Hey everyone!
Today, we at Fairplay Studio are excited to inaugurate the Dev Updates for Nightmare Circus!
In these articles, we will talk about the latest development news regarding our upcoming game and what we have been up to.
This month, we had the honor of flying to Germany to attend one of the biggest gaming-related events, the prestigious Gamescom, and we want to share our experience with you!
Attending Gamescom 2025 in Cologne was an unforgettable experience for everyone. As both developers and gamers, stepping into the world’s largest gaming fair felt like diving into a sea of creativity, energy, and passion. This year was extra special for us because we weren’t just visiting as fans, but were a small piece of this amazing ecosystem with our own project!
For any studio, standing among the giants of the industry is an achievement in itself, but for us, it was also a payoff of a journey that we started years ago in Thailand.
From the moment we walked into Koelnmesse, we could feel both anxiety and adrenaline rise! Massive halls welcomed us, stretched endlessly, each one filled with dazzling booths and experiences, from blockbuster AAA presentations to inventive indie experiments.
Attendees queued for hours to get a few minutes of gameplay, content creators live-streamed their discoveries on the spot, and the air buzzed with the constant rhythm of excitement, curiosity, and celebration of gaming culture. It was impossible not to feel inspired by the sheer scale of it all, where every corner had a new idea, a new story, or a new connection waiting.
Nightmare Circus Showcase
This wasn’t our first time showing Nightmare Circus on the global stage. We had previously shared a short combat demo at Devcom last year. That early showcase was more of a glimpse, a taste of the mechanics we were building. But Gamescom 2025 was different. Here, we finally unveiled a fully playable demo that offered true narrative progression, cinematic cutscenes, and a much deeper combat system designed to reflect the full experience of the game.
For the first time, players were able to immerse themselves not just in the mechanics, but in the atmosphere and narrative of Nightmare Circus. Watching players laughing, gasping, and even struggling (in a good way!) through our bosses was a moment of validation. It showed us that the experience we had envisioned was resonating with people who had never heard of us before stepping into our booth, and we cannot wait to let you all enjoy what Nightmare Circus has to offer!
What stood out the most for us at Gamescom 2025 was how much we learned in such a short time. Rather than pitching to publishers or investors, our priority this year was different: we wanted to meet the people who could help us bring Nightmare Circus directly to players. Talking with press, content creators, and influencers gave us a better sense of how our game could reach audiences across the globe and, especially, understand their feedback and opinion on our project to know if we are going in the right direction.
The best part was the feedback we received from players who tried the demo. Watching how they reacted, where they got excited, and where they stumbled provided us with insights that are impossible to replicate in an internal playtest. It was like having dozens of live focus groups packed into a single weekend, and every small reaction became something we could take back to development and refine further.
Connecting With Fellow Devs
Walking through the halls also gave us the chance to experience games from other developers. We visited countless indie booths from around the world, and each one carried its own unique approach to design and storytelling, which taught us a lot.
That variety reminded us of what indie games should stand for: creativity, authenticity, and the freedom that enables us to reflect our own character in the project. It also gave us clarity on where Nightmare Circus fits within that landscape, and how we can continue shaping our future projects with more focus and efficiency.
And beyond the professional side, Gamescom was also about people. I had heartfelt conversations with gamers who stumbled across our game by chance, exchanged stories and advice with fellow developers, and even shared late-night currywurst with people I had only just met that day. Those moments reminded me that, at its core, Gamescom isn’t just about showcasing products—it’s about celebrating the community that binds us all together.
Closing Thoughts
Gamescom 2025 wasn’t just another stop on our journey; it was a milestone. For FairPlay Studios, it proved that a team from Thailand can stand proudly on the global stage and share our vision with the world. But this is only the beginning. Our next big stop is Tokyo Game Show 2025, where we’ll have an even larger booth and where the official public demo of Nightmare Circus will finally launch!
If you’re heading to TGS, come find us! We’d love for you to be among the first to experience the game in its truest form and know what you think about our game.
Follow us on our socials to be updated about the latest Nightmare Circus news and know when the next Dev Update will drop! Thank you for your support. We cannot wait to see you enjoying your journey in the Nightmare Realm!