26th October – Marieke
“We showcased the journey the Nysko team has been on, from the game’s inception all the way through to release.”
On Friday the 18th October 2019, after four years in development, The Dwarves of Glistenveld saw the light! The Nysko team hosted more than eighty guests at our launch event. Nysko’s first title, and the first game to come out of the University of Essex’s Studio X, TDoG attracted a lot of attention from students, academics, and the local business community. The kind people from Oxford Innovation, who run the Innovation Centre, very graciously supported our launch and took part in the festivities.
We showcased the journey the Nysko team has been on, from the game’s inception all the way through to release. We also exhibited artwork from the game, to show our guests how ideas were developed and characters and locations came into being. Our artists David and Faye ran the art display. There was a homemade timeline video on display in the 360° immersive screening room. Most importantly, there were playable builds of the game available on six computers, all of which were occupied from start to finish!
We were proud to hold a charity raffle for a cause close to our hearts: Macmillan Cancer Support. The lucky winners received official artwork signed by the Nysko Team, and other exclusive TDoG merchandise. In total we were able to raise £72! We would just like to say thank you to everyone who donated. There was also a free dwarf-naming competition, which was hotly contested. Out of 42 submissions, our narrative designer, Marieke, picked the winning entry. When Chapter Two of The Dwarves of Glistenveld is released, look out for a mushroom-bearded forager named Gordon Ramsbeard!
Just before the game launched at 6pm, our founders, Martyn Hinson and Perry Monschau, held a speech and led the countdown. Here is an excerpt from Martyn’s speech:
In 2017, we set up Nysko Games with two objectives in mind. The first being to establish ourselves as an independent developer creating the games that we wanted to make. Second, to help grow local talent in the East in the hope that more studios might be set up outside London. We felt how difficult getting into the industry was, and if we could play a role in opening up job opportunities for young people, that alone was reason enough.
Our dwarves are now unleashed on the world! If you would like to play The Dwarves of Glistenveld, visit our Steam page.
Marieke – Narrative Designer
