In a market that is seeing a real comeback story for indie development, it’s always a pleasure to highlight indie studios with big dreams.
We recently spoke with Max, co-founder of Pinfall Games, about his journey through the indie community. Namely, why he believes personal connection and collaboration are the lifeblood of this passion-first corner of the industry.
Pinfall’s motto, “Small Games, Big Impact,” speaks to their design philosophy, as well as their philosophy in general. Through our conversations, it became clear that their real impact to the UK indie scene reaches beyond their projects. Pinfall is as passionate about uplifting others in the industry as they are about making games, with a big part of their purpose being supporting devs and educational initiatives.
A small studio right now, yes, but one with a very big heart that is giving back to the UK Indie scene.
How Did Pinfall Games Get Their Start as an Indie Studio?
As any developer knows, game development can be like navigating a jungle of different skillsets. After studying game design, Max took the leap into said jungle to start a company called “Solar Flare” in London, that ran for just over two years.
That experience, he explained, wasn’t about quick success, rather it was about building a foundation. Tackling industry challenges early gave him the baseline knowledge he needed for his next move. Sometimes, it is better to just get fully immersed in something to understand it best.
Max also spoke fondly of DunDev, a collaborative initiative for small developers to share knowledge and assist each other’s projects. Here he formed valuable connections. Most notably with the team at Alarming Ladder, whose shared ideals would eventually lead to the creation of Pinfall Games.
So, Who Are Pinfall Games?
Max is careful when it comes to scope. His philosophy for Pinfall is simple: “small games, small projects, big impact.” Personality comes first, both in the studio’s culture and its games. Even the name “Pinfall” reflects the team’s shared love of wrestling, a nod Max hints might continue to find its way into their brand in the future.
Right now, the focus is on Block Bounce, their debut title: an arcade-style physics platformer. This will set the pace for the studio and help them establish their presence and hone their skills. And to help them hit a groove in working together as a team. It’s fun, its arcade style, and it’s easy to pick up and play.
The vision for their new Indie Studio:
Something I always want to know when speaking to new developers is “what is the vision?”. It’s a difficult answer that can put people in the hot seat, but Max wasn’t afraid to tell us they’re not about locking themselves into one path. Pinfall wants to experiment, they want to discuss a variety of genres going forward with the team after Block Bounce because they are putting the creativity first.
Right now Block Bounce is them getting into a working rhythm, and afterwards the ideas will expand outwards into probing other projects for them to tackle. One consistent thread will be fun-first, and ease of access. No fluff.
What else is Pinfall planning?
Publishing and mentorship are a big part of Max’s vision. Pinfall isn’t just focused on their own games; they’re also interested in helping other indie developers publish and refine their projects.
Additionally, they’d gotten involved in an internship program founded by the Alarming Ladders team: “Learning Ladders”, an initiative catered to teaching others breaking into the industry what games development is like. Here’s an excerpt from their site:
“Successful applicants will get the opportunity to work on an in-house Demo Disc. They will receive mentoring from developers, feedback on their work, QA testing days, and free talks from industry professionals.”
- One month-long remote work experience during the summer break (starts mid/late July).
- Creating an arcade game in a team.
- Assigned into teams based on specialism (eg. 2D Artists).
- Weekly calls with the development team.
- A released project on itch.io/Steam and a game credit.
People, Plans, Proof
All in all, our chat with Max was an uplifting one. He’s an optimistic leader who clearly cares about other developers—not only focused on proving Pinfall through a solid game release, but also on working with other indie studios to build positive, mutually beneficial relationships.
If you’re an indie developer yourself looking to collaborate, why not check out Max and his team at Pinfall Games? Be it publishing help, offers to collaborate, or simply to learn about games development through an internship. Best of luck to them on their game release!
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