The studios are all in the midst of development with debut title from Dinomite Games, a vibrant hand drawn co-op Hack n’ Slash Go Fight Fantastic! coming 2023, and two other exciting new indie titles soon to be announced from Ember Trail and TIC TEK TOE in the coming months.
“We are delighted to be working with the talented teams at Ember Trail, Dinomite Games and TIC TEK TOE. We want all of our studios to feel part of the group, sharing our goals, ethos and culture whilst we will do everything we can to provide them with the resources they need to achieve the results that they want. The Hybrid Indie model of a publisher is not just focused on commercial aspects, but on the everyday support and growth of studios and the people therein, allowing each studio to pour all time and energy into development of quality indie titles,” said Kinda Brave CEO and co-founder Björn Rudolfsson.
The studios within the Kinda Brave family will join with the publisher’s core aims and ideals, prioritising People, Players and Planet. Each studio will be given;
- Tools to focus on the people within the company, championing a happy and healthy workplace, built on foundations of equality and inclusivity.
- Resources and time to weave accessibility features for players into their games, including training and certifications.
- Opportunities and means to work sustainably through mindful choices of suppliers and manufacturers, recycling and reuse of equipment and to keep travel to a minimum to achieve climate neutrality. Production of titles will also be made with eco-friendly game settings, targeted at lowering overall power consumption of players.
As well as offering financial backing, sales and marketing services, Kinda Brave offers all studios support from shared resources, ranging from HR, recruitment and legal services to a fulltime sustainability manager - priorities that usually only a much larger outfit could justify.
By pooling resources together, each studio can stay small and tight-knit, exchanging know-how and inspiration to the benefit of all.
The studios will also have full use of Kinda Brave’s office space in Uppsala, where the publisher is using renewable energy to power and heat its offices.
Ember Trail is made up of a group of developers with tons of experience from indie and AAA, putting player creativity at the forefront. The goal of the cofounders was to create a healthy work culture, centered around employee health and happiness. Previously known as Bad Yolk, the team developed and released Main Assembly in January 2021, providing players with an inventive sandbox experience filled with plenty of challenges. The game was nominated for Best Debut and Best Technology at the 2021 Nordic Game Awards. The studio is hard at work on their next title, soon to be announced!
"Being part of Kinda Brave is a natural fit for our shared values around Sustainable Gaming, whilst simultaneously enjoying the benefits of shared resources, and developing a strong bond with an internal Publisher. Making games is fun, but challenging, so having the pragmatic mindset of internal Publishing providing best in class strategy and operations gives us as the Developer the freedom to focus on the creative aspect of making a great game. We’re on the journey together and we look forward to sharing more about our next game soon. Follow us on Twitter for updates!," commented Ember Trail Studio CEO David Penelle.
Dinomite Games was founded in 2016 as a small two person studio and has since grown into a team of seven in Uppsala. Under the watchful eye of Captain Bowie, the small company dog with a big personality, the studio is currently hard at work developing their premiere title, Go Fight Fantastic!, a vibrant 1-3 player co-op Hack n’ Slash set in a hand drawn universe. Made up of a team of gamers and a work ethic founded in creativity, the studio is always looking to make the types of games they would play themselves.
“Partnering with Kinda Brave allowed us to focus on what we love - the creative process of making games. They helped us expand our team and made sure we don't have to worry about funding, marketing and much more.” added Dinomite Games CEO Lina Andersson.
TIC TEK TOE is a small game development studio focusing on systemic gameplay and technical experimentation. Made up of a team of industry veterans, they take all the lessons from their many years of game development and focus on making games that are fun, engaging, highly replayable, aiming to push the boundaries of what a small studio can achieve. Their current un announcement project is the first stepping stone.
"Kinda Brave has given us an opportunity to focus on making the games we want to make how we want to make them. Creative freedom not just in our choice of project but in how we deliver our work, who we hire, and what kinds of processes we use. You pick up quite a few opinions after more than a decade making games. With Kinda Brave, we can put them to the test!" stated TIC TEK TOE CEO Martin Annander.