from the onset of development, I have looked at the processes followed by other companies and had even, in the past, actively participated and quite enjoyed them all! However, one thing struck me, and that was how relatively simple the equation seemed to be. Perhaps I may be a minority, yet I recognize the lucrative nature of the Secondary market. While we won't participate in or influence the secondary market in any way whatsoever, nor will be be responsible to it, it seemed that the reward for pulling the breeding lever was set relatively low.

The mathematics of it went something like this on the surface. You get a whole gaggle of creatures, you pile them on top of each other, you wait a predetermined period of time for them to mature and poof, suddenly you have doubled the size of your virtual pet family! You may get lucky and find a rare desirable trait, you may find nothing that has any value to anyone but the player themselves. That has worked for a long time, and for some, it will still work!

But, The Meeroos are not that simple. and we haven't just leveraged the old "time and patience" routine in order to hold off on the onslaught of new appearances. While market saturation was indeed a concern from the beginning, we knew that our goal, ultimately, was longevity, and maintaining a commitment to our community. So, those who had taken the steps to become active in the breeding aspect of Meeroos felt that they were rewarded for their efforts, and that they gain a true benefit from those investments of time, attention and care.

The Meeroos are more like a living creature than a static, nest-laying, baby-popping robot. They have behaviors, personalities and habits that are part of their overall biology. They have genetic roots that have the potential to reach back centuries into Meeroo DNA. And the variance of that genetic pool is vast, meaning a single Meeroo will almost never have a genetic clone. Just like people. Some of us have the same color eyes, same hair color, same height, but we always have something about us that makes us our own unique individual!

Adult Meeroos are as unique in their tastes. Those two you really wanted to pair... well, they may not like each other that much. It's up to you to figure how to best maneuver your way through their world and accommodate their interests! Meeroos are smarter than your average pet, which means they're also more stubborn! When it comes to breeding, it's a rough road, but one that is extremely worthwhile.

Because Meeroos and their breeding practices are not the core part of their world - they're so much more than that - when a player goes to get their first Meeroo Family Stump, they will not be conveniently and mechanically divided in equal numbers of Male and Females. If you don't get the ratio you want, you have to work with your community to find suitable pairs. Some people don't want to play the breeding aspect of Meeroos, and for us to set *everyone* up as a breeder from day one means that we're declaring "breeding" the sum of our parts. The consequences of that are pretty far reaching. Content will go old and stale much quicker, the value of your work, and your Meeroos would fall into decline faster, and then we fall into that cycle of stgnancy we want to avoid.

So sure! You have to work harder. You have to pay more attention. You have to be more organized if the breeding aspect is your thing! But rest assured, you'll have properly earned your stripes (And achievements that will follow) by making new discoveries, and the reward for that is substantial to Meeroos enthusiasts. That will also mean that the value of Meeroos will preserved because of the work involved.

We will be watching breeding throughout the beta phases, and we will be listening to your feedback and input on your experiences.

Catherine