13AM Games is an independent game studio focusing on bold, stylish action and multiplayer games for PC, consoles, and mobile platforms. We aim to have as much fun making games as you will playing them!
Tell us about yourself?
I studied Visual Art and Design in college with a focus on film/video. I worked in film, video, and photography for about a year until I took a year of service in the Czech Republic, at which point I decided to go back to school and flipped a coin between going to film school or studying Game Design at George Brown College. I went with Game Design as I always loved games and figured it was a new industry with fewer restrictions than film.
At the time, I was also pretty bored by what the industry was putting out. So many releases were boring, copy-paste military shooters, sports games, or RPGs. I wanted to bring back the types of games I enjoyed playing growing up: ones with bright colours, quick-paced gameplay, and “fun-first” design.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
Recognize when a project should only be realized by internal funding and not rely on publishers for anything!
What problem does your business solve?
Well, we’re in entertainment, so we solve creative problems. We build games from concept to execution and also assist other companies who need support on projects.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
Our business started while we were classmates at George Brown. We built it to make something we could be proud of and to fill a gap in the market for colourful, bold multiplayer games with our first game, Runbow.
What is your magic sauce?
Our games have a very unique visual style and an extreme attention to minor detail. We are very focused on making games feel good to play. But most importantly, we like to have fun with our work and build new worlds for players. That feeling of fun and excitement we bring to work shines through in what we make.
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
We want to move our studio pipeline into full 3D and expand to a “2-game studio.” This allows our games to become more marketable, our services to become more marketable, and our cash flow to become more steady.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
Getting publishers signed onto projects is always a challenge, as is keeping up with industry trends and balancing keeping our team small and agile versus well-equipped and large.
How can people get involved?
Please reach out to us through our contact form on our website www.13amgames.com