Almost seven years of hard work has paid off for a Dundee firm as its computer game about a friendly dragon is to be released on Nintendo Switch.
Puny Astronaut’s seven co-founders met while studying games development at Abertay University.
In early 2016, they started working on a game about a flying dragon, Skye, who interacts with toys, instruments and puzzles.
The team kept working on the adventure game in their fourth year and for another year after graduating.
A major breakthrough in 2018 when it won investment from Dundee’s 4J Studios, which created the console editions of Minecraft.
The 4J investment allowed the Puny team the time, space and resources to complete the game.
Now, it is ready to share with the world with a release on Nintendo Switch scheduled for next year. It will be the first game published (marketed and distributed) by 4J Studios.
75,000 hours creating Skye Tales
Cian Roche, managing director of Puny Astronaut, estimates the company has spent 75,000 hours on the game.
He said: “It started out as an ambitious student game but the 4J investment meant we could make it perfect.
“It’s been a tremendous amount of work for the whole team. We are immensely proud of it and are now hoping it finds an audience.”
The game promotes mindfulness and accessibility and has been tested on children as young as four years old.
Players are encouraged to take their time and enjoy the sights, sounds, and sensations of the world around them.
Making it so accessible is one of the reasons its development has taken so long.
Cian explains: “The vision we have for the game is specific and delicate.
“We wanted to create a game that everyone could play – even people who might otherwise be scared at the sight of a controller.
“It’s surprisingly difficult to make a game like this where people can explore at their own pace. There’s a lot of fine tuning to make a game that approachable.”
Puny Astronaut now has a team of 17 staff based at Water’s Edge in Dundee.
The managing director said finally finishing the game has been a mixture of “excitement and relief”.
If the Nintendo Switch release is a success then Puny hopes to develop the title for other consoles.
Cian said: “We are looking forward to getting people’s reactions. We can’t wait for it finally to be out there and people can see what we’ve been spending so much of our lives on.”
Puny Astronaut acclaim
Chris van der Kuyl, chairman of 4J Studios and Puny Astronaut, is thrilled with the finished result.
He said: “Cian and the rest of the team have gone out of their way to craft a magical, colourful and accessible world that gamers of all ages and abilities can enjoy.
“Skye Tales will be the first game published by 4J Studios, which feels like a natural progression for us.
“We have more new games scheduled for release in 2023 – a mixture of original games from 4J Studios and titles from studios we are invested in through Chroma Ventures.
“Our ambition is to establish game brands we are close to and believe in and help them evolve into successful franchises.”
Professor Gregor White, dean of the School of Design and Informatics at Abertay University, paid tribute to the Puny Astronaut team.
He said: “It’s been a genuine pleasure to witness the care and attention to detail with which Skye Tales has been developed since the original concept was designed in our labs.”
