Reading the exit signs

Every dying project sounds the same near the end. Volume quietly fades. The dev goes quiet or posts vaguely instead of shipping — sometimes right after graduation, once the liquidity moment has passed and there's nothing left to hype. "Huge announcement coming soon" repeats week after week until the words stop meaning anything. What was once a community turns into a hope cult, holding a promise that keeps getting pushed back.

None of those signs alone are a death sentence, but together — fading volume, silent devs, promises replacing delivery — they're an exit sign, not a reason to hold tighter.

Walking away from a dead play is not losing, and it's not weakness. Your capital is ammunition — there's always another launch down the road. The traders who last aren't the ones who never lose — they're the ones who recognize when a play is over and keep capital for the next one instead of marrying a corpse.