Buds, we’ve got something leafy and lovely to share!
We have gotten funded!!
The Letter
On July 10th, the unexpected appeared in our brand-new job inbox. We made it! Østnorsk Filmsenter has selected Glueplant Games as one of four game studios to receive a grant of 200,000 NOK (~$20K). In addition, we got exceptional feedback on our application, leaving us stunned by what we had managed to achieve.
We did not expect to reach this far in only six months, and are both humble and excited about the opportunity we now have to enter the games industry for real!
It’s funny, but suddenly everything feels more grounded. Going to work hits different. The realization that “tomorrow is monday” is now a happy thought. Even those familiar summer chats with old friends have a new tone to them.
It’s fascinating how deeply this moment has impacted our daily lives. To know that someone has seen the potential in Steps and recognized the effort we’ve poured into it, means the world!
So, What Now?
In an attempt to snap back to reality, what does this mean for us at Glueplant Games? Thanks to the funding, both of us can now work 70% positions on Steps until the end of September (from June to September). And during this period, we have a clear and exciting goal in mind: build the MVP (Minimal Viable Product) for Steps.
Østnorsk Filmsenter provides funding for two phases. The goal by the end of both is a fully working demo of the game (which is used to apply for funding from NFI and Filminvest up to release).
As for the first phase, our MVP should include all core systems that will be present in the final version of Steps. Ideally, by the end of September, we won’t need to build any new systems. Instead, we can shift focus toward level design, bug fixing, and polishing the gameplay experience.
The second phase (assuming that we get funded again) will be all about expanding the game, building testable levels and experimenting with environmental effects. We expect to share more images and videos in our forums when we enter this phase.
What About Steps’ Progress So Far?
Even before we knew the outcome of our funding application, we have been working as if it got through. This has helped us keep a healthy work rhythm throughout the summer, and it's paying off now as we’re headed into the second half with a lot of work already done.
Mathias has been deep in the web garden. He’s been busy building this web page, handling everything from privacy policy jargon to subscription and newsletter systems. Behind the scenes, he’s added layers of error protection to ensure a smooth launch (fingers crossed!). What started as a rough prototype in early June/July is now nearly complete. We’re aiming to launch the site sometime during August, alongside a Steam page for Steps and a Discord server for our community.
Meanwhile, Adrian packed up his PC and with his family headed 350km south to Kristiansand for the summer. He squeezed in at his dad’s office (only the setup!), and from there he’s built Steps’ dialogue system. This includes a complete Excel-based template for easy branching dialogue setup, support for up to 4 player choices per text segment, NPC animations and language support. He also implemented statistics with the use of Unity Analytics. This will give us insight into player behavior and help us refine levels to be as fun and meaningful as possible.
As we wave goodbye to the warm summer and enter the second half of our first funding phase, we’re happy to say that we are ahead of schedule and incredibly motivated to keep building the best version of Steps we can.
See you back in September, Buds!