SDA 4.4 Release Update - Family Emergency and Final Prep
TL;DR: My dad remains hospitalized after a family medical emergency, so I’ve had to step away from work and promotion more than expected. SDA 4.4 is already near release-candidate status, and I’m still aiming for the July 24 Early Access release, but previews, live commentary, replies, and Ashe 1.4/Ashe–Serana banter work may be delayed depending on how this week unfolds. My priority right now is final packaging, testing, documentation, and essential quality checks.
Hey guys, a quick SDA 4.4 development update.
Unfortunately, a close family medical emergency required me to step away from development and promotion over the weekend. My dad is currently stable, but he remains hospitalized, and I’ve been helping my family with his care and hospital logistics.
The good news is that SDA 4.4 was already at or near release-candidate status before this happened. I’m still working toward the July 24 Early Access release, but the planned previews and live-commentary videos may be reduced, postponed, or published after launch instead.
I know y’all have been excited for these, and I’ve also said that I wanted to make them, but unfortunately real life sometimes has other plans.
My immediate priorities are final packaging, installation testing, documentation, and essential quality checks. I may also be slower - or even somewhat unresponsive - than usual with messages and comments while the situation is ongoing.
One other expectation-setting note for SDA 4.4: the update includes the new content, features, and bug fixes, but it will not resolve every currently known issue. I simply haven’t had time to address all of them lately.
Fortunately the build has been extensively tested, and the remaining issues I’m currently aware (for the new content) of are mostly minor subtitle, typo, polish, or other non-blocking items. The Early Access documentation will clearly list the current known issues, installation notes, and anything supporters should be aware of before downloading.
As usual, the Early Access files and relevant links for PC and Xbox will remain private to eligible supporters during the Early Access period.
As for Ashe 1.4 and the Asherana (Ashe+Serana) banter, I’m currently reassessing the timeline based on how this week unfolds. Before the family emergency, my plan was to move into that work shortly after SDA 4.4 entered Early Access, potentially developing and preparing their Early Access releases while SDA 4.4 moved toward its full public release.
I’ll have a clearer Ashe update once my schedule settles. Rest assured, I still fully intend to continue working on Ashe 1.4, the banter content, and previews for the custom-request material - including updates for the relevant requesters - but I don’t want to give a new date until I know how much time I’ll realistically have.
For the people I’m currently collaborating with, please treat this as a small open update for you as well. I had planned to catch up on messages last Friday, but the emergency happened before I could do so. I’ll do my best to respond over the coming days as time and energy allow.
I’ll post another schedule update if the SDA 4.4 release date itself needs to change. At the moment, a delay still seems unlikely because the build is already near release-candidate status, and I’m working on packaging and final quality checks today.
Thank you for your patience and understanding!
Marty