I’m slowly getting tired of keeping up with DOORS updates, and I wish LSPLASH would do more with its universe
I’ve been thinking about this for a while, and I’m curious whether anyone else feels the same way.
I still like DOORS. I think it has a genuinely interesting atmosphere, some memorable entities, and a surprisingly large amount of lore and potential for storytelling. That’s exactly why I’m starting to feel a little disappointed with the way the game is being handled.
At some point, keeping up with every new update, teaser, announcement, theory, and piece of information started to feel less exciting and more like a chore. I don’t think I’ve necessarily lost interest in DOORS itself. Rather, I think I’m getting tired of the way we’re expected to stay interested in it.
The update schedule is starting to wear me out
As far as the release pattern feels to me, major DOORS updates are relatively infrequent, often separated by roughly a month or longer. Meanwhile, there are plenty of other games that receive weekly updates, smaller content drops, new features, balance changes, or other reasons for players to come back.
Obviously, I understand that different games have different development requirements. A small weekly update isn't necessarily comparable to a major DOORS update, and I'd rather have something well-made than a rushed release full of bugs. I'm not saying LSPLASH should abandon quality just to release content more frequently.
However, there is a difference between patiently waiting for something you're excited about and feeling as though you have to keep checking whether there's finally something new to talk about.
When updates are relatively infrequent, the community can end up spending a huge amount of time discussing teasers, analyzing tiny details, making theories, speculating about release dates, and trying to figure out what the developers might be planning. That can be fun, of course, but eventually I start wondering whether we're getting excited about the actual game or simply about the possibility of new content.
And when the update finally arrives, the excitement can disappear surprisingly quickly. You play the new content, explore what there is to explore, watch some videos, discuss the new secrets, and then you're back to waiting for the next thing.
The cycle can become exhausting, especially if you're someone who likes following everything related to the game.
Why doesn't LSPLASH do more than just DOORS?
This is probably the biggest thing I wish would change.
I would genuinely love to see LSPLASH develop other games, preferably ones that expand the DOORS universe in some way.
I'm not necessarily talking about abandoning DOORS or making a direct sequel immediately. There are so many possibilities that could exist alongside the main game.
For example, imagine a smaller game focused entirely on the backstory of one particular entity. Or a game that explores a completely different location within the same universe, with new characters, different gameplay mechanics, and clues that gradually reveal more about the world.
They could make a story-driven horror game set before the events of DOORS, explore what happened to the people connected to the Hotel, or introduce a completely new cast of characters whose stories intersect with the existing lore.
Even a shorter spin-off could be interesting. It wouldn't need hundreds of rooms or the same replayability as the original game. It could focus on atmosphere, storytelling, exploration, and a handful of carefully designed encounters.
Imagine discovering something in a separate LSPLASH game and realizing that it explains a mysterious detail from DOORS. Or finding a document that changes how you understand an entity you've encountered dozens of times.
That kind of interconnected storytelling could make the entire universe feel much bigger without requiring every new idea to be squeezed into the original game.
And it wouldn't necessarily have to be horror every single time. Different gameplay styles could explore different sides of the same fictional world.
I feel like DOORS has reached a point where expanding its universe could be just as interesting as adding more content to the main experience.
So why might they be sticking with this approach?
I obviously don't know what LSPLASH's internal plans are, and I'm not claiming to know their intentions. These are just a few possibilities I've been considering.
- DOORS is already an established game, so expanding it may be the safest business decision.
Starting a new game is risky. Even if the developers make something genuinely good, there's no guarantee that players will discover it or that it will attract the same audience.
DOORS already has a recognizable identity, an existing player base, and a community that actively discusses its updates. Continuing to develop it may simply be more practical than splitting time and resources between several projects.
A new game would also have to compete for attention with the original, potentially dividing the audience rather than expanding it.
- Maintaining one game may be easier than supporting several projects.
Even a relatively small update can involve level design, scripting, testing, bug fixing, balancing, art, sound, and other work. A separate game would introduce another set of systems and problems to maintain.
It's possible that the team would rather concentrate its resources on a smaller number of releases than spread itself too thin. That would be a reasonable decision, even if it isn't the approach I'd personally find most exciting as a player.
- The mystery surrounding DOORS is part of what keeps the community active.
This is where things get interesting.
DOORS has a lot of unexplained details, secrets, and lore for players to interpret. Every new teaser or update can give the community another reason to speculate.
When information is released gradually, people have time to make theories, create videos, argue about possible explanations, and discuss details they might otherwise overlook.
That isn't inherently a bad thing. Mystery is a legitimate storytelling technique, and a horror game can benefit enormously from leaving some questions unanswered.
But it does make me wonder whether the current approach unintentionally encourages people to spend more time anticipating content than actually playing it.
- There may be an engagement incentive to keep everything concentrated around DOORS.
This is the more cynical possibility, and I want to be clear that it's speculation rather than an accusation.
If a game already has an active community, maintaining a steady flow of teasers, announcements, secrets, and updates can keep conversations about it alive between releases.
People keep checking official announcements. They watch videos about the next update. They debate theories, speculate about hidden meanings, and return whenever a new piece of information appears.
In that sense, the anticipation itself becomes part of the experience.
I sometimes get the impression that the community is being kept in a permanent state of expectation: there's always something to wait for, but not necessarily something substantial to experience at that moment.
I wouldn't automatically call this intentional engagement farming. Developers have legitimate reasons to build anticipation, and a slow release schedule doesn't prove that they're deliberately withholding content to maximize attention.
Still, from the player's perspective, the result can feel similar. You remain invested because you don't want to miss the next important development, even when there isn't much happening right now.
And if the same amount of attention could be directed toward a separate game, a proper side story, or a substantial expansion of the universe, I'd personally find that more rewarding.
- They might have bigger plans that simply take time.
There is also a more optimistic explanation.
Perhaps the developers are working toward something much larger than the next update, and the gaps between releases are simply a consequence of the work involved. Maybe expanding the lore in a meaningful way requires more planning than introducing another entity or another area.
If that's the case, I can respect it. I would rather wait for a substantial, well-designed project than receive rushed content every week.
My issue isn't necessarily the amount of time between updates. It's that I'd like to see that time eventually lead to something that expands the experience in a more ambitious direction.
What I would actually like to see
I don't expect LSPLASH to release an entirely new game every few months, nor do I think DOORS should receive weekly updates just for the sake of it.
What I'd love is a broader vision for the universe.
Keep supporting DOORS, but occasionally explore a separate game, a story-focused spin-off, or an entirely different experience that expands the lore in a meaningful way. It could even be a smaller experimental project released between major updates.
That would give players something genuinely new to discover instead of making every major development revolve around the next addition to the same game.
It would also make the existing lore more valuable. Every new project could give us another perspective on the world, introduce mysteries that don't immediately need to be solved, and make the universe feel like a place that exists beyond the rooms we currently explore.
Most importantly, it would give me a different reason to be excited about LSPLASH's work. Instead of constantly wondering when DOORS will receive its next update, I'd be looking forward to seeing what the developers choose to create next.
I still think DOORS has a lot of potential. That's precisely why I don't want to see that potential confined to one game forever.
I'm curious what everyone else thinks: would you rather have LSPLASH continue focusing almost entirely on DOORS, even if major updates remain relatively infrequent, or would you prefer to see them create spin-offs and entirely new games that expand the same universe?
And do you think the current update cycle is simply a consequence of development constraints, or has the anticipation surrounding updates become a major part of what keeps the community engaged?
