedback on the Ocean Avenue itch page or Google form, but for my personal health, I will be distancing myself from the project. Any DM's I get about Ocean Avenue will likely be ignored.

I apologize for dropping such big news out of the blue. It's been a decision I've debated many times behind the scenes, but have only now gained the courage to commit to. This project has been an incredible personal journey throughout, and one that has taught me a lot about myself and the world around me. Thank you, and take care folks!