Hey everyone, this is Mark Rhealy with an update for Beyond the Dark Productions in 2025. Right now it's hard to believe, but we're actually 12 seasons into the strata and four seasons into the road of shadows. It's the culmination of literally years of work. Of course, none of this would have been possible without your support and engagement along the way. I'm really grateful to you, the listeners, for sharing this journey with me.

So let's start with the news you're probably most interested in. Season 13 of the strata will be

releasing around November 2025 and the Rotar Shadow's season 5 will be available in early

26. Most of you will probably notice that there have been longer gaps between seasons of late.

Rest assured that it's not because I'm working less on these projects. I'm still devoting time to the studio every

single day, seven days a week, as I have done for the last six years. The reason you're seeing

less output is due to the cost of producing these shows. As with most other cost or living expenses,

production costs for my shows have increased. However, revenue has not increased

in kind and as an independent audio drama studio, this has a flow-on effect on the production

schedule. This isn't just happening to me but to most others in the audio drama community as well,

so I'm not alone here. While the release schedules may fluctuate a little, one thing I can

promise you is that my passion and commitment are as strong as they've ever been.

I'd like to thank all my supporters and I appreciate it when you share my shows with your friends and write positive reviews online.

I would especially like to thank all my subscribers on Patreon and Apple who are just amazing.

Without your ongoing support, these productions would not be able to continue.

It would be awesome to see new subscribers join the online community on Patreon as I love engaging

directly with fans of the shows, hearing your predictions for where the story is going next

and all of your other feedback. That's patreon.com slash beyond the dark.

While some delays to the strata on the Road to Shadow's production schedule are necessary

due to costs, I still want to keep producing content for you all. To that end, I'm currently working on a slightly smaller, more budget-friendly project to help fill the gaps. Look for announcements about this new show coming soon. Lastly, I'd like to give a shout out to all the voice actors who have worked on my shows, more than 200 of them now, many of whom I can now call friends.

They are the lifeblood of these shows and are essential in bringing life to the characters

I have created.

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