The end of ILLUSION
🕑 Added 2023-07-14 11:16:06 +0000 UTCEDIT: So apparently this was just a really bizarre rebranding(?), and they will continue making games under the ILLGAMES brand, starting with a KK-styled HoneySelect game (more info and mirror of trial on the discord server). Old games are still being pulled off the stores though.
--- Original message below ---
As some of you may already know, ILLUSION has sadly announced that they are closing down, starting today.
No new games or updates to existing games will be made, and on 2023/08/18 all of their existing games will be pulled off of Steam, DLsite and other stores. This means it will become impossible to get games made by ILLUSION legally after that point unless you buy a used disc. If you want to own KK and/or HS2 on Steam, make sure to buy it before that point!
It's unclear if VRKanojo and similar offshoots will be affected, but I'd buy it sooner rather than later if you were already thinking about it.
Closure roadmap on their official website
If you'd like to discuss this and get up to date information, hop on the KK and/or IS discord servers. These servers are unaffiliated so they will not be affected.
What does this mean for existing users and modders?
In practice, nothing will change for their released games (like KK or HS2). The games will keep working while mods and unofficial patches will continue to be made and maintained.
The only difference for me is that I'll start looking for games from other companies to mod and make patches for instead of waiting for new games from Illusion.
Well, shucks :(
It's truly a sad day today, as they've been one of the oldest and the most consistent 3D eroge makers in history, and they've created many cult classic series like Artificial Girl, Artificial Academy, and many others. They'll now join TeaTime and REAL in the nostalgia land of HongFire and the old internet days :(
I hope that everyone has a good weekend. If anyone from Illusion reads this, please let me thank you for the countless hours of entertainment you've brought to me and many others. I wish you the best in your future endeavours.
Comments
Ellen Tavares
Do you know if I can get out the censure in steam base kk using mod?
ManlyMarco
https://www.patreon.com/posts/hf-patch-for-rg-76844340
vladeemer
Just popping in to express my wish for Room Girl Paradise to get modded. Thanks for all you do!
asd asdas
guess you get to do what you do xD Looking forward to your new stuff soon
asd asdas
I don't think so. We don't really know what happen to Illusion internally, people suspect it's debt or what sort. Illusion is officially no more, which is why all products are being pulled. Illgames is a totally "new" branding that has nothing to do with illusion don't think they can legally just sell the old products officially unless illusion was actually absorb by Illgames which is not what happened
OriUni
Damn no wonder. Now its up to making creations by myself..
MpMan
i think th new game , a honey select 3 ++ , they need a lot money , and with this stunt , they will basically make illusion hoard a lot of money for illgame to use.
Ozzy Puzzles
I'm starting to get the impression that "Illusion" really sucks at communicating with their audiences.
ManlyMarco
If this was a separate company then they wouldn't be able to use assets from KK and HS2, and the trial definitely has some. Like I said it's just bizarre.
idrisz19
I think Illusion and Illgames are two separate companies. The person(s) with assess with Illusion's "@Projecti18" Twitter is involved with Illgames though, so I would say that it's safe to assume that Illgames is a spiritual successor to Illusion, but the key word here is "spiritual". I don't believe that Illusion's catalogue of games have been transferred to Illgames, so I think that the old Illusion games will still cease to be sold.
Ozzy Puzzles
So, wait, was this all a marketing stunt? Also they're still taking their "old games" off the store? Do they mean games that are actually old, or every game that was under the Illusion brand.
Frostfx23
That’s good to hear is just a rebranding
Diakai
Well shucks!!!! (To the rebranding)
Eric J
Lame. I just dropped over $500 buying their library. All their games will likely be back after they rebrand all of them too. Super lame... Huzzah!
Chloe Saunders
Good thing I backed the patch up then. Phew!
Dr.Sheperd#0004
Oh well, I still bought the remaking games before they get pulled either way
kn ny
They seem to have started a new game maker called ILLGAMES.
Joshua Bautch
No I meant like your own original IP that is IN Functionality Similar to Koikatsu but instead maybe using Vroid Models
Clutch
I don't think this is said enough but thanks for all your work, Marco. Sad news indeed.
ManlyMarco
Depends, Steam versions are cheaper once you include DLCs. KK darkness doesn't work on the steam version but most people don't even want it. After you install HF Patch then the content is pretty much the same otherwise in all of the games. DLsite versions are only in Japanese while Steam versions are in Japanese, English and Chinese. HF Patch adds English to the JP-only releases.
ManlyMarco
The parent company still owns the IP and does not seem interested in selling it so it's still copyright protected.
ManlyMarco
Yeah, it's a real shame. As unlikely as it was, now we definitely won't get AG4 or AA3. I'm not going to give up so no worries.
ManlyMarco
Cards servers are being brought down since Illusion is closing down.
ManlyMarco
The steam version has both the base game and the DLC included.
$@uron
Holding on from buying HS2 cause in Steam there is HS2LibidoDX and in DLSite it says that the HS2LibidoDX is a DLC so Steam sells only the dlc? So waiting if anyone can clarify me that.... at least before the 18.
idrisz19
Your suggestion presumably requires a game engine with VRM support, so I suggested Godot.
Joshua Bautch
what does that have to do with my suggestion?
$@uron
But is there's a difference between the steam and the DL Site version like cut content? And I mean if the game is translated to English in DL site. And thanks for the suggestion of the VPN.
Frozen Saiyajin
Is the download section of the game down as well? it wont load any characters for me
idrisz19
Concerning Vroid models, the V-Sekai team is currently working on adding VRM 1.0 support to Godot via a plug-in.
asd asdas
Real sad news really. Grew up playing their games like Biko and even the infamous Ra*eLay which was actually one of my favorite game by them. Guess good things never last forever. Though I must say.. their quality has been dropping for many years now despite tech improved. Probably because the older staffs were already no longer with the company. P.S don't stop Marco the ero game community needs you 😂
Joshua Bautch
or hell, why not make a love letter or memorial to Illusion Soft by pulling together a team to make your OWN version of Koikatsu? (and maybe one that uses Vroid models)
emptysteve
Thank u just used the hf patch. I thought that was the case with the site as the company is winding down
emptysteve
If u use DL site u need to use a VPN as ur country may block u accessing the site and PayPal to buy the games. As I just brought sunshine. When I used internet explorer it translated the site to English for me.
$@uron
Which version is better the steam or the dl site one... and is the DL site version in English?
ManlyMarco
I'm not going to leave. The problem with maids is that the community is pretty entrenched and it's all paid DLC so there's not much space for a patch that avoids including paid stuff.
ManlyMarco
Yes, it's included. Official illusion site is down and will probably not come back up since they are closing down.
ManlyMarco
Do not use winrar. Pretty much any other modern file archiver should work, I recommend 7zip. If you have bin files then you can't extract them, use the .exe file included with the bin files to install the patch.
Nathanael L Golser
The HF Patch files all say damaged or unreadable when trying to read them through winrar.
emptysteve
just bought kk party from steam and cant access the special patch from illusion site as it says internal error. does the hf patch include? sorry im new to this
El Chunko
Could you switch support to Custom order maid 3d 2 if you are going to leave koikatsu behind because of this? They still release dlc to this day.
ManlyMarco
See https://docs.bepinex.dev/articles/advanced/proton_wine.html
J Willson
HoneySelect2 recently was verified as playable on steamdeck. Will the patch be able to run on steamdeck too?
ManlyMarco
You can still use the DLC but you must install HF Patch afterwards or it won't work properly with the Steam version of the game. If you have the DLC on Steam then it will work fine without the patch.
Astro
So if i bought koikatsu on steam and buy the after party dlc on DLsite would there be a problem with installation?
Joseph Page'
HAD to be August. >.> this news Sucks hard.
ManlyMarco
If you use HF Patch you don't have to do anything with locale.
Sabre Mushy
Never bought a game on DLsite before, anyone know if you can run KKS without converting your PC over to Japanese? Or is that just a warning they put on everything from their site in case there isnt an english version?
Jonathon Barton
If you feel like a *serious* challenge - bring Illusion Style Game and Story Mechanics to Virt-a-Mate. 😹
ManlyMarco
You can't really buy the DLC if you have the Fakku version unfortunately. If you got lucky and cosmic rays flipped a lot of bits on your drive in the shape of the DLC, you might have been able to copy it into the game and make it work though.
Zachariah McElrath
i'm with Sndragon. i was really waiting to see where illusion, as well as the rest of the community would go with this. i've seen quite a few different styles/types games created with illusion as the base platform. i was really hoping to to see more genre specific games as well. or something with koikatsu's control/mechanics and hs&ai shoujo graphics
Nobody
So, while back I picked up "Koikatsu Party" on Fakku!. Fakku! never released the "After Party" DLC. Could I pick it up the "After Party" DLC on Steam, and use it with the Fakku! version of Koikatsu, or would that DLC only work with the Steam version of the game?
Michaelous
I already have Party not Sunshine. a %18 coupon can make Sunshine with all the stuff $93 to $76.
ManlyMarco
If you want to play it as a game or for H (especially in VR) and you have to pick one, go for KKS. Both are mostly equivalent but KKS has better performance at the cost of cards/scenes not being loadable in KK.
ManlyMarco
Yes but getting it on steam is cheaper.
Michaelous
I see Koikatsu Sunshine complete set on DL would this be good?
Commander Cream
Thank you, went through the trouble of getting Sunshine on FANZA, but DLsite looks like it'll be an easier alternative to get the Sunshine expansion on my next paycheck.
Johnny Hwipp
Sunshine is better in my personal opinion
Diakai
Awesome! Good to know about copying the installed file!
John Tejada
If i were to choose between sunshine and regular koikatsu which one would you recommend?
KuromaruFan
A truly sad day we wont forget! If you're looking for something new, maybe you can get involved in Projekt Melody's Big Bang Studio game engine.
ManlyMarco
If you own the game on Steam you will be able to download it just fine, no need to also get it on DLsite. You can also just copy the installed game somewhere safe if you want to keep a backup too.
ManlyMarco
Almost definitely it's not coming.
ManlyMarco
Yes, if you own the game on Steam or DLsite you will be able to download it just fine. Not sure about DMM but it should be the same. You can just copy the installed game somewhere safe if you want to keep a backup too.
Diakai
I saw the news on Steam... 😔 So if I have a couple of these on Steam, should I go to to https://dlsoft.dmm.co.jp/ and buy them there too to save the install files? Looks like they have them on 10% sale there right now too.
LateGamer547
Does that mean that Koikatsu Sunshine isn't coming to Steam on August 27th?
Bri
So that im clear, if I were to uninstall kk because something went wrong with a update try to reinstall I will be fine right?
Qian Yifan
A darkest day indeed. But this is the reason why I picked up everything from them on DLsite today and Discovered you in github.
Fonseca
Wouldn´t it be great if the World turned always around you ? LOL, but sorry, it doesn´t !!! The fact an original game with dicks and pussies, being sold at original price, coming vanilla with censorship is not WOKENESS at all, oh no it isn´t, tell you what, it is a glitch, dam Devs, a sad coincidence
Morepork
Omg save this shit for reddit. Woke is by far the most boring, lazy and uncritical critique of society.
ManlyMarco
KK, HS2, AIS, KKS out of the recent ones.
ManlyMarco
Get it on DLsite, which is fairly friendly to international audience and supports PayPal and such. If it's not available on there then don't bother, they went out of their way to make it difficult to buy their games outside of Japan.
Chloe Saunders
Unfortunately, I can't. The money is needed for other things.
kiterunnerdio
It's still available on dmm for now. You have about a month to buy what you need.
Sndragon
Godd*mn it. Here I thought that with the advent of AI, their next step of evolution would be AI + VR Koikatsu. Which company should I place my hope in now T-T ?
Pyroman31FF
That's really sad :(
Ozzy Puzzles
Guess it's fitting that one of their last games was tropical themed, because while their fans were enjoying the bikini beach setting; there was trouble in paradise.
Chloe Saunders
I guess, but I'll need to find it first. I can't buy it now.
Sir Valentine
As an American I need a guide to pick up their titles because I'm not familiar with how they handle dl of their past games.
TheProfessorsLeft
That's a shame. I kept putting it off, but I should probably pick up some of those expansions while I still can.
Ruben
Well shit witch of there games do you recommend I grab before they take them off?
ManlyMarco
You can still play the JP version, it's almost fully fan translated.
ManlyMarco
Life and horniness always finds a way.
ManlyMarco
Definitely Miconisomi games, especially the upcoming one. If anyone knows of similar games please let me know.
StoicThinker
Sad news indeed. I started Koikatsu a little over a year ago and I gotta say I love it. Shame others won't be able to enjoy it soon if they don't have it
RaijinRonin
Well my hopes of an Artificial Academy 3 type game with Koikatsu character creation system is over I guess. Any idea on what games you might want to work on?
Ozzy Puzzles
Yeah I highly doubt the reason why the game company based in the country that's more accepting of sexual content in media shutted down because of "woke society". You're thinking of groups like Christians or loud women groups who are strongly against porn and the sexualization of women, but even then I highly doubt that's why they shutted down (let alone cause of a buzzword) considering they've been dealing with those critics for decades.
ManlyMarco
Yes.
Jovanie Rodriguez
Will you still update and maintain the HF packs for illusion games?
Reinstenberg
Thanks for reply, Marco. I'm a TC speaker and I'd say the KKP official TC localization is amazing. Too bad the time had come for Illusion to take leave of us...
Chloe Saunders
They're closing down? Noooooooo! I was looking forward to Koikatsu Sunshine!
ManlyMarco
Yes, it's tied to your account.
Maxamilian Meeker
What if I switch computers? Will I still be able to re-download it?
ManlyMarco
Doesn't look like it will happen. Fan translation is getting close to complete though.
Reinstenberg
How could this happen? I'm still waiting for KKS to be localized!
setsuna200
So both Koikatsu and Koikatsu sunshine?
AnimeArtStalker
Entire publisher shutdown. Not just steam but everywhere
AnimeArtStalker
Nvm just bought Koikatsu anyway lol. Not risking it
Cjhappy
That really sucks, i was hoping to buy HS2 soon but not this soon, why are they removing the games from steam?
ManlyMarco
I doubt this was the cause, they most likely got into financial trouble after multiple underperforming game releases. Mods won't be affected by this, don't worry.
ManlyMarco
Yes, you keep access to any game you bought on Steam even if the developer pulls it down.
AnimeArtStalker
Well shit glad I grabbed Honey Select DX 2 while I did. According to their Steam announcement I'll still be able to play it. May grab Koikatsu before the 18th but I can't drop $100 on it at the moment.
AnimeArtStalker
They say so on the Steam announcement.
Fonseca
The problem with woke society, I hope you keep your HS2L Mods available cause Im buying a new PX a need to intall agsin, cheers and kerp up the goid work
Maxamilian Meeker
Will the people who own KK on Steam still be able to play or even access it?
TheYuriLover
RIP
IZSM
It was an amazing journey
LosLos_Sensei
I saw that new too,it is really sad😭
lyr
Saw the steam message really sucks that the can’t continue making games