Guess what? I've been an independent game developer for 10 years now! 🤯
When I left EA Chillingo at the end of 2014, I was just eager to make my own games… I never for a minute imagined I’d still be here 10 years later with my own little business! 😊
My first released game, One Night Stand, was made during Nanoreno Game Jam, and it exploded in popularity and kinda took over my life!
When things settled down, I realised my previous project I was working on would require a larger team to create the vision I had for it. So I started working on the semi-autobiographical ‘Memories’ while continuing to work on One Night Stand localisations, console port and physical edition.
However, in 2019, my personal circumstances changed. I became disabled and struggled to work at the same pace I did before. Then 2020 happened, and Memories didn’t feel like the right game to be putting out in the world anymore. My life and everyone else’s was changing, so I wanted to make something more hopeful (and bittersweet)… In came VIDEOVERSE!
After three years development, VIDEOVERSE launched on August 7th 2023 to critical acclaim. I never expected the reviews to be as glowing as they were and it seemed like switching my focus in 2020 was the right call.
Sometimes, I feel sorry for my unreleased projects…but One Night Stand and VIDEOVERSE wouldn’t have existed without them. And hey, I haven’t fully given up on finishing them either, but indie development is certainly more competitive now than it was 10 years ago, so – for the time being – I’m focussing on smaller, more manageable projects! 💪
What's next for Kinmoku?
Entering 2025, I’m continuing support on VIDEOVERSE (including a Japanese localisation) and already far along with my 👀 next project 👀 ! The story is written, in-engine and even features character and background art...but there is still a lot to do! However, this next project will be smaller than VIDEOVERSE, so I’m hoping to release before the end of the year. The tricky part now…is coming up with a title!
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Thank you for reading and best wishes for the new year!