Our first company trip. Our first playable game demo. Our first steps as Kuneho Studios.
Image participating in our first game demo event: BYOG hosted by Onerat Games & Sub-Zero Sound.
As I'm writing this blog post, it has already been roughly 4 days since the 2024 Game Developers Conference (GDC) has ended. Honestly? It never fails to take my breath away.
I attended my first GDC last year, in 2023. Of course first experiences are so special in their own right, but having thousands of passionate game developers come worldwide to attend this week long event it creates such a strong positive environment to celebrate the beauty of games! After the conclusion of the event, flying back to the east coast I was imbued with so much determination and confidence that I have chosen the right path in life: to create video games. I had this burning passion to come back next year not just an attendee but someone that could showcase a game of my own.
And by some blessing, I was able to make my dream come true! For the past year with GDC as my target, I've managed to gather nine talented game developers to start developing my company's first indie title: Project Radiance. Project Radiance is a multi-lane rhythm game that challenges the player's ability to maintain the rhythm while the lanes transition between different formations. Through completing various song charts, the player is rewarded with craftable collectibles that can be converted into permanent game modifiers and power ups! Built in Unreal Engine 5, we hope to bring our colorful, sci-fi futuristic cyberpunk game to your PCs one day!
Roughly half of my developers were able to come this year to join me on my adventure in showcasing our proof of concept to the game dev world. On Tuesday, hosted by the lovely studios Onerat Games and Sub-Zero Sound (You guys rock!), we were given a table right in the middle of the venue floor to setup. Much to my surprise, our demo did not break. AND, minimal bugs to be found through the many players that play tested it! Looking back on it, it felt like a dream.
Image of the multi-lane gameplay from our playable game demo of Project Radiance.
It wasn't us showcasing it our game on a huge theater screen on stage but the projector flashing our gameplay trailer all over the walls, to the positive and constructive feedback received by our peers make it feel like we were on cloud 9. The fears of showcasing a game that wasn't ready, or wasn't fun or breaking just completely before anyone could enjoy it all washed away. GDC was able to give us one of the largest motivation boosts in our lives that our game can be SOMETHING.
And that's so, so special to indie devs just starting out in the space. For us rag tag team of misfits, we are proud to have crunched and gotten something working for the event. All those sleepless nights leading up to GDC? Absolutely worth it. Because now we have the insatiable fuel to start our next phase: building Alpha! Again, thank you so much for everyone who was present at the indie showcase who had played our game. You guys are the foundation of our feedback and edits moving forward, and I cannot start to express all the gratitude I have for supporting our first project. We hope that you can be a part of our journey of growth and development as we reach for the stars! You all are radiant!
Gallery of Kuneho Studio devs and the Game Developer Conference show floors.
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