EAST: BOSTON & TORONTO - THURSDAY, MAY 8, 2025 – Little Buffalo Studios, the Toronto-based, indigenous-lead game development studio, today officially reveals its inaugural project, Akiiwan: Survival. The survival-crafting game is set on a strange island centered around a mysterious talking campfire. PAX East attendees will have the first chance to play the demo in Booth #17105 during the Expo hours.
The team is also announcing that is kicking of its community-driven “open development” phase of production, where they are inviting people to sign up for a chance to play the first game day or “moon” content – approximately the first four hours of the game to help shape and grow the game’s evolution. Interested players can sign up at PAX or on the team’s Discord.
Rooted in more than 10,00 years of survival knowledge, and crafting ingenuity and techniques that kept the indigenous people alive for tens of centuries, Akiiwan: Survival is based on the premise that the mysterious campfire has been listening to humans talk around it for generations and is now it is ready to share those lessons and secrets. Players become stranded on the island and must unlock those secrets and means of escape before winter and a possible escape in spring.
Winner of the 2024 Unity for Humanity Award from Unity 3D, Akiiwan: Survival is being made by a team of industry veterans with founding members from PlayStation, Ubisoft, Netflix, Discovery, and more. The team includes several indigenous creators from the Red River Metis, Anishinaabe, and Mohawk nations, making the project very personal. Grounded in ancient wisdom and what it really means to survive off the land, Akiiwan: Survival weaves an almost meditative tale inspired by indigenous experiences and storytelling.
Akiiwan features deeper survival and crafting mechanics than most other titles in the genre, while at the same time offering players a more relaxed, less grindy experience. It’s designed into “snackable” day-night or “moon” sessions. Looking skyward, the stars guide the player, showing how each crafted item is really made. Through gameplay, players will discover authentic indigenous ways to solve problems and unearth surprising information still relevant today.
The team also drew inspiration from some of the more community-first approaches used by contemporary studios they admire.
“We’re inspired by the collaborative development stories of projects like SubNautica, where early access and player feedback were crucial in helping to shape the final game,” said Jeremy Nelson, producer and designer at Little Buffalo. “We can’t wait to hear from our community and grow alongside our players throughout this year and into 2026, so we are kicking off the recruiting for our first open phase at PAX. Players can play the first four hours, all for free, and help shape where Akiiwan goes next.”
Defining features in Akiiwan: Survival include:
- A mystery to explore: The game starts when players awake beside a fire, with a fox staring down at them. Players soon learn that they fell from the sky and were dragged to the fire by the fox to keep them warm. The land and its creatures hold the secret to this curious world and players’ eventual escape.
- “Snackable” play sessions: Each game day is a phase of the moon, moving players through seasons quickly. This makes choices more meaningful, but also enables players to easily experience the game through 15-minute sessions -- or play just one more day.
- No Grind Survival: Sick of chopping trees and banging together rocks? There’s none of that here. From fast travel to camp to auto-eating (and no fetching water), Akiiwan is tuned to reduce the grind and focus on the fun of real survival.
- Deep but Chill: Each new craft is a quest line that mimics the way wisdom has been passed down for generations. Discover how to really survive in short sessions, then choose how to put this new knowledge to use to make it through winter.
- Storytelling Starts: The stars come alive as each new craft is unlocked to tell the story of how it is made for a truly magical start-gazing experience.
- The Warmth of the Fire: The fire is like a grandparent or ancient ancestor who cares for the players in quiet and mysterious ways, and shares the haunting tales of the past.
PAX East attendees are encouraged to visit Little Buffalo’s booth #17105 to play Akiiwan: Survival, then wishlist it on Steam. Players can sign up to be part of the game’s open development on Discord. For more information, visit the Little Buffalo Studios website and follow us on YouTube, Discord, and Instagram.
About Little Buffalo Studios
Little Buffalo Studios is a Toronto-based independent game development studio. It was founded in 2022 by industry veterans who previously worked on projects for PlayStation, Ubisoft, Netflix, Discovery, and more. The team includes creatives from the Red River Metis, Anishinaabe, and Mohawk nations. The studio’s inaugural project, Akiiwan: Survival, is real survival, and the true ingenuity of the crafts and techniques that kept indigenous peoples alive for tens of thousands of years. Learn more about Little Buffalo Studios at https://littlebuffalostudios.com/.
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Editors’ Note: To book a PAX demo or interview, please visit Calendly here. Little Buffalo Studios spokespeople are available upon request.
Additional resources:
Akiiwan: Survival Teaser trailer: https://youtu.be/hD2vOVAeqbM
Akiwwan Game Stream: https://steamcommunity.com/broadcast/watch/76561199833936506
Little Buffalo Studios press kit: https://bit.ly/IndieAngelsPK
Media Contact:
Elizabeth Olson, Indie Angels on behalf of Little Buffalo Studios and Interactive Ontario
ebeth.olson@gmail.com or media@indie-angels.com.