Many third-party tools (exporters for Spine to After Effects, or custom pipeline tools) were written for the 3.8 JSON format. Upgrading would require rewriting those tools.

The software engineer responsible for the update, Alex, had been working tirelessly over the weekend to ensure its smooth rollout. He had named the update "Spine 3.8.99" following the department's naming convention, which signified the focus area (spine), the major version (3), the minor version (8), and a special build indicator (.99), suggesting it was a near-final version before the full 4.0 release.

The search for often comes from a place of necessity—not curiosity. To ensure a smooth experience, run through this checklist:

"Okay," Elias whispered, impressed. "I see why she used this."