Seeing BMP take the reins as sole curator of Prototype 2026 is a massive moment for the industry. Morrison's push for technical innovation is exactly what opera needs to stay relevant in the 21st century. As an indie composer myself, I feel that this level of support is a breath of fresh air.

By spinning GOG off into an independent entity, Kiciński seems to be positioning the platform as the “ethical alternative” to other storefronts—incorporating both game preservation and a DRM-free “buy-to-own” model that allows players to truly own the games they purchase.

“I get up in the morning, 7 days a week, I write for about 3 hours, and I’m done” – @joerlansdale.bsky.social Lansdale's advice on being “everybody in the story” is the best tip I’ve heard in a while. @atmanrising.bsky.social and I are writing more this year. This is inspirational stuff!

For years, quantum tech has been trapped in massive, million-dollar refrigerators at -459°F. Prof. Jennifer Dionne’s team just proved we can entangle light & electrons at room temperature—on a nanoscale silicon chip. This is the kind of breakthrough that turns science fiction into standard hardware.

Novy knows RPGs. And a bunch of other genres, too. These are just a few of the incredible titles we've worked on since 2011 🎮 #indiegames #games #gameplay #indie #rpg #rpggames #indiegamedevelopers #indiedevs #gamedev #indiedev #videogames #videogame #gamedesign #indiegamedevs #indiegamedevelopment

If at first you don't succeed ... try, try again. #happynewyear #newyearsday #newyear2026 #newyear #happynewyear2026 #newyearvibes

Let’s tell stories that resonate and make communities that last – ensuring that 2026 is one for the history books. Happy New Year! #happynewyear #newyearsday #newyear2026 #newyear #happynewyear2026 #newyearvibes

A new year ... and a million new ways to disrupt the status quo. We believe the future belongs to those who dare to color outside the lines. In 2026, let’s build the world we actually want to live in. Happy New Year! #newyearsday #newyear2026 #happynewyear2026 #newyearvibes #newyear #happynewyear

Our final episode of the year features Exhuma (2024) – Jang Jae-hyun's supernatural #horror film 👻 Hosted by @indiejeannie.com and @atmanrising.bsky.social, the #podcast is on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, Amazon, Audible and more! #horrormovie #film #supernatural

"Seeing Is Believing": New year ... new challenges and opportunities. It’s on us to hope for a better future – and fight for it 🎇 Original piano/vocal song written and performed by Jeannie Novak – released by Novy Music (a division of @novyunlimited.com) 🎹 #motivation #musicvideo #piano #newyear

Here’s to a truly terrifying holiday season 🩸 Watch out for the next EVIL*ASTERISK episode … coming soon! #horror #christmashorror #holidayhorror #creepychristmas #merrychristmas #happyholidays

Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered—1st performed on Dec 25, 1940 during Rodgers & Hart's musical, Pal Joey. Since then, it’s been covered countless times—by Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra & even a Rod Stewart + Cher duet! 🎹 #song #jazz #piano #acoustic #cover Music Visualizer: bit.ly/bewitched-song

Wishing our friends in the indie community a cozy, inspired, and well-deserved holiday break. Happy Holidays! #happyholidays #merrychristmas #holidayseason #holidays #holidaycheer #happychristmas

Behind every great game is a creator who dared to do something different. This holiday season, we’re celebrating the passion projects that move this industry forward. Wishing all our friends a well-deserved holiday break! #happyholidays #merrychristmas #holidayseason #holidays #holidaycheer

Maria Plyta, Greece’s first female director, helmed 17 successful films (1950-1970) yet remains excluded from the Greek cinematic canon and historical scholarly discourse as a direct result of patriarchal bias in film. – @sensesofcinema.bsky.social #greekcinema #film #filmmaker #womeninfilm

Karly Hartzman talks with Venus Radio (CKUT 90.3 FM Montreal) about evolving from a lo-fi solo artist into the frontwoman for the band Wednesday; how she makes mundane memories into poignant lyrics; and her desire to explore a hardcore sound in future projects. #music #musician #indie

Whether you’re spending the day diving into your backlog of retro titles or trying something new, Happy Games Day to you! #gamesday #games #happygamesday #videogames

Dust Bunny has 2 Spirit Award noms, so it’s on my voting list. I don't research these films in advance, so I’m not privy to the justification for an R rating—but in the '70s/'80s, Gen Xers faced "danger" in PG-13 films. Not only has the culture changed, but indie films are scrutinized more heavily.

This is a signal that the era of unilateral studio closures is grinding to a halt. With the majority of industry news focusing on mass layoffs and pivots, this move is a play for long-term stability and creative preservation. By organizing everyone company-wide, id has created maximum leverage.

Dr. Prado & Dr. Rhee just might solve the climate crisis through plant biology. Most plants effectively “stop” working when it gets too hot because their enzymes break down – but the Arizona honeysweet shrub in Death Valley is like a car engine that gets more efficient the faster you drive it.

Remember when you could just turn on a game and play? No 20-min cutscenes. No 40GB day one patches. There was a certain "mechanical honesty" in the ’80s: If the code wasn't tight, the game wouldn’t run. It’s refreshing to see an industry pioneer validate why we still love these games decades later.

@atmanrising.bsky.social (Luis) and I have an inside joke about actors who show up in other movies who were in The Mummy. Luis will call out, “He was in The Mummy!” Brendan Fraser just might just be one of his favorite actors—and we were both super excited to learn that The Mummy 4 is in the works.

Frida Kahlo’s deeply personal self-portrait merges surrealism, pain, and the brutal reality of life itself. Whether or not you agree with the mechanics of the global art market, the record-breaking sale of El sueño (La cama) cements the cultural and historical significance of Kahlo’s work.

Oleta Adams’ cover of Brenda Russell's “Get Here” debuted on Billboard Dec 15, 1990 – becoming an anthem for troops during the Gulf War. #Acoustic #cover recorded live at The Village Studios. On Spotify, YT, Apple, Google, etc 🎹 Music Visualizer: bit.ly/get-here-song #song #music #pop #piano

Amplitude had the courage to initiate an exit when the studio’s creative vision no longer matched publisher strategy. A return to indie status has allowed them to regain ctrl over IP and streamline development. It was a tough decision – but one that puts Amplitude’s long-term health and focus first!

Previous quantum cxns died out after just a few km because quantum info quickly degraded. Prof Zhong’s team fixed this by “3D printing” crystals—stabilizing the state for longer, extending distance to ~2,000 km & allowing the quantum "signal" to remain long enough to travel across entire continents.

Glad that Routine is available & getting such a positive reception! Lunar Software is a testament to the persistence & vision of indie devs who refuse to release an unfinished, compromised product. The delay wasn’t intentional, but it allowed them to make improvements. Looking forward to playing it!

We’ve witnessed the headache known as circular iteration firsthand – and it’s not pretty. A piece of advice: Trust your team! For the most part, technology is usually not to blame; behavioral factors and poor management are often the true culprits.

In his score for Labyrinth of the Demon King, Remu Daifuku sampled his creaky old house & customized a daxophone with a saw blade. He understands that atmosphere can come from creative manipulation. Love the anecdote about translating the gustatory horror of stale banana chips into a monster sound!

Louise Bourgeois was an unstoppable force who evolved her creative vision through nearly a century. Known for large-scale sculpture & installation art, she was also a painter & printmaker – exploring themes such as domesticity, death & the unconscious. Knife-Woman should be an inspirational read!

Financial risk generated by long dev cycles could mean that one poor launch can shutter a whole studio and even kill a franchise. On the other hand, this crisis could create a vacuum where brilliant indie projects can thrive.

Hades is a masterful twist on the roguelike genre, where the structure serves the story. As a roguelite, Hades’ death/failure progression loop is central to its design – with every failed run rewarding players with resources that allow them to get stronger and advance the narrative.

Fascinating breakthrough in nanotechnology! As the director of MIT’s Nano-Cybernetic Biotrek Lab (NCB), Dr. Deblina Sarkar is considered a rising star in nano-bioelectronics – the intersection between nanoelectronics, quantum science, and synthetic biology.

In DRIFTED, the gliding mechanic & minimalist art are intentional design constraints that contribute to the environmental storytelling. I love the idea of guiding a fragile paper airplane through a dark, unwelcoming world. Hopefully, it will be released in early 2026; can’t wait to check it out!

Episode 2 of Season 2 features There Are Monsters (2013) – Jay Dahl's found footage #horror film 📹 Hosted by @indiejeannie.com and @atmanrising.bsky.social, the #podcast is on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, Amazon, Audible, and more! #indiefilm #indie #horrormovie #film #thriller #horrorfilm #movie

Taking some time out to give thanks for the boundless inspiration our creative community brings to the world. May you enjoy a restful and abundant Thanksgiving! #thanksgiving #happythanksgiving #happythursday #thankyou #thankful #thanksgivingday #happythoughts #grateful

Happy Bday, Natasha Bedingfield! “Backyard” wasn't released as a single but was on her second album (N.B.) + North American version (Pocketful of Sunshine). #Acoustic #cover recorded live at Village Studios 🎹 Music Visualizer: bit.ly/backyard-song @novyunlimited.com #song #music #pop #piano

Live theatre jump scares? I’ll take it! Horror enthusiasts should check out Paranormal Activity. BTW: The last time @atmanrising.bsky.social and I saw a live horror performance was in 2011; we were seated in the "splash zone" for Re-Animator: The Musical (produced by Stuart Gordon & Dean Schramm)!

Deviation Games boasted such a massive amount of talent – but a “perfect storm” of factors in what is already a volatile industry can kill projects … and sometimes the studios themselves. Hoping to see members of this team put out some innovative titles in the near future.

Meredith Gran has carved out a niche for herself in pop culture. Not only does she use a low-res style in Perfect Tides, but she incorporates puzzle mechanics focused on collecting ideas rather than physical items. If you want to check out Octopus Pie, start here: www.octopuspie.com/comic/001-pe...

Isa Willinger’s No Mercy moves the conversation surrounding women in film into agency – and even confrontation. Looking forward to seeing it – along with the work of Kira Muratova, who is regarded by some as the master of Ukrainian cinema and who faced censorship throughout the Soviet era.

Bypassing festivals and distributors—and not waiting for “permission” to be seen—is just what indie filmmaking is all about. I can’t imagine how many filmmakers have been rejected before getting a chance to publicly show their work. (If that describes you, put your films up on YT for all to see!)

Congratulations to José-Alain Sahel, Daniel Palanker, and Mahi Muqit – who led this international trial and have pioneered a new era of artificial vision by merging microsurgery, AR, and AI. Truly fascinating – and proof that innovation can solve seemingly insurmountable problems.

I remember the 1st MTV video—the apt “Video Killed the Radio Star"—and all the original VJs. Intermingling music & video was an obvious evolution for the industry, but MTV took us by surprise. A dedicated music channel is no longer viable today—with social media & DIY distribution for indie artists.

Speedrun a walking simulator? Don't be surprised if you hit a roadblock. I can walk, but not wait – so I'm a good target for cutscene purgatory. Will check it out & feel guilty for 30 min 😉 Effective-extreme commentary on value of narrative & player-developer cxn. Note to discuss in @gdeseries.com!

Novy knows platformers. And a bunch of other genres, too! Check out some of the incredible games we’ve launched since 2011 🎮 #indiegames #games #gameplay #indie #platformer #platformers #indiegamedevelopment #actiongames #indiegamedevs #indiegamedevelopers #indiedevs #gamedev #indiedev #videogames

Goodbye My Friend: an honest look at the pain of a friend #breakup. Whether the #friendship has fractured or faded away, this #song explores betrayal, drifting apart, and the realization that it’s over. If you’ve ever had to say #goodbye, this one’s for you 💔 #sadsong #indiemusic #piano #singer

Mendonça Filho & Moura have turned their experience with govt censorship into fuel for their art. @atmanrising.bsky.social & I are big fans of Wagner Moura – from Elite Squad to Narcos. He received a Golden Globe nom for Narcos & won Best Actor at Cannes for The Secret Agent. Can’t wait to see it!

It’s great to see HORANG branch out into gamedev – & it looks like the 2D pixel <=> 3D voxel art transition is working. For a different experience, check out his horror webtoons. Bongcheon-Dong Ghost will give you the chills – before landing the perfect jump scare! www.webtoons.com/en/thriller/...

Lament could have been a viable successor to the original Barker mythology. Unfortunately, the series has been devalued with short-sighted strategies for years. IMO, the orig film is a masterpiece that is far superior to its many successors – and it’s on my list of the best horror films of all time!