The strange psychology when as soon as your game has a start screen, it suddenly feels more real.

This is where I indie dev.

A year ago today, gaming industry leader and indie icon Alex Kanaris-Sotiriou (@kanaratron.bsky.social) became the first guest of my Little Victories videogame podcast. Since then, it has taken me on a journey to interview all types of creatives. Happy anniversary, Little Victories!

📢 INDIE DEVS WHO ARE IN NEXT FEST! If you're participating and would like your demo/store page reposted to 37K+ Bluesky followers then drop it in the replies below* *No games that use Gen-AI please and thank you.

We use a curated camera in our games that's kinda a halfway house. It's all still rendered in real time, but we build to the camera, and still give ourselves the option of subtle camera motion.

For me, the best form of ambient indie game marketing is talking about your game in a natural way, as if you were speaking to someone at an expo. Don't overthink it. Just be you, be honest, be human, and speak from the heart.

Jiggle physics (dad edition)

I have a very clear emoji shorthand for my next indie game, but it's going to have to stay under wraps for now.

📢 INDIE GAME FOGHORN Go check out the next game from my friends at Hilltop Studios (creators of Lil' Guardsman)

If you see this post a monster.

Just checked my drafts.

Awesome article about cinematography in games by @kanaratron.bsky.social in the new issue of Debug Magazine, get it in print or digital today! www.teamdebug.com/issue/13 @debugmag.com

Just make it exist first. You can make it good later.

Was reading @alexvandewalle.bsky.social article (finally doing some reading now that the book is done, Alex!) on dev influences for Hades, Apotheon, and this and thought it looked neat and deserved a repost. @polygontreehouse.bsky.social store.steampowered.com/app/2000210/...

Relics of a former life...

Artists, quote with something silly.

Prototyping indie games is my happy place.

In the latest hot-off-the-press edition of @debugmag.com I'm talking about gameplay cinematography.

This was a greybox tech test for Röki where we masked a scene load with the illusion of a continuous camera movement.

@kanaratron.bsky.social Look who is in this month's @debugmag.com

Polygon Treehouse will never use Gen AI, or collaborate with anyone who does. So no.

I wrote a little something for this exciting project.

When everything starts clicking into place, making video games is soooo much fucking fun.

Indie games.

Randomly had a load of really nice messages today. Indie devs are awesome.

One of the interesting things about working in a NPR art style is that many 'traditional' render features (like screen space ambient occlusion) can detract, rather than add to a visual direction.

In town to listen to @brianbaglow.bsky.social talk about the action plan for the Scottish Games Sector.

Pre-order Mythwrecked: Ambrosia Island - Playstation 5: RAG: redartgames.com?aff=24 VGP: videogamesplus.ca/bois4q #PS5

People sending me their copies of our games to sign will never not be wild.

Just finished this game and omg it’s so good!! I love Greek mythology and I honestly learned so much through this while also really enjoying the cozy atmosphere. I love the designs of the gods and I love the story~ the collectibles were so fun to get and I loved the ghosts!! 💙

I know the soundtrack for our next game is awesome because I've found myself humming it incessantly.

Spent a lovely day chatting UI/UX with the teams at DunDev, a *very cool* scheme for up and coming indie dev studios..

An excellent day of prototyping. Starting. To. Get. Excited.

To all the new folks arriving from Twitter I have two words of advice... Indie games

Do not underestimate the power of audio in prototyping.

An excellent blog post and a must-read for indies.

Pretty soon I'm going to get to animate a walk cycle for a *brand new* player character.

First work day of 2026. Time to make an indie game 🔥

Röki is a top 10 all-time favorite game for me. It's gorgeous, moving, fun, and set the standard for me for indie excellence. I highly recommend playing it if you haven't. On sale on Steam for just $1.99!! store.steampowered.com/app/1067540/...

I love your game. You can‘t imagine how much @kanaratron.bsky.social Now replay on PlayStation.

ALL THE BEST FOR 2026 FOLKS 🎉

We’re adding a category to our IRL awards ceremony… The Bluesky’s Choice Award! And all you have to do is reply here with the game you believe deserves to win. You don’t even have to follow us 😉 *one nomination per account* *game must have released in 2025* *nominations close 31 Jan 2026*

...A single mesh, a couple of joints, and some offset animation and hey presto!

Creating the illusion of complexity by layering up a few simple elements, is one of my favourite things to tackle.

Hello to all the new folks! 👋🏻 My name is Alex and I'm the lead indie dev at Polygon Treehouse. We're a micro indie studio making award-winning art-led narrative games like Röki & Mythwrecked.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS BLUESKY FOLKS!!! 💙