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Earworm - Become a music legend in this rockin' party game!

Created by VStheUNIVERSE

Earworm is a party game for people who LOVE music! Earworm is suited for groups of all shapes and sizes and can be played anywhere! In everything that VStheUNIVERSE produces, a healthy amount of music is infused into its creation. We developed Earworm for the music-lover, the karaoke rockstars, the band geek, the shower singers,...We made this game for ANYONE who loves music. We know you'll love it too! Players have 30 seconds to vocalize a song to their team using any sound they can muster up with one rule: you can't use any lyrics!

Latest Updates from Our Project:

Production update - We've pulled the trigger on printing! Details inside!
about 5 years ago – Tue, Feb 26, 2019 at 09:00:30 PM

Want to see something rad?

Our test proof copy arrived!
Our test proof copy arrived!

We received our test proof copy from PrintNinja and are just elated with the results! The Earworm team spent time with the game and, after an evaluation process, have decided to go into full production! 

What does this mean for you? Well, you can expect to be playing Earworm in the Spring! We've set up our fulfillment portal with eFulfillment Service and they'll be ready to ship out your copy when it arrives in their warehouses.

Here is how the next few steps of *our* process goes:

  • We have approved the test proof copy, now PrintNinja will slot us into a production time with their printers in China.
  • Once we have confirmation that the games have been printed, they'll be loaded onto a cargo boat and be shipped from the factory in China to the warehouses in the US. 
  • The games will be checked in at the warehouses, then set up for delivery.
  • Fulfillment commences and you'll get your games in your mailbox!

NOTE: If you have chosen the "Local Pick-Up" option, don't fret! We're currently working out a few dates for local pick-up in Chicago.

If you haven't filled out your BackerKit survey, please do so! Unless you complete your BackerKit survey there is a chance that you will not receive your game without a delay. If you need to answer or change your survey before we lock it down and can't find the link, go to this page -- https://earworm.backerkit.com/ -- enter your email address and click "Get My Survey".

Here's some more shots of the game that we took to show off the box and cards: 

A shot of the interior, where cards, the timer, and rules are stored.
A shot of the interior, where cards, the timer, and rules are stored.
The back of the box!
The back of the box!
A collection of cards.
A collection of cards.
A close-up shot of the back of the cards.
A close-up shot of the back of the cards.

We hope you enjoy these pictures! The box looks great in-person and we're especially happy about the decision to go with the magnetized latch on the box as opposed to a simple two-piece box. We'll bring you more production updates as things progress.

~ The Earworm Team

Development updates + shipping news
about 5 years ago – Mon, Jan 21, 2019 at 07:35:38 PM

Hello Earybody!

Happy Monday! We hope your new year is off to a fine start. Want a song about the new year that not everyone knows? Try "This Will By My Year" by Semisonic. It's got a fine chorus, one might call it an Earworm!

Development Update

In our last update we mentioned that we had finished sending everything off to our printer, PrintNinja, and we were awaiting a proof of the final product. On January 3rd we were told that our proof was being printed and we'd receive it in two weeks. Unfortunately that didn't seem to be the case as PN encountered some issues that were were told about last week on the 15th.

For those who don't know, before we begin the mass production of the game we are supposed to be sent a final proof of the finished product for us to evaluate before we pull the trigger. This final proof will show us what the game will look like in real life as opposed to what our digital mock-ups show us. We're VERY excited to see this, and were getting hyped up in early Jan thinking it'd arrive by now.

The first issue was that the formatting we received from PN was unrecognized by their own system. This was an easy fix as we spoke with them and identified the issue on their end quickly. A few days later they encountered an issue with alignment of some cards and we took a look at that and fixed it. All of these issues were items that we were quick to respond to and ready to take on at a moment's notice.

One last issue reared its head where PN encountered an unknown error with our files. The error was labeled as "meets unknown image structure" and we were quite befuddled by this considering the templates and file specifications were given to us by PN at the start of this process. PN encouraged us to go back to square one and flatten all of our final files to fix the issue, but this would've required a HUGE amount of work. Luckily, after a few e-mails back and forth, the printer discovered the issue was actually on their end and they were able to fix it on the 18th. 

This morning we received another update from PrintNinja where they asked us to re-send some key files without the template dielines so they could get ahead of any imposition issues that may pop up. We've re-sent the requested files to PN and we're crossing our fingers that we're at the end of this process. If not, we'll update everyone in a later post.

Shipping Update

With the issues outlined above, it looks incredibly unlikely that we'll hit our projected February 2019 shipping estimate due to Chinese New Year looming ahead so closely. We are very unhappy about the delay, but we are doing everything we can to deliver the game as soon as possible. We are hesitant to give a specific shipping window at the moment considering the final proof has not arrived, but as soon as we have one we'll update everyone accordingly!

We've been in touch with our shopping partner, eFulfillment Service, and they're ready to receive our games and ship them out to you as soon as possible.

Theme Songs

Initially we were waiting to receive the final proof of the game to begin work on the theme songs for backers. As it stands now, we've begun pre-production on some of the songs. We're making some headway on lyrics, accompaniment, and are now organizing dates to get together to begin recording everything. 

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While not all of our updates can contain bright glowing happy news, we want to make sure we're being as transparent as possible with you on this journey. 

~ The Earworm team and VStheUNIVERSE

Do you hear that sound?
over 5 years ago – Wed, Dec 12, 2018 at 07:00:25 PM

It's the sound of VStheUNIVERSE locking down the art assets for the deck!

Hello Earybody!

Some fun news for today: We've locked down the art assets and exported the deck for the printers today!

Wow. That's a lot of cards.
Wow. That's a lot of cards.

FUN FACT: We had budgeted for 9 blank "Write-In" cards, but while making the deck and outlining the box design, we discovered that we could actually include a 10th blank "Write-In" card, so everyone will be receiving an extra "Write-In" card!

The Box!

The last thing we checked and proof'd this week is the game box!

NOTE: Printed at 90% to display playtest cards. Also it's a large GIF so let it load!
NOTE: Printed at 90% to display playtest cards. Also it's a large GIF so let it load!

The above GIF shows a very low-quality example of what the box will look like. We're very pleased with it, and cannot wait to see what it looks like with the magnetic lid and all the nice bells and whistles that go along with it!

And with that, we've paid our printers and we're off to the races!

BackerKit - LAST CALL!

Just a friendly reminder: the BackerKit surveys must be completed by December 15th. We will be charging credit cards on the 15th.

Can't find your survey? Head to https://earworm.backerkit.com/ then enter your email address and click "Get My Survey".

Have a great wednesday!

~ VStheUNIVERSE

New Characters! Progress Update!
over 5 years ago – Wed, Nov 07, 2018 at 10:30:23 PM

Hello there Earybody!

Gosh, it's been more than two months since our last update! Sorry for the radio silence, that's our fault, but we've been hard at work demoing the game and ironing out some kinks with the wording on the rules. Read on for specific updates!

NEW CHARACTERS!

We've got the finished looks for all of our new characters! See below:

The full roster of Earworm characters.
The full roster of Earworm characters.

We couldn't be more pleased with the look and feel of all of our new Earworm characters. We've got a little something for everyone now!

Here's the full-size images for the new characters: (NOTE: placeholder text is on each new character card)

Indie Superstar
Indie Superstar
Soul Rocker
Soul Rocker
Ballad Singer
Ballad Singer
Bearded Folk Singer
Bearded Folk Singer
Teeny Bopper
Teeny Bopper
Disc Jockey
Disc Jockey
Glam Rocker
Glam Rocker
Rock Keyboardist
Rock Keyboardist
Bass Rocker
Bass Rocker
80's Rocker
80's Rocker

So, what is next?

We're currently in the last stages of pre-production. It's the home stretch! We have the rules sorted, the card layouts ready to go, and the card list locked up! The last step is getting the box design from our artist Zach and then we'll be able to send in our digital proofs to the printers. We had a delay in our timeline because our a few life events (weddings, cross-country moves, etc) but we're back in the saddle now and shoveling coal into this train going full-steam ahead!

We are still slated to deliver the games on time in February, and we're working as hard as we can to see if we can't get it into your hands a little sooner. 

BackerKit!

Have you completed your BackerKit survey yet? We are locking down the surveys in BackerKit at midnight CDT on Saturday, December 15th. We will send out another update before we lock down BackerKit surveys, but consider this your first warning!

Can't find your survey? Head to https://earworm.backerkit.com/ then enter your email address and click "Get My Survey".

I need to change my address! From this point forward, you need to update your address in BackerKit with any changes. You can continue to update your address up until we lock them down on 12/15. If you need to change your address after 12/15 then we will work with you to do so.

What if my address changes after lockdown? You can continue to change your address up until shortly before we are ready to ship.

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It will NOT be another two months before you get another update, that's for sure. We're gearing up to start creating the theme songs after the Holidays. We hope you have a happy Wednesday and are keeping warm while things get chilly!

~ The Earworm Team

Expansion Pack Voting Results!
over 5 years ago – Tue, Aug 14, 2018 at 12:01:34 AM

Happy Monday Earybody!

You voted for the songs to be included in the expansion pack, and we're happy to show you the results! See below:

  • Carry On My Wayward Son - Kansas 
  • Safety Dance - Men Without Hats 
  • Welcome To The Jungle - Guns N' Roses 
  • Jolene - Dolly Parton 
  • Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin 
  • Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes 
  • Buddy Holly - Weezer 
  • Birdhouse In Your Soul - They Might Be Giants 
  • Down Under - Men At Work 
  • Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana 
  • Holdin' Out For A Hero - Bonnie Tyler 
  • Hey Jude - The Beatles 
  • Paint It Black - The Rolling Stones 
  • Flagpole Sitta - Harvey Danger 
  • Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden 
  • Don't Speak - No Doubt 
  • Free Fallin' - Tom Petty 
  • Any Way You Want It - Journey 
  • Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles 
  • Highway to Hell - AC/DC 
  • Burning Down the House - Talking Heads 
  • Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz 
  • Mr. Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra 
  • Roxanne - The Police 
  • Rolling In The Deep - Adele 
  • The Middle - Jimmy Eat World 
  • I'm Too Sexy - Right Said Fred 
  • One Way Or Another - Blondie

This is a *killer list* and we're thrilled that you all have such great taste! These 27 songs will be included in the game along with 9 write-in cards. Kansas was FAR AND AWAY the lead song for votes, meanwhile Blondie just edged out The Beach Boys for the last slot. 

We will be locking down the BackerKit on Sept. 15th. That's when we'll be charging cards and finalizing our numbers.

Have a great week!

~ VStheUNIVERSE