When you say-

"The gunner update WILL be happening."

Yes.

People assume that-

"The gunner update WILL be happening in a timely manner; i.e. the near future, that it is being worked on actively."

That makes sense. It's a promise to them that you're making and they expect you to keep it.

If it isn't the case that it's being worked on, you should say-

"The gunner is being worked on as a side project while we work on Rise of Knights."

Or, because you probably can't talk about that freely-

"The gunner update is being worked on as a side project while we work on something a bit bigger."

Talking about what's happening isn't bad.

Making promises that are stretches that you can't keep is unfortunate for you.

Not saying anything so as to not stir the pot leaves the idea that-

You're not working on anything.

When people think this they leave and you can't sell cosmetics to them.

No one wants to see you starve. Well, maybe someone... but I certainly think you need to eat.

If this is the case then you should probably let some community help in.

I know of quite a few Potatos that would like to help you.

If this isn't the case you should probably not let it come across that way.

You deserve to be credited for your work.

Because what you do isn't easy and is rather time consuming.

I would know. People think that I don't but I do.

So if you're working on moving a server or building a level or fixing the screen size, put up a patch note, or blog about it.

Then, when whoever comes back, they can see that you are active and stay.

And I do mean come back, because the majority of players are returning from a couple years ago when they started.

Thanks for reading,
Fehzor.