I released a new game called Airships: Lost Flotilla, which is a survivorslike set in the same universe as Airships: Conquer the skies. So you pilot a single airship and take down waves of enemies, and use stacking upgrades to make your ship powerful enough to win. It's a fun game, and well-reviewed, but it hasn't sold nearly enough to make back its budget. Still, I'm pleased with what I made, and I'm especially happy with the little puzzles I put into the in-game manual that lets players put together clues to unlock more stuff.
After I finished with Lost Flotilla, I decided that my next game should be something that evokes more than just polite interest in people. So I did a whole complicated process of showing mockups on social media - a long post about that is still coming - and ultimately decided on my next project, Biomechanoid Repair Shop. I've got a good concept and a fun early gameplay prototype, but unfortunately I then got really sick, so development on that is stalled for now.
Apart from that, work-ish-wise, it's been a very busy year for the Swiss Game Hub, our coworking/incubator/event space in Zurich. We moved into a massive, fancy new office at the start of the year, provided to us for cheap by the city of Zurich. We now have more than triple the number of people, larger events, more events, and a lot more visibility. This also means that we've had to get a lot more organized. We have meetings now. After most of a year of getting settled in, it's such an amazing space, full of people making games and helping each other.
Here's three games that I started playing this year and can recommend:
- 9 Kings - An auto-battler with stacking adjacency effects. Great fun to figure out how to make the numbers go up fast.
- Beneath Oresa - Slay the Spire but pretty, and you can control the game with the keyboard. I can't play StS because all the dragging motions make my shoulders hurt.
- Goblin Sushi - Adorable and frantic cooking game made by a team at the Hub. Coming out sometime next year, but the demo is already really fun.
I didn't do that much travelling this year, but I did go for a brief city break in Heidelberg, which is pretty and has good wine.
We also visited Cambridge for our traditional university friends get-together. The fireworks display was terrifying as always.
Apart from that, the cats are healthy and currently very cuddly, and my partners continue to be excellent, delightful, and beloved.
Here's to good cheer and good health for us all in 2026.
