Backlog Explorer started as a very personal project. I built it because I kept running into the same problem as a gamer: I already owned so many great games, and yet every time a new release caught my eye, my brain acted like my backlog did not exist at all.

So the original idea was simple. If I am about to buy a new game, show me something I already own that would scratch the same itch. That is the core problem Backlog Explorer was created to solve. And honestly, it is still the problem I care about the most.

What Backlog Explorer Was Always Meant to Be

At its heart, Backlog Explorer is about reconnection. Not productivity. Not “clearing” your backlog. Not turning games into chores.

It is about rediscovering games you were genuinely excited to own at some point, and remembering why. You upload your backlog. You check in with the kind of experience you are craving. And instead of buying something new, you fall back in love with something you already have.

That is it. That is the magic.

Where Things Drifted a Bit

Over time, I experimented with a lot of ideas:

• Journaling
• Screenshots
• Mood tracking
• Play session notes
• Reflection tools

None of these are bad ideas. In fact, there are apps that do these things really well. But I have realized something important: those features are not why Backlog Explorer exists.

They add complexity without strengthening the core experience. And worse, they start to push Backlog Explorer toward becoming “just another gaming tracker,” which was never the goal.

The Two Experiences That Actually Matter

As I look toward 2026, I am refocusing hard on just two things.

1. Getting Your Games In Should Feel Effortless

Adding your backlog should feel almost invisible. That means:

• Fast imports from platforms like Steam
• Smart filtering so your “backlog” actually reflects unfinished games
• Minimal setup, minimal friction, minimal thinking

If getting your games into Backlog Explorer feels like work, something is broken.

2. Recommendations Have to Feel Right

This is the soul of the product. When you think, “I am in the mood for something like this,” Backlog Explorer should surface a game you already own and make you go, “Oh wow. Yeah. That actually sounds perfect.”

Not endless sliders. Not long questionnaires. Not overanalyzing you. Just intuitive matching based on vibe, genre, themes, and intent.

When this works well, Backlog Explorer does what it was always meant to do: reduce impulse buys and increase joy from the games you already have.

What This Means Going Forward

You will probably notice:

• Fewer new features
• More focus on speed, clarity, and simplicity
• Improvements that deepen the core loop instead of expanding the surface area

Backlog Explorer is not trying to be everything. It is trying to be really good at one thing: helping you rediscover your own games.

What Stays the Same

One thing I want to be clear about: nothing you have already added to Backlog Explorer is going away. Your data stays yours. Your notes, entries, and existing features will still be there.

This refocus does not mean removing things or undoing the work that has already been done. It just means that, for now, my attention is going back to the core problem: making Backlog Explorer really good at helping you reconnect with the games you already own.

Once that foundation feels solid, there is room to thoughtfully build outward again. But first, I want to make sure the heart of the experience truly works.

Thank you for being here and for sticking with the project as it grows, shifts, and refocuses. 2026 is about making Backlog Explorer feel intentional, honest, and genuinely useful again.