App Updates, Project Timelines, & Tariff Impact

Forteller Company Update

Tariff Impacts, Project Delays, and App Enhancements

At Forteller, transparency and open communication with our customers is one of our highest priorities. Today, we’re sharing some important updates regarding our current projects, including the status of our tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG), SUNSET, the overall impact of ongoing tariff challenges, and some exciting developments for our app users.

SUNSET and Tariff Impacts

As many of you know, SUNSET has been a passion project for our team and something we've actively promoted and developed with great enthusiasm. However, due to unforeseen and escalating tariff challenges combined with the creator's decision not to continue collaborating with Forteller, we will no longer be developing SUNSET. We deeply respect the creator’s wishes and are actively working towards an amicable solution to ensure that both he and SUNSET can thrive independently moving forward.

These tariffs have created significant uncertainty and have adversely affected revenue streams, both for us and our partners, who are facing similar struggles with importing products. Despite these challenges, our goal remains focused on supporting creativity and community.

Product Release Delays

Several of Forteller partner's products slated for release this year have faced delays due to these tariff-related impacts, creating congestion in our release pipeline. Delays in the crowdfunding and creative industry are not uncommon—developing and delivering innovative board games often involves navigating unexpected challenges. However, when these delays intersect with significant economic hurdles like tariffs, the complexity intensifies.

We understand the frustration this causes our community, and we’re actively working to mitigate these delays. Forteller is prioritizing our flagship Narrative Companions, ensuring these beloved products reach you as soon as possible, and helping to stabilize our overall production schedule.

Exciting App Updates & New Features

In the meantime, our app development team has been busy crafting significant improvements in direct response to customer feedback. One of our most requested features—a true offline mode—is now closer than ever to reality. Just this past week, our team successfully completed a working prototype enabling users to pre-install narrative content and enjoy their favorite games without internet access. Whether you're traveling, camping, or simply somewhere with limited connectivity, you’ll soon be able to enjoy uninterrupted storytelling wherever you are.

This offline support is a significant milestone, but it's just the beginning. Additionally, background music integration is currently being planned, and we already have a handful of genre-specific music packs in development. Our aim is to bring this immersive feature to the beta app alongside offline support.

Exciting Collaborations & Upcoming Events

We’re thrilled to hint at a major collaboration with a well-known digital games' publisher, aiming to bring an immersive, audio-narration experience to one of the most anticipated digital adaptations in tabletop gaming. We can't share specifics just yet but stay tuned for an official announcement soon!

Additionally, for those attending Origins Game Fair in Columbus, we have something special planned. Forteller will be unveiling a brand-new game—a unique mashup of board game, saloon-style poker, and immersive storytelling. Make sure to stop by and experience this exciting new concept firsthand!

Supporting the Community

We also want to emphasize the importance of supporting your favorite board game companies during this challenging period. The tariffs have severely impacted the industry, causing real and significant harm: people are losing their jobs, healthcare, and even businesses they've invested everything into are closing their doors.

Forteller has also felt the direct effects of these tariffs, with our American employees experiencing tangible and significant challenges as a result. We encourage everyone to support your favorite creators, whether it's through merchandise, swag, or finally grabbing that product you've been eyeing.

If you are feeling the financial hardship like many others, you can freely help your favorite creators (us included!) by engaging across social media platforms, liking, sharing, reposting, and helping expand the limited reach of small businesses.

Additionally, one of the most powerful ways you can help—and it's entirely free—is to contact your congressperson. Let them know your disapproval of these tariffs and the real impacts they’re causing. You can find your congress representative here.

Looking Forward

While these challenges have presented obstacles, they’ve also given us an opportunity to reassess our priorities and renew our commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction. We thank you deeply for your patience, understanding, and ongoing support.

Stay tuned for further updates, and as always, we invite your feedback and ideas. Together, we'll continue creating immersive storytelling experiences worth sharing.

— Thomas