We work to live, and live in incredibly difficult times. As much as I hope that will change one day, you are not alone in the heartache where game dev is a source of self-fulfillment and joy, rather than a financially lucrative career. It sucks. Sending you enormous hugs.
Everyone who loves your games sees all of your hard work and it's so understandable to need a break after publishing literally anything. Thank you for letting us know how you're doing and about the Steam release so far! It's no reflection of the quality of your game if it wasn't picked up by emails or isn't the best fit for some algorithm today.
I hear and see the love and joy you have from creating with your characters, and hope that after some VERY DESERVED rest and space for yourself that you will keep feeling better! Please take all the space and time you need. Creating with joy, or making self-indulgent stuff with Genzy, or toying with ideas for another game, or anything else is always heartening to hear about, *especially* if it is just for you and brings you happiness.
If a product isn't our goal, we can only create for ourselves at the end of the day. It doesn't hurt that I (and many other people) really love that you make work with characters who are not conventionally attractive!!! Genzou is my favorite character of yours, and I'm so happy he has lots of content! Iggy is also a treasure. There are not enough fat or lanky or ace or short men in mlm stories. So many of us love what you make and know you love it too!
It's insanely understandable to not be feeling well, mentally or physically, for any reason! Chronic pain in and of itself sucks ass (to put it mildly). Feeling like your heart and soul isn't valid because it doesn't make money is a VERY real feeling for many of us right now. The state of the world and the difficulty in getting a game to others on launch doesn't make what you create any less wonderful or appreciated.
Creatives maintaining their integrity and joy is an increasingly rare thing, but it's the heart of making things, which is incompatible with earning a living from game dev in current day. As important as working is, when a whole lot of life is affecting a lot of us right now, it can be easy to lose sight of the importance of doing the things that bring us happiness too. For most of us, that means finding a balance between that work and life, which is really difficult and can take a whole lot of time. Absolutely no one can blame you for needing a breather!
I hope you can get some good rest, know you released a game on Steam (more than what many people will ever do!!!) and that even if Steam's algorithm sucks and our world is hard, you have brought many people joy with your work. We'll all be happily playing through your many games, whether you take a break from creating or take some extra time for yourself. We love that the things you make bring you joy, first and foremost, and whatever helps you feel your best is the biggest part of that!
Thanks for making the world a little brighter with your games and comics and art, Carrot, especially when you're in a dark place. We're all thinking of you and I hope you keep feeling better! 💖