News Summary
Puzzling maestros Draknek & Friends (A Monster’s Expedition, A Good Snowman is Hard to Build, Bonfire Peaks) have announced which teams will receive funding from the first ever Draknek New Voices Puzzle Grant. The grant was created in partnership with Astra and Games For Change and aims to increase diversity in the world of puzzle games.
You can find more info about this year’s recipients below.
Grant recipients!
- Jiheh Ritterling, Spicy Rice Cake Studio. Jiheh is a solo dev working on “ISLAND_NAME_HERE”, a puzzle adventure about a game designer making a tropical island.
- Urooj Iqbal, Playdew. Urooj is part of the team of Pakistani devs working on “Lost Twins II”, an immersive puzzle-platformer with lush visuals and elegant problem solving.
- Arka Tu, Queensguard Games. Arka’s team made plant-themed puzzle game “Castle of Glas” for the Cartomancy Anthology, and are planning to use this funding to develop a sequel.
- Runyu Zhong, Icetoad Studio. Runyu is part of a team of 3 creating “AiliA”, an emotional narrative puzzler focusing on themes of grief and acceptance.
- Lenophie, Bunstack. Bunstack are developing “Paquerette Down the Bunburrows”, a pathfinding game about capturing bunnies.
- Youssef Tobah, Flip Alive Games. A US based team making the visual novel / puzzle game mashup “DokiToki: Time Slows Down When You're In Love”.
- Breogán Hackett, Blindbug Interactive. An Irish studio making the plant-growing puzzle adventure “Catacomb Creeper: Re-Vined Edition”, available as part of Indiepocalypse 27.
- Rowan Wood, Solo Dev. Rowan is an accomplished solo dev, having previously released the abstract puzzler “yarne”. Their next project is a mind-bending puzzler called “Timeclone”.
- Ryo Kurama, Notan. Based in Japan, Notan is making “Cutting Edge” (working title), a puzzle game about digging holes.
- Glen Henry, Spritewrench. A one man micro-studio based in Kingston, Jamaica., making the narrative puzzle experience “On the Perils of Parrots”.
- Samarth Hattangady, Chapliboy. A solo dev from India making “Konkan Coast Pirate Solutions”, a puzzle game about helping pirates accomplish their pirate goals.
- Mohammed Al Najjar, RD interactive. Mohammed is a solo dev based in the Middle East. His project “Hackshot” is a twisted puzzle take on artillery games.
For further information, check out the spreadsheet here!
You can also find more info on the Draknek New Voices Puzzle Grant via their website here.
Quote from Draknek Founder Alan Hazelden
“The community of players who love great puzzle games is full of people from a wide range of backgrounds. However, the people making the most successful puzzle games and receiving funding are noticeably less diverse – even less so than video games more broadly,” said Alan Hazelden, founder of Draknek & Friends. “The New Voices Puzzle Grant is our opportunity to give back to the next generation of underrepresented and under-invested-in creators. I had high expectations, but the quality and variety of submissions blew me away. I can’t wait to see the finished games.”
About Draknek and Friends
Draknek & Friends is an award-winning developer and publisher, releasing lovingly crafted puzzle games since 2013. Their games aim to be elegant and challenging, cultivating persistence, creativity, and logical thinking.
Quote from Astra Games co-founder Eileen Hollinger
“We’re very excited about the opportunity to support this remarkable group of developers,” said Eileen Hollinger, Astra Games co-founder. “These emerging voices are shaping the future of puzzle games and we’re eager to see what they create.”
About Astra Games
Astra Games is a philanthropic fund that aims to elevate the thinking game genre. Their mission is to support the development of great thinking games and to broadly advocate for the value in playing them.