Dear #MarkedbyOdin, I think it is time to catch up on how things are in Mark of Odin towards the health, economic and social crisis we are experiencing in Spain, and the rest of the world, with the blissful Covid-19.
A few days ago I made a livestream on Facebook to share all my feelings about how this was affecting us. As you have seen, this Sunday we officially announced the total stoppage of physical orders. Although it was something that we had been discouraging for weeks, now we have made it completely official. In the event that someone makes an order of this type, it will not be processed until the end of the period of cessation of non-essential activity.
Why do we take this step?
It has not been done lightly. First of all you must understand that the sale of paper books is the main source of income for this project. A single Collector’s Pack sale is equivalent to almost 9 Digital Packs right now (You know that we are offering them at a 50% discount to encourage everyone to read while they are still confined at home). We did it being aware not only of wasting the month of March, but almost certainly also the month of April, which usually offers the best sales of the year (thanks to Book’s Day in Spain).
We take this measure as we consider that sending the paperback editions involves putting the workers of the post Office and Envialia at risk. If we want to win this battle against the virus, we must avoid as much as possible the movement of people. So from our side we will not contribute with book shipments.
Family first
I hope with all my heart that all of you who are reading these words are well and your families too. It’s time to be with yours and take care of yourself, if you are lucky enough to pass this quarantine alongside them. Many of us may have passed or are passing the virus, 80% of the population passes it asymptomatic. Some have mild or confused symptoms with seasonal allergies or a cold. Here in the south, at this time, when we have very sudden temperature changes, it is common to catch a cold. But of course, right now one no longer has anything clear. And there are no tests to confirm or rule out anything. So I encourage you to take good care of yourself and maximize quarantine.
As you know, this has caught me recovering from a surgery in the Hospital. The positive part is that it has caught me with the family. Which also implies that I focus part of my time on attending to all their needs.
How is Covid-19 affecting Mark of Odin?
From one side, this crisis has completely paralyzed all the processes and dialogues of our international expansion and investment. This is a hard blow after all the work done and the resources invested in 2019 to make 2020 a great year. Which added to the notable decrease in income when cutting paper sales makes our situation very fragile at the moment.
Looking ahead to this April, I may be forced to cut my marketing spending significantly. Under the current conditions it is very difficult for me to keep the momentum expected. We will maintain actions, but exclusively focused on the Digital Pack for the duration of its promotion by the Alarm State in Spain.
All this situation has made me have to focus in my work at Megapop Games as a high priority. The studio, which has also been affected by the crisis, has made the decision to focus all its efforts on releasing our new title, Haxity, on May 26th. That is why my priority right now is to work all the possible to make it a success.
In this matter, I want to invite you to play Haxity for free this weekend, since we are going to hold our first Beta event. To do this, all you have to do is join the Haxity Discord and request it, in English (I want to participate in Beta).
Aren’t we getting new content?
No, absolutely not. As I said in my Facebook livestream I have made the decision to start sharing the finished stories that were awaiting audiovisual productions. So each week we will share a new story. My dream was to be able to do it with its audiovisual productions, new illustrations, 3d renders, but right now it is completely unfeasible.
This measure began this past Friday with the story of ‘Kira Takeda: Confronting the past’ and I want to give you a list of the contents that we can get out:
- Brunilda: The weight of command
- Ismael Cuenca: The Warrior’s Rest
- Joana Ceballos: The Indomitable Warrior
- Rista: The First Silver Twin
- Mista: The Second Silver Twin
- Jack Preston: Family Reunion
- Luis: Healing the wounds
- Freya: Forged by Fate
- María Luces: The determination
- The symbiote
As you can see there are stories to cover two and a half months. Hopefully by the time we finish we can have left all this nightmare behind. This decision to share the stories already does not imply that in the future we will not edit the content to add new illustrations. At the moment they will only go with placeholder materials or symbolic banners.
Ragnarok is not coming?
No, the world is not going to end with all this, we are going to overcome it! Jokes aside, the production of the third book, Ragnarok, is delayed by all these events. As soon as I can stabilize my situation, I hope I can resume my idea of focusing exclusively on the production of its final draft. I know it is a nuisance, but we all have to be patient. I am the first, who is dying to share with you all the third installment of Mark of Odin.
Seville’s Soul
In the fiction of Mark of Odin, what comes to be called the soul of Seville is popularized. A wave of solidarity and positive energy with which people from all over the world join forces to overcome the great tragedy that occurs in the world after the first book. Despite all the things that are being done wrong and have been done wrong. I am amazed to see all those details, big and small, from people and organizations that make you keep faith in humanity. Let us continue to believe in ourselves, when faced with problems, let us focus our forces on finding solutions and alternatives. We are stronger than we think. Let’s prove it.
I say goodbye thanking all of you who continue to support this great little crazy project that is Mark of Odin. I encourage you to continue supporting it by recommending and sharing the books, specifically the Digital Pack, to all your acquaintances who you know who are looking for new distractions in their confinements. Remember that it is also very important for us to share your opinions and to have you with us in our Discord community.
Remember, all is connected.
Xavier Marcé
