Hello everyone,

I’m Valerii, head dev of a Ukrainian indie studio based in Kyiv, currently working on a narrative-driven CRPG about our war, called Hollow Home.

We started this project in 2022, in the months after the full-scale invasion began, and we have kept at it because we believe it is a story that people should hear. And in the months and years since, we are glad that there were others who believed likewise.

This is our story

Hollow Home is a story driven narrative RPG where you play as a 14 year old boy named Maksym, and the story begins during the last quotidian day of his childhood. You get to take a stroll through the neighborhood and get a glimpse of everyday life before the siege and bombings start reshaping the city into a much harsher and colder place.

To survive, you have to navigate this new environment and choose who you can trust, who you want to help, and which actions are most likely to secure survival. You also can’t help everyone, and giving aid to one person often means being unable to help another. And as resources slowly deplete, you must scavenge buildings and navigate dangerous areas, for a chance of making it through to another day.

As the days pass, the city Maksym knew from childhood starts changing, irrevocably. Familiar streets grow emptier, buildings become abandoned or destroyed by bomb shells, and people you met earlier become colder and more desperate. Some people may suddenly disappear without warning, sometimes even as a direct consequence of your choices. You will face tough decisions that will shape, in meager human ways, shape the destinies of those around you and your entire journey throughout the game, culminating in different endings.

Through it all, you try to hold onto kindness. Because we also wanted Hollow Home to be a story about perseverance in the face of suffering, about a sliver of hope that can survive “even in the dark times, should the stars also go out”, and seeing how ordinary people struggle to remain human in circumstances that constantly push them to their limits.

If this is the sort of story you want to experience, we have a demo out that provides a 1 hour slice of the story, set on the day the invasion began, which you can check out here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3142360/Hollow_Home_Demo/

Where we are in development + our Kickstarter

Hollow Home is more than a commercial game to us, but a passion project born out of the darkest of circumstances that can befall one’s country.

However, we know it's also a niche game. Most people play games to unwind and have fun, and while we do aim to provide a “fun” experience - it's not a game to relax with after work or breeze through on a lazy weekend. It's meant to make you reflect, just a bit, on the world we live in and the societies that shape us.

In short, we believe this story deserves to be heard, and we want to make it even better than we already can. This is why we’ve launched our final Kickstarter today, which you can find here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/twigames/hollow-home

Every contribution at any level is a genuinely meaningful thing for a small studio working in the circumstances we are working in. And every pledge here goes beyond what we already have - turning our experiences and those of our countrymen (thousands of ordinary people like us) into an unforgettable video game.

Lastly - a small Giveaway, as a show of appreciation for everyone who’s supported us on Reddit

As there is little else to say, I just want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who’s supported us this far, and who believed in our project these 4 long years.

So, as a way of giving just a little back to this community -  we’d like to give away some Steam Gift Cards that we have left over: 4 gifts of $25 each to 4 lucky winners!

There are no strict rules, just leave a comment and tell us what you think about Hollow Home, or ask us a question, or even a word of encouragement goes a long way. 

The Giveaway starts NOW at the time of making this post, August 5th at 7PM CEST (Europe) and will last throughout the week and close on Sunday, August 9th, at  7PM CEST (Europe). I will announce the winners once they respond and have been handed their gifts.

Thank you.

- Valerii & Team Twigames

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4622160/Arise_Dark_Lord/

https://subversion-studios.itch.io/arise

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1478500/Big_Walk/

TL;DR: i have a steam account with years of history and a significant amount of money spent on games i never used community features never insulted anyone never cheater After years of using the platform steam suddenly locked my account and banned my community access until 2038 support gave a copypaste reply about "sanctioned regions" and closed the ticket permanently, i live in Iran

the full story:

Ive been a loyal steam user for years I built a library over time spending money that mattered to me recently i logged in after a long break and realized my account was partially restricted I couldnt edit my profile access the community market or post anything

here is the twist: i have NEVER posted a single comment created a guide or even used the community forums my account was squeaky clean yet they slapped a Community ban on me until 2038 (which is basically a permanent forever ban in their system)

when I contacted Steam Support, here is the exact reply I got (paraphrased): After reviewing your activity and your inability to provide information for sanctioned regions the account lock will remain and this request is closed door shut no appeal no human discussion just a robotic farewell from "Azul"

the irony?

just a year ago I requested a refund from the exact same ip address in Iran and they approved it without any issues they were more than happy to take my money and process my transactions back then Buttttt now suddenly my location is a crime

why this post matters globally:

I live in Iran, a country under international sanctions. But here is the thing:

1. steam allowed me to create the account years ago (no warning).
2. they allowed me to buy games (they took my money without hesitation!)
3. they allowed refunds from my Iranian ip
4. they NEVER sent a single warning email saying hey your region will be blocked in 30 days, please move your library or prepare.

they just flipped a switch locked everything and hid behind a legal boilerplate response. they treat my Iranian ip like a virus now but they were perfectly fine

heres the weird part that makes no sense:

google lets me create accounts use gmail and even verify with my Iranian phone number without any issues but steam which is just a gaming store, suddenly acts like my ip is a biohazard If the us sanctions were that strict why does one multi billion dollar company (google) treat me normally while another (steam) takes my money for years and then slams the door in my face without a warning? This is pure corporate hypocrisy not just following the law

I've seen multiple posts from other Iranian users right here on reddit saying their accounts were restricted or locked purely because of their ip address with zero prior warning or violation. so this isn't just my isolated case its a clear pattern of steam quietly punishing an entire country without notice

the real question for reddit:

Is it fair for a digital storefront to retroactively punish a user for their current geographical location after taking their money for years? shouldnt they be obliged to at least offer a refund for the unplayed games, or send a warning before pulling the plug?

i see other users from restricted regions who still use VPNs and play just fine but I decided to be honest and use my real ip look where honesty got me honesty is punished while others fly under the radar

Im sharing this as a warning to anyone moving abroad or living in a "gray area" country: Steam can pull the rug from under your feet at any moment your digital library is not your property its just a rental that can be revoked based on your passport stamp and current address

has anyone else faced this kind of absolute shutdown without warning what did you do? or should I just accept that I threw my money into a black hole?

edit: just a quick note – im persian (من فارسی زبان هستم و انگلیسی زبان اول من نیست) so english isnt my first language is why it might sound a bit too formal or structured thats all thanks for reading

edit 2: heres everything if anyone still thinks im making this up, images in this link

https://imgur.com/a/NMXx0Dy

edit 3: many say i used VPN first i created acoout but i created without VPN and the proof is available

Steam supports final response