Draknek and Friends, the team behind games such as A Monster’s Expedition, Bonfire Peaks and A Good Snowman is Hard to Build, has announced which teams will receive funding from the first Draknek New Voices Puzzle Grant.
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The grant, which aims to increase diversity in the puzzle gaming industry, has been awarded to 12 studios across the globe who are creating a variety of games. The grant was created in partnership with Astra and Games for Change and was open to women, members of the LGBTQIA+ community and anyone under-represented in the puzzle gaming sector. A number of grants of £16,300 ($20,000) and £4,075 ($5,000) were available from a pool of £97,800 ($120,000).
The recipients include Spicy Rice Cake Studio, which is a one-man team comprised of Jiheh Ritterling, who is working on a puzzle adventure about a game designer making a tropical island in the form of Island_Name_Here.
Playdew is a team of Pakistani developers working on Lost Twins 2, which is a puzzle-platformer. Plant-themed puzzle game Castle of Glas is a project at Queensguard Games which is part of the Cartomancy Anthology, and the studio plans to use the grant to help fund a sequel.
Icetoad Studio consists of three developers creating , which is described as an “emotional” narrative puzzler exploring themes of grief. is developing which is a pathfinding game with the aim of capturing rabbits.
