At Inviox Studios, we love stories that capture what it truly takes to bring a personal vision to life. Few projects show that journey better than Spirittea, a cozy life simulation created by solo developer Dan Beckerton.

Over six years, Dan took the game from a self-taught experiment to a full release with a successful Kickstarter, a publishing deal, and a spot on Game Pass.

A Peaceful Game About Small Mysteries

Spirittea is a top-down pixel art life sim that blends mystery, management, and small-town storytelling. Players step into the shoes of a writer who moves to a quiet countryside town to finish a book, only to find mischievous spirits causing chaos.

The player’s task is to calm them down by solving small puzzles, talking to locals, and running an old mountain bathhouse where the spirits come to rest.

“It’s a pretty chill game where you can do simple hobbies,” Dan explains. “There are a couple of others too, but it’s really about relaxing and discovering little things at your own pace.”

Fishing, bug catching, and quiet interactions give the world a warm, reflective rhythm. Each spirit and villager adds a touch of magic, creating a world that feels peaceful yet alive.

From Science to Game Development

Dan’s career didn’t begin in games. He came from a science background and started experimenting with game engines during his free time. Unity was his first stop, but GameMaker Studio 2 quickly became his home.

“I found it easier to make the kind of pixel-art game I wanted,” he recalls.

His first project, Fables of Talimos, became a self-made bootcamp. He created the art, the code, and the sound himself — an all-in-one education that taught him how games truly come together.

That first attempt gave him the confidence and technical grounding to take on Spirittea as a full solo production.

The Reality of Working Alone

Being a solo developer means doing it all. Dan handled programming, art, dialogue, marketing, and production management himself. Every new feature came with a personal cost in time and money.

“For solo creators, living costs are basically your budget,” he explains. “If you want to add new features, that means more months of work — and more bills.”

Scope control became his survival skill. He often cut promising ideas simply to keep the project moving. Yet this limitation brought a kind of creative focus. With no one to ask permission from, he could follow his instincts and fill the game with small, handcrafted moments.

“Those little touches make a game memorable and special,” he says. “Sometimes it’s just a spirit that lights lanterns at night, but players notice those things.”

Kickstarter as a Launchpad

Dan’s second Kickstarter campaign for Spirittea raised around 20,000 Canadian dollars, but he describes it as much more than a funding tool.

“It’s also a market test,” he says. “If people aren’t backing your project, you learn something valuable.”

He kept rewards digital to avoid logistical challenges and focused heavily on early traction.

“You want to hit 33 percent in the first 48 hours,” he explains. “If you don’t, it’s really hard to catch up.”

That early visibility became the turning point. The campaign caught the attention of No More Robots, a publisher known for supporting creative indie titles.

The Power of a Good Publisher

Partnering with No More Robots changed the project’s trajectory. The publisher provided funding, QA support, marketing, and platform connections, including the deal that brought Spirittea to Game Pass.

“I would hope to have a publisher every time going forward,” Dan admits. “Marketing is some people’s full-time job, and they’re good at it. That help let me focus on actually making the game.”

The partnership meant Spirittea could launch professionally while still maintaining its handmade soul.

Game Pass and Platform Results

The Game Pass opportunity came through the publisher’s relationship with Xbox. Spirittea was part of a bundle of titles pitched together, and the deal paid upfront, covering development costs immediately.

That financial cushion allowed Dan to release the game profitably from day one. Game Pass exposure also helped draw attention to other platforms.

Before launch, the game had over 100,000 wishlists on Steam, though the actual conversion rate was around five to eight percent. Surprisingly, Nintendo Switch became the top-performing platform month after month.

“The Switch audience just fit,” Dan says. “Pixel art, cozy gameplay, handheld style — it all clicked.”

Even two years after launch, the game continues to bring in steady monthly income, letting him sustain his development career independently.

Technical Lessons from the Journey

Throughout development, Dan chose to stay with GameMaker Studio 2 instead of switching engines. The time invested in learning it fully became an advantage.

“Knowing your tools saves you,” he explains. “Switching engines looks exciting, but it slows you down.”

He also learned to lean on existing tools instead of reinventing everything. At one point, he built his own text-box system, only to replace it later with a pre-made extension that handled complex languages better.

“That one decision probably saved weeks,” he says.

Advice for Indie Developers

Spirittea’s development offers lessons every aspiring indie creator can use.

• Keep your scope realistic. Ambition is great, but survival is better.

• Treat Kickstarter as feedback as much as funding.

• A good publisher can amplify your work far beyond your own reach.

• Build small and finish projects often. Consistency builds mastery.

• Never underestimate the emotional power of small details.

  
  

What Comes Next

After six years of building Spirittea, Dan is now developing a smaller GameMaker project. He has been experimenting with faux-3D platforming and movement mechanics, planning something with the same peaceful tone but a shorter timeline.

“This time, I want to keep it manageable,” he says. “More movement, maybe vehicles, but still cozy. It just doesn’t need to take four years.”

A Measured Kind of Success

Spirittea’s story isn’t about overnight fame or massive profit. It’s about steady success built on persistence, learning, and honest self-awareness.

For Dan Beckerton, that’s the real victory — being able to make small, meaningful games that sustain both creativity and life.

You can find Spirittea on Steam, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox. Dan shares updates as @Cheesemaster_PR on Twitter and Cheesemaster Productions on BlueSky.