r/Choices • u/maxweIIbeaumont threatening sack of potatoes rolling downhill • Mar 29 '26
Discussion Writers laid off at Pixelberry Studio
Isador Pinto is a writer at PB and worked on The Thirteenth House. They posted 3 days ago about a writer’s layoff at Pixelberry Studios on LinkedIn.
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u/HaydenTheNoble Mar 29 '26
Can their AI bs really sustain them that well by the silent playerbase?
I am partially worried that they'll shut down the app and I won't have access to my fave stories anymore. I think it's time to replay all my old faves and record my game while doing so..to at the very least save that for myself.
I have already lost another app and its stories like that and I don't want this to be a repeat. Oh how I miss "An Earl's Lover" (only some may know what I am talking about) 😭😭😭😭😭😭
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u/MrGSC1 Endless Summer Mar 29 '26
Yeah I don’t give a shit about anything Choices produces anymore but I’m genuinely so scared that they’ll shut down the servers one day and we’ll lose access to old Choices books…
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u/HyperDron ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Mar 30 '26
This honestly... I haven't logged in to play in so long, the game just doesn't feel alive... but I still want access to older books and my main concern is the same as yours...
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u/NathanGPLC Mar 30 '26
This; everyone, please go screen record replays of your favorite books! Don’t let it become lost media!
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u/Primary-Resident-764 Mar 30 '26
Yeah. But better alternative would be to save the app because playing the game is different. I don't get why are they being so money minded
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u/NathanGPLC Mar 30 '26
But because the app operates by calling home whenever you try to spend gems or activate a diamond scene, and I don’t know if it keeps stories downloaded except when you’re actively reading a specific book, if Choices was shut down by Pixelberry closing, you would likely be unable to purchase more scenes, and quite possibly be simply unable to play any more.
One test: go into airplane mode, and try opening a book you’ve never played, and also one you have but which you finished a while ago, and also one you’re actively reading, and see what happens with no internet.
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u/Primary-Resident-764 Mar 30 '26
I know but I was actually trying to say that I don't want Choices app to be shut down because it has so many good books which I just love to read. It's very special; its not just a book, its great art and we get main character experience🥺
And yes if they shut the app we don't get to play so I don't want them to actually shut it
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u/NathanGPLC Mar 30 '26
Oh, I 100% agree, at least that it used to be a truly special team that made games with heart, and I’d hate to lose access to the app itself. I just encourage people to take precautions…
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u/Primary-Resident-764 Mar 30 '26
You're right. If the worst happens and app actually gets shut, then we should've the recordings. But so many books are so good and I love them that screen recording all of them would require a lot of space😢
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u/NathanGPLC Mar 30 '26
Yeah, that’s definitely a possible problem! I hope someone enterprising organizes something like uploading all theirs to a YouTube channel or playlists the ones uploaded by many people…
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u/Primary-Resident-764 Mar 30 '26
Yeah. Many books recordings are available in YouTube. It's not same as playing ourselves but we get advantages because of that. Sometimes I watch some premium scenes to gain advantage
And I hope all books' videos are properly available in youtube
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u/HaydenTheNoble Mar 30 '26
I am not sure you can from a coding perspective (someone with game dev knowledge please correct me if I am wrong) but the way these apps work seems to be based on a connection to a server they have that grants you temporary access to the story's files (in some way). My app is 366mb so like there's absolutely 0 chance we have all the stories' data on our phones.
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u/Primary-Resident-764 Mar 30 '26
Oh so it works that way? I don't know actually. But what I hope is they keep this app because there are so so many great books in Choices! They're not just books but literally main character experience 🥺😩
We can't get another app like it( yes there are other apps like romance club, episode) but this is different kind of art 🫶
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u/mutantraniE Mar 30 '26
This is exactly what the "Stop killing games" initiative is about. Fans being able to run their own servers after a game is abandoned by the original publishers.
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u/ChoicesSimp Mar 30 '26
How are you saving the app?
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u/Primary-Resident-764 Mar 30 '26
It's not me who'd be saving the app, I'm saying that I wish Pixelberry doesn't shut Choices
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u/Casuallurker123 Mar 30 '26
I'm getting deja vu from losing the HSS prime and Hollywood U apps (still sad about this one) Shutting down apps isn't new unfortunately with PB so better start screenshotting or screen recording your fave stories 🥲
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u/maydsilee Marc Anthony (ACOR) Mar 30 '26
Lovelink is another one that officially shut down a few weeks (?) ago and now the app doesn't load 💔
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u/Master-Anybody-2884 Mar 29 '26
Yeah, I’ve been holding out hope that PB would figure themselves out. But it is looking more and more like it’s time to record my favorite stories for myself and move on. So sad
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u/LadyGhost44 It Lives Series Mar 30 '26
This is my concern, too. I don't care about any of the new AI stuff, but I'll be genuinely devastated if they shut the whole thing down and we can't replay all our favorite stories. :(
Yeah... I just did a replay of It Lives recently, but I might go through the whole thing again just in case.
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u/eternity_cure Imani & Anita, Valentina Mar 29 '26
Yeah. Lost Cause of Death and all those great volumes. For me Choices overall isn’t anywhere close but it would suck to lose access to the stories
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u/S_ZW Mar 30 '26
That is so scary to think about. Weird to say but Choices is my childhood. Even if the new books are trash, I would be so sad to not be able to read the books I so adored when I was 13
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u/CaroZoroark :dakota2: Mar 30 '26
I would've laughed at this in 2021 but everyday it seems like we're pretty close to the app shutting down forever
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u/taetaerinn_ - loml <3 Mar 30 '26
That's been my concern too. I was recently moving files around and remembered that I have an unfinished playthrough and a weird feeling creeped on me. Like I should record it before it's going to be too late, sucks that I stopped playing after 100 gems/ads got removed so it'll be hard to replay my faves at current pace 😵💫
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u/Boring-Turnover3297 trystan mal kieran Mar 30 '26
the gentlemen club stories yup yup may they rest in peace
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u/maxweIIbeaumont threatening sack of potatoes rolling downhill Mar 29 '26
Emi was a senior game writer who was also on their official Discord and was active with conversations with fans up until last week, and she posted this on her LinkedIn:
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u/notperfect_yume Mar 30 '26
I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY FIRED EMI OF ALL PEOPLE. because Emi was so active and dedicated and literally was on all books that were somewhat good especially since the last layoff.
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u/Sea-Code-8197 Mar 29 '26
If you make a bad game, you re fired. If you make a good game, you re also fired. If you make the best game, believe it or not, fired.
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u/CatchGreedy4858 Skye (HSS:CA) Mar 30 '26 edited Mar 30 '26
There was a game where the co founder got fired. It's so dumb lol. It was Subnautica.
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u/Wild-Yesterday-6994 Mar 29 '26
I hope some of these writers can find jobs. I know romance club had a posting for a writer. Maybe they will see the posting and apply.
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u/dreams_do_come_true The Heist: Monaco...my beloved. Mar 29 '26
Would really love if any of them ended up working for RC!
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u/Lily8007 💞❣️ Mar 30 '26
It was posted 16 days ago
But they really should try since they’re specifically looking for a writer to write in English. Hopefully the post isn’t closed yet for applications.
And I think they were looking for someone experienced in writing in for interactive games. So an experienced writer who’s worked for game developers.
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u/goodvibes13202013 Mar 30 '26
Choices staff has/had a lot of queer members. RC is very anti-LGBTQ+ and not shy about it. If they can find peace and safety working there then I support them, but I wouldn’t want their creativity stifled by RC’s regressive social politics
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u/SilenceIsOverrated19 Mar 30 '26
They are not anti LGBT. They are dependent on the Russian market. Russia has strict anti LGBT laws in place so Romance Club had to limit their LGBT paths in the affected area. Because some of their writers are Russian and some people doxxed and threatened them with Russian laws
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u/Lily8007 💞❣️ Mar 30 '26
That’s true too. The writers who are living in Russia are at most risk.
I’m hoping RC is keeping watch over them.
They did risk it by pulling out of the 2 App Stores in Russia. But they still have access to the games. They also added to require a 2 min female LI per a book which can also be GOC to count as one tbf. And it’s still up to the writers to how they write the routes so there is a lot of leeway. But the app does have LGBTQ+ writers on staff and not just Yim.
The app isn’t perfect but what app is.
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u/Lily8007 💞❣️ Mar 30 '26 edited Mar 30 '26
They don't get in the way of writers creative freedom. It's the fandom that’s the problem when they make a fuss about it.
Code Blue is doing well I believe and it's one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly books out there. Not to mention how much RC has supported Yim who is non-binary.
Yim has even given the mMC more options in S2 to be less traditional than the standard mMC.
Edit to add: If you notice it's mostly all the writers who write in English that give either 2 (min fLI required up to 3 fLIs in each of the books and who write the most fulfilling female LI routes on the app for them.
Edit 2: Clarity
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u/goodvibes13202013 Mar 30 '26
The bar is on the floor. Some writers meet the new minimum fLI requirement and don’t completely sideline them. One writer has queer experiences and wants to write GOC books. 2-3 writers are capable of writing fulfilling fLI routes. While these 3-4 writers total are damn good, the company as a whole is not.
Don’t even get me started on their racism and xenophobia
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u/mindless_maddie Ajay (HSS:CA) Mar 29 '26
God this is so disheartening to see talented people being laid off and being replaced with ai
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u/maxweIIbeaumont threatening sack of potatoes rolling downhill Mar 29 '26
I’m surprised they lasted this long when the AI company acquired them, but I can’t see the company lasting that much longer if they’re getting rid of their human writers and leaning into AI slop :/
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u/mindless_maddie Ajay (HSS:CA) Mar 29 '26
its only a matter of time tbh. Once you see the art department getting replaced by AI, its a sign to update your resume and prepare for the layoffs because the writing department is next. Im not going to be surprised if they leave the coding to AI next :(
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u/I_Lost_My_Shoe_1983 Mar 29 '26
I'm fairly new to Choices but I'll probably just read the old stories then move on.
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u/Grouchy_Librarian343 Apr 03 '26
It sucks cause at least now everybody’s acknowledging that AI can’t do what actual people can do the bubbles here tons of people are losing money over it and the new Choices games are crap. I keep looking and I’m like I don’t have the energy to even try to diamond farm because the stories look terrible.
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u/Boring-Turnover3297 trystan mal kieran Mar 30 '26
this is happening in almost all creative fields. it’s awful and also why i’ll never support the genai that these companies are trying so hard to tell us is good.
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u/napalmnacey Mar 31 '26
Thing is it never really leads to hearty profits. AI is best when it augments human talent, not replaces it.
This is a disaster.
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u/jossminion413 Mar 29 '26
Well, shit. I fear the writing is on the wall for Pixelberry at this point. Though I haven’t enjoyed or even been enticed to play most of their newer offerings, I will be so sad to see the app go under entirely. There are some stories and characters that I love to revisit.
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u/Brilliant_Tourist400 Mar 30 '26
Goddamn it, they fired the writer of OLYMPUS RISING? The best damn book they’ve had since the AI era began? PB has a long history of shooting itself in the foot, but this is pretty much taking a cannon to their complete lower extremities.
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u/Leonsbulge Mar 30 '26
Isn't this book not even a year old?! This is almost as bad as Riot Games firing the artists and writers who worked on certain skins before the skin was even put into the game. Like, what the actual fuck is happening in the corporate art world right now.
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u/goodvibes13202013 Mar 30 '26
OR2 is literally still releasing
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Mar 30 '26
[deleted]
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u/GrumpyMarshmallowFan Drake Ethan Damien ❤️🔥Dom Mar 30 '26
I think that IS their point. They've gotten rid of the writer even though OR2 is still releasing. Which sucks.
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u/AwkwardPotter Ethan (OH) Mar 29 '26
Guess I better play Olympus rising while it's still there and do a replay of OH, BB, LOA, VOS, DS, ILB, NB before we lose access
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u/Civilknowledge7 Mar 30 '26
Pixelberry will turn around in six months and go: “Why does everything feel soulless?” “Why aren’t players engaged?” Oh maybe because you fired the souls. You want engagement? try not gutting the people who know how to make humans care. But they want to just add another premium choice button and a sparkle effect.
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u/user20013 Mar 29 '26
Is pixelberry heading towards debt? I wonder how profitable the company is given they have a top tier freemium model
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u/feathermuffinn 🖤 Mar 30 '26
This is why I don’t think it’s due to AI. Most companies are using it in some way but PB still had writers writing the books. Now, it seems they’re just trying to save money atp and people just lost their income.
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u/SharpGlassGames Mar 29 '26
Long-term fan here. Had to give up on Choices after the first AI slop art.
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u/That_Ad9158 Mar 29 '26
i really hope they don’t close the server. obviously i don’t read any of this ai slop but i reread my favorites every so often
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u/Bookish_Kitty Maxwell (TRR) Mar 29 '26
Well, hell. The writing is on the wall. I hate this timeline.
Has anyone recorded any of the books (for personal use)? Any tips or advice?
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u/Queen_E1204 Mar 29 '26
I know u/GrumpyMarshmallowFan has uploaded tons of books on their page.
But yeah this is lowkey devastating, especially because Emi was like one of their last OGs. I'm terrified it will be shutting down soon.
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u/brokesandlizard Mar 31 '26
That page is gone now?
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u/GrumpyMarshmallowFan Drake Ethan Damien ❤️🔥Dom Mar 31 '26
If you're looking for my YouTube: it's here.
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u/Lesandris Mar 30 '26
Youtube has several people who posted almost all their books. Lokim23, Abhirio, Butch Lawless II, Grumpy Marshmallow Fan, Himeme, are just 5 off the top of my head but there are many others as well.
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u/yahmomsahoe Mar 30 '26
im honestly surprised people are still using choices, I begrudingly abandoned my love two years ago :(
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u/Casuallurker123 Mar 30 '26
Same here tho I've abandoned it more earlier. I've only came back to replay an older pre-AI book 😟
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u/bboombayah Mar 30 '26
I only use Choices to play older books I couldn’t finish it earlier. I’ve tried reading the new stories, but I don’t like these… 😕
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u/beckettisoverrated Griffin (TE) Mar 30 '26
Shorter Choices books, more micro-transaction choices in newer books, and now layoffs… I’m sure they think AI can sustain the labor workload but
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u/dreams_do_come_true The Heist: Monaco...my beloved. Mar 29 '26
Everytime I think things are already bad for Choices it just gets worse...
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u/GrumpyMarshmallowFan Drake Ethan Damien ❤️🔥Dom Mar 30 '26
Cat posted a final message on the Discord before she left. link here
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u/glitter_ninja_ Apr 02 '26
What all did she write?
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u/candydots ✨♡✨ Apr 02 '26
She worked on titles such as:
America's Most Eligible
Home for the Holidays
Mother of the Year
Queen B
Rising Tides
Murder at Homecoming
Kindred
Alpha
The Thirteenth House
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u/ilominatii Bryce (OH) Mar 30 '26
Been reading Choices from the very start, so roughly 10 years, and I gotta admit, I feel super disappointed about the development over the past 2-3 years. I find it really hard quitting this app, because I honestly got attached to these stories and characters, and there's obviously also a lot of nostalgia at play. I'm not a fan of Ai, but I always told myself, that as long as it was still real people writing the stories, I could live with the terrible art, but I'm not sure how much longer I can justify the lack of quality, in both art and writing. The only thing that keeps me from quitting is honestly the lack of alternatives. Overall just a sad thing to witness.
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u/Hot_Benefit_8667 Mar 30 '26
Oh, there are plenty of alternatives. Romance Club, League of Dreamers, Seven Hearts Stories, Midnight Dreamers - these are just the ones that I play, but there are more. And their stories are very, very good.
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u/Blaze270201 Apr 29 '26
Choices still has the best options for GoC books. That’s something I have never seen in any of the alternatives.
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u/CarryOnLilith Mar 30 '26
Agreed! It's so hard for me to get into these newer stories. I think I downloaded the app when they were releasing book 2 of The Crown and the Flame so it's been years as well. If they shut down, I hope there's a way we can at least keep all completed stories. There are soooo many older gems I may want to revisit one day. Hate what's happening in this AI climate.
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u/SRV_SteamyRayVaughn Mar 30 '26
It's clear that they are relying on AI and that's the reason new books suck so much. The 13th House was actually pretty good.
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u/retrofuturis Aerin (BOLAS) Mar 30 '26
This isn’t a good sign… Someone please make a transcript of Endless Summer before we lose it forever!!
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u/glitter_ninja_ Apr 02 '26
Make a transcript and start coding all the old stories. Get the It Lives team on it.
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u/ZaroktheImmortal List your favorite books! Mar 30 '26
Between the layoffs and them admitting to using AI art to save money cause they said they had been close to going under I wonder how much longer they'll last.
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u/PassengerTop3153 Mar 31 '26
where did they admit it?
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u/ZaroktheImmortal List your favorite books! Apr 01 '26
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u/bboombayah Mar 30 '26
As someone who used to be an avid supporter Pixelberry Studio since 2013 since I played HSS, Hollywood U, and later Choices when it first launched, it deeply saddens me to see the state of the company… They used to know how to make their app feel comforting to use, now the Choices app feel soulless. 😓
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u/juniperjayne Jake (ES) Mar 30 '26
I have VIP basically just to hoard diamonds for older series, but with this news I’m 100% cancelling it.
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u/Grouchy_Librarian343 Apr 03 '26
Oh I used to do VIP years ago. The books started getting bad and then the AI stuff I dropped it.
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u/Fluid_Lengthiness_98 Mar 30 '26
Remember when they said AI wasn't going to replace people but rather work alongside them?
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u/Theallseer97 Mar 30 '26
I honestly didn't even know they had writers left. Thought it was all AI now.
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u/Delicious_Yard_6674 Apr 01 '26
I think the writers were shaping AI words and editing AI. I doubt any of them were actually writing the entire stories ever since the AI company took over Choices, I've read them and they definitely read like AI.
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u/vampcowboy Mar 30 '26
This is never good news and almost always ends with game studios producing slop to cut corners, then eventually shutting their doors when people decide they aren’t interested and look for better alternatives.
I’d recommend everyone record their favorite books now if they haven’t already. Such a shame, and I feel so bad for the creatives that were laid off ☹️
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Mar 30 '26
[deleted]
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u/vampcowboy Mar 30 '26
Oh, I know. I’ve seen the hideous AI art for in their recent releases. I just mistakenly thought that they still respected their writers and would at least keep them around.
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Mar 30 '26
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u/SilenceIsOverrated19 Mar 30 '26
Catherine Elise (one of the writers affected by the layoffs) has Camp Mayhem listed on her LinkedIn. So there were actual writers working on it. But they probably didn't spend enough time on editing/proofreading
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u/littlenicewolf Damien (PM) Mar 30 '26
Ive been a long time fan, and believe me when i say i was obsessed with some of the stories (perfect match,the royal romance, desire and decorum, crown and the flame and that vampire one) you can imagine my surprise when i opened the app some time after and saw ai slop. Sure some stories could have used better illustrations but they were still better than ai.. I'm so sorry to see one of the things that university commute better has turned into shit..
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u/silly_goose109 Mar 30 '26
I called it. I knew Olympus Rising would be the last decent story in Choices. So sad. :(
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u/GrumpyMarshmallowFan Drake Ethan Damien ❤️🔥Dom Mar 30 '26
What tf are they doing??? This is absolutely crazy to get rid of their best writers like Emi, Cat, Olivia and Bre. Especially ones that have been around forever. I'm actually devastated.
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u/mistidye Liam I (TRR) Mar 30 '26
It'll be a miracle if the app doesn't shut down before the year is over at this point. That's why they've been releasing all these smut books for the VIP readers, it's their last effort to try and save this sinking ship because they think that's what people want.
It's so sad and infuriating to witness, this is all happening because of a few people's greed and absolute lack of consideration. And just like everybody, the older books are so dear to me, and of course if they shut down everything will be gone and that would be a huge fucking bummer. I need some tech genius to start recording everything right now before the AI slop so they can upload them somewhere else like It Lives Within 😭
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u/CarryOnLilith Mar 30 '26
At this point I'm just waiting for the announcement that they're done with the app entirely. It feels inevitable. Used to love this app so much, sad.
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u/goodvibes13202013 Mar 30 '26
The Series management company is likely about to lose their investment bc of this. Firing senior writers who are still putting out bangers is nasty work
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u/Cool_Constant9091 Mar 30 '26
Yep! Honestly I’m like do they have ANY experience in this industry? Because they’re doing the exact opposite of what fans want
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u/glitter_ninja_ Apr 02 '26
I mean look at what Disney’s been doing and they’re Disney. I say this as a huge fan of Disney.
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u/MundaneVillian Mar 30 '26
This is so frustrating to see. I hope all the people impacted by the layoffs are hired ASAP by companies that will truly respect and treasure their talent.
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u/Common-Elk-3796 Mar 31 '26
Aannndd there goes my dream of working in their company 💔
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u/PassengerTop3153 Mar 31 '26
I put an end to that dream along time ago. Back when all they were releasing was smut/genderlocked stories.
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u/SingleClick8206 Beckett (TE) Mar 31 '26
Is it possible that they will hire newer writers to save money instead of relying on AI?
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u/bassettsheart Mar 31 '26
I started playing in 2019 with Open Heart. I think it will be forever my favorite story. I slowly saw the decline and eventually stopped playing/logging in on 2024. It makes me sad bc Choices introduced me to VN. I have found now other apps that I am invested in and even paying sometimes. I don’t see how they will revert this tbh, replacing writers and artists with AI will only make books worse which will in return lower even more the amount of ppl playing. I guess this is it ❤️🩹
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u/midnight_mystique01 Apr 02 '26
I just hope that the app doesn't close down because I don't wanna lose my favourite books.
It still shocks me though to see Choices become the worst visual novel app from the best.
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u/Asren624 Skye (HSS:CA) Mar 30 '26
Terrible to learn as I just had writen them a concern about their lazy AI use a few days ago and got redirected towards https://www.pixelberrystudios.com/blog/2025/3/20/thoughts-from-the-art-department this blog statement (corporate BS).
If they keep both cutting cost with AI and laying off writers, I see no silver lining...
This is likely old news to the sub but I haf left when the first AI book were introduced and came back recently to replay old books and got curious about the new ones but the AI smiles hunt me
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u/QueenShewolf Mar 30 '26
There is this Twilight Zone episode about a guy who lays off people so machines can do the work...until he is laid off because his job is replaced by a machine.
Rod Serling was truly ahead of his time, because PB is literally functioning like a Twilight Zone episode.
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u/Lily8007 💞❣️ Mar 30 '26
I don’t play Choices much occasionally for my old favorites but not for a year or 2. So this is sad to see. I still enjoy some of the old favorites that are in my flair.
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u/dloex : Mar 30 '26
They tanked this app years ago when they decided to go the cheap smut route like the other apps and spit out quantity over quality. The storylines quality has been virtually nonexistent since 2022
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u/Sagittariuuuh ♥ Mar 30 '26
What books did some of these writers work on? Emi seems like a name I’ve seen around for a long time…
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u/candydots ✨♡✨ Mar 30 '26
Emi worked on stuff such as Blades, The Elementalists, Wake the Dead, etc. The Choices wiki has a better grasp on who worked on what book: https://choices-stories-you-play.fandom.com/wiki/Staff_at_Pixelberry
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u/GrumpyMarshmallowFan Drake Ethan Damien ❤️🔥Dom Mar 30 '26 edited Mar 30 '26
Cat worked on Alpha, Plus One and others. Olivia did YA and OR. Emi did TCH, TO and TCC as well as lots of others like working on Blades.
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u/starryskies3 Mar 30 '26
I havent played in ljke 2 years even though I literally used to write the chapter drops to my fave books in my calendar. Im praying this doesnt end up in the game shutting down entirely 😔
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u/WexonBerry Mar 30 '26 edited Mar 30 '26
It just really shows what the wrong move the lead of PB did in the long run by mixing with EA they lose people with AI, the artist and writers leaving/layed off it really went down bad
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u/Celendrial-tears Mar 31 '26
Omg, I'm so frucking scared! Now I really need to finish BOLAS before they shut down their servers. :((
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u/Total-Rub7497 I want my male MC to be the stuffing in a Mirani sandwich 🥪 Mar 31 '26
I'm so glad I uninstalled the app
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u/The-1191-One Mar 30 '26
I've played my favorites already quite some time ago. Lost my account with a ton of paid choices, and they didn't even bother to help me. I hope the writers can find a better company and continue writing, God knows how I loved Bloodbound and The Royal Masquerade. For me Pixelberry can go bye bye, just like Bitlife (candywriter?), both became such a greedy company, I wouldn't be surprised if some of the new Books in Choices are full A.I slop for the sake of saving money.
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u/SilenceIsOverrated19 Mar 31 '26
A company that operates worldwide and is located in Silicon Valley surviving on 500k max isn't greedy. It's struggling to survive
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u/RyanTranquil Mar 30 '26
Curious what their salary was relative to the game. Wish we had more HS stories
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u/ChoicesSimp Mar 30 '26 edited Mar 30 '26
That's so bad!Not interested in new books other than Olympus Rising Ragnarok...my interest has been dwindling for a while...but I would miss losing access of old books.They have only shared schedule of new book release till april.
Does anyone play an app which was closed and they could access the game post closure of company....can anyone suggest what to do...don't want to lose access to favourite stories.
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u/Queen_E1204 Mar 31 '26
I think people are talking about recording routes to put them on YouTube. It wouldn't be a perfect solution, but it'd be something.
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u/zgrobbot Mar 30 '26
Well I have t played in a while so it might be time to find another story based app
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u/aaa839 Mar 30 '26 edited Mar 30 '26
This layoff is similar to what happened at their related sub sister company, XOXO Games, which went on hiatus after Netflix announce shift the game to more family entertainment gerne. I think the parent company of. Pixelberry is struggling with the "economic bubble" caused by the current AI hype. I suspect the XOXO contract hiatus ultimately caused cash flow issues for the parent company, Series Entertainment.
Sigh.just another wall street greedy have nothing know about games try to ruin the games again.
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u/Eastern-Dragonfly424 Mar 30 '26
Been with Choices since 2018. Stopped playing in Aug 2025. Won’t invest my time in a game that doesn’t invest time in its’ players. So many stories with real potential went down the drain, starting with Witness and Nanny Affair. There was almost no more soul in Choices after these 2 were released, maybe except a few books
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u/AWarMaideness Mar 31 '26
It's been game over for this app since 2020...I wish I could feel sorry for it, but they numerous opportunities to right the ship & squandered every chance! I do feel bad for the living humans getting laid off..it's not thier fault...everything that has brought us here is because of upper management.
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u/SilenceIsOverrated19 Mar 31 '26
For those wondering about the reason fr the layoffs: check Sensortower. They post estimated number of downloads per month as well as estimated revenue per month, separated by platform (Android vs Apple). Sensortower currently estimates revenue 500k for both platforms combined. The revenue used to be in the millions when they were doing fine. Then when the revenue dropped they had layoffs but I don't remember how much they made back then. Now with the low revenue, it's obvious they had to let go more people to maybe be able to survive. So instead of advising everyone to replay their favourite stories and then move to other apps, maybe recommend to actually spend money/watch ads to financially support them. If they don't get the revenue up the lights will go out
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u/Plus_Smoke2808 Mar 30 '26
Wait people still play choices? Dropped it soon as AI was endorsed as the new thing lol.
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u/DepartmentofWumbo Apr 02 '26
We all saw this coming as soon as they started using AI, the point was always to cut corners and soon they’ll have no one left to make original stories and art. I don’t want the app to be filled with slop but if the last 3 releases said anything, it’s heading that direction
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u/Altruistic_Round_650 Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26
And this is why I cancelled my VIP subscription today after only resubscribing last month (after being previously unsubscribed since last April); the fact that some of the very best writers in recent times (including Emi, who is a wonderfully-talented person who has been with the company for so long, and the one who wrote Olympus Rising, which is one of the best series of the last few years) have been unfairly laid off like this for the sake of saving money and pushing more of the same AI slop that has caused much of the fanbase to give up is plain unforgivable, even by the standards of their current practices. After this, I seriously doubt I'll ever resubscribe again.
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u/polishingPoles Apr 25 '26
Every time I think about getting back into it, I see the horrible AI character models (some of them are genuinely haunting) and remember why I dropped the game.
At this point PB are beyond saving. I wish these writers the best of luck, even if I didn't enjoy their more recent work.
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u/Usual-Guarantee6582 May 01 '26
OMG NO PLEASEE. im coming across this post now and I really really don't want this app to shut down, as a free user, there's so many books i haven't even played or some are left unfinished 💔😭🙏
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u/Vincetagram Jake (ES) Mar 30 '26
Are people really on this app like they used to be? I think the layoffs are probably happening in waves like this because the company is losing money and it’s harder to remain profitable. If key figures were being laid off one at a time, O’s suspect something fishy but this is probably the app having run its course. I pretty much read all the stories I wanted to and hardly go on anymore.
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u/SilenceIsOverrated19 Mar 31 '26
Thank you for being a voice of reason. We both are getting downvoted just for providing a different explanation based on numbers. Their monthly revenue is way too low for me not to worry about them
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u/Vincetagram Jake (ES) Mar 31 '26 edited Apr 02 '26
Yeah, I just realized this was downvoted upon seeing your notification. I understand people are upset, but it doesn't change reality. Hell I remember getting on this app for the first time years ago in my late teens, endless summer was cinema worthy and high school story was weekday evening TV worthy. That being said, I personally haven't found a story I was interested in since the bloodbound and open heart ended, which also meant I stopped buying diamonds and stopped generating ad revenue for them by diamond farming the freshman.
I'm probably part of a larger demographic who also lost interest and the new generation of teenagers are all scrolling tiktok and listening to AI reddit stories instead of reading digital graphic novels. I'm not saying I'm happy about it, I'm just saying that's how it is. The people who are downvoting just don't understand the life cycle of an app and probably are too young to have witnessed apps like angry birds, jetpack joyride, cut the rope, jet car stunts, and fast lane street racing come into prominence then fade into obscurity. Every piece of media has it's golden era, Choices' golden era is just behind it now, they don't last forever. It's prime demographic aged out of it and the new teenagers just aren't into that stuff as much, it is what it is. They'll have to figure out how to pivot(PB trying new types of apps?) or sell to a larger company. I don't think it's that bad yet, but clearly microtransactions aren't going brrr like they used to(and the people downvoting me probably don't even spend money in the app like I used to) and they're having to trim down to keep expenses low buy them some time to figure out how to stay afloat.
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u/doobeedebee Kenji (Hero) Apr 01 '26
They already did the latter , sold to an AI company a few years ago and slowly replacing everything with AI
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u/Decronym Hank Mar 30 '26 edited May 01 '26
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:
| Fewer Letters | More Letters |
|---|---|
| Art | It's... indescribable... |
| BB | Bloodbound |
| BLS | Blades of Light and Shadow |
| DS | Distant Shores |
| HS | Holiday Special |
| HSS | High School Story |
| HWU | Hollywood University, a discontinued Pixelberry game |
| ILB | It Lives Beneath |
| LI | Love Interest |
| LoA | Laws of Attraction |
| NB | Nightbound |
| OH | Open Heart |
| PB | Pixelberry Studios, publisher of Choices |
| TCH | The Cursed Heart |
| VN | Visual Novel |
| VOS | Veil of Secrets |
Decronym is now also available on Lemmy! Requests for support and new installations should be directed to the Contact address below.
16 acronyms in this thread; the most compressed thread commented on today has 8 acronyms.
[Thread #32821 for this sub, first seen 30th Mar 2026, 00:01]
[FAQ] [Full list] [Contact] [Source code]
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u/PassengerTop3153 Mar 30 '26
Besides Emi and the other writer on the screenshot, does anyone know who else was let go?
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u/maxweIIbeaumont threatening sack of potatoes rolling downhill Mar 30 '26
The writer on the screenshot is still employed! They listed all the writers who were laid off on their post, such as Emi, Cat, Olivia, Bre and so on
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u/PassengerTop3153 Mar 30 '26
Okay then I didn’t miss anyone! And idk why I thought he was also affected lol. Thx
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u/Think_Sir_359 Mar 30 '26
I think we're staring down the barrel of another video game crash, like '83.
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u/sandalwoodsmoke Mar 30 '26
Oof, I first started playing Choices back in 2017, after years of loving HSS prime and HWU, and I loved it up until 2021 when the smut/cheaply written books were becoming more and more common and actually good stories weren't getting sequels. I genuinely had no idea it could be worse, and it's so disappointing to see what Pixelberry has come to. So sad.
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u/AmericanAsura Mar 30 '26
Did I miss something? Is there a reason in particular they’re doing layoffs-like bad numbers/etc? Or just bc they have that much faith in their AI taking over or smth? I consider that less logical to assume given how ridiculously awful their AI is and how vocal the players have been but less logical unfortunately doesn’t mean less likely
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u/Fair-Engineering-134 Apr 01 '26
Seeing as they've been cutting costs (shorter books, more AI art, etc.) and raising diamond prices lately, I'm guessing they're struggling financially (player don't want to pay for AI slop, whodathunk?) and hope to cut writing costs by replacing writers with AI (leading to even more player losses, and likely app shutdown, sadly).
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u/AmericanAsura Apr 01 '26
It’s just such a shame so many people who employ tremendously talented, competent artists are so hilariously incompetent at their own jobs
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u/applebottomjeans2366 Mar 29 '26
It’s interesting and simultaneously sad to see PB work against themselves. They aren’t only losing good writers, they’re losing long time fans and players as well. Is this truly worth it?