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inkle

@inkle.co
6.8K followers 332 following 895 posts

Independent developer of narrative games; creators of ink; home of the Game Narrative Kaleidoscope podcast.. Games: TR-49, A Highland Song, Forever Labyrinth, Overboard, Expelled, Heaven's Vault, 80 Days, Sorcery, and Pendragon. 🔗 inkle.co

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Reposted by inkle
Failbetter Games | Wishlist Mandrake on Steam! @failbettergames.com · 5h
We're hiring! We're looking for a Writer and Narrative Designer to join the Fallen London team at a senior or mid level. This position is permanent, remote, and full time, which for us means 35 hours a week. #GamesJobs
Night. The House of Chimes - a tower which you might immediately think of as Big Ben - is adrift in the River Thames. It still seems to be keeping time. In the background, a large, alien building looms over the city of London.
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inkle @inkle.co · 5h
New Kaleidiscope Episode! WHY I LOVE TEXT PARSERS Creativity, craft, and designing for text parsers, with the Crimson Diamond's creator @juliaminamata.bsky.social www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope...
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inkle @inkle.co · 28/09/2026
(and it wouldn't Monday without a discount code - BOOKBAG10 - for 10% off the print edition)
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inkle @inkle.co · 28/09/2026
What's the minimum you need to make a story feel like a story? @joshmlabelle.bsky.social walks us through it: The full ep is here! www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope...
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inkle @inkle.co · 27/09/2026
Apologies, but this is one has now closed
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Reposted by inkle
inkle @inkle.co · 24/09/2026
"... I have... questions." "Answers will come. In time."
A Heaven's Vault robot, with a damaged chassis and a somewhat rounded, sleeker face. This definitely isn't Six.

As a little bonus for reading this, here's a quick fable from the Nebula. Skip it if you like.

Once there was a fisherman whose sole possession was a tiny, flat-bottomed boat. He would row out into the middle of the vast watery lake on whose shores he lived, and then ship the oars and peer out over the side, gazing down through the layers and layers of the clear water below. 
He would watch the strange creatures that crawled across the deepest rocks. He would follow the fish that swam above them, birds through a liquid sky. And then, when a fish swam close enough to shadow of his boat, he would raise a sharp-pointed metal spear and plunge it into the water, skewering his prey from above. 

The fisherman was patient and precise, but also vain: he considered himself to be like a God to the creatures beneath: unrelenting in his observation, ruthless in his judgement. He saw himself, not as hunter, but as a guardian, keeping the lower world firmly in its proper place. 

After many years of patient hunting the fisherman began to grow angry. First at his boat - it rocked! - then at the water - so cold! - and finally at the fish themselves. Why did they not respect him? Why did they wait so long before rising up to greet his shadow? Why did they not flock to him, turning sideways to expose their delicate gills to his spear? He decided, eventually, to punish them: he would watch over them no more. He would leave them to attend to themselves. He did not even push his boat out into the water: instead he shattered it, and threw the pieces away. Then he sat on the sloping shore by the lapping lake and waited for the fish to come to him.

When finally he died of hunger, his body slid down into the water, and there was skewered from below by a thousand tiny, beautiful teeth.
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inkle @inkle.co · 24/09/2026
"... I have... questions." "Answers will come. In time."
A Heaven's Vault robot, with a damaged chassis and a somewhat rounded, sleeker face. This definitely isn't Six.

As a little bonus for reading this, here's a quick fable from the Nebula. Skip it if you like.

Once there was a fisherman whose sole possession was a tiny, flat-bottomed boat. He would row out into the middle of the vast watery lake on whose shores he lived, and then ship the oars and peer out over the side, gazing down through the layers and layers of the clear water below. 
He would watch the strange creatures that crawled across the deepest rocks. He would follow the fish that swam above them, birds through a liquid sky. And then, when a fish swam close enough to shadow of his boat, he would raise a sharp-pointed metal spear and plunge it into the water, skewering his prey from above. 

The fisherman was patient and precise, but also vain: he considered himself to be like a God to the creatures beneath: unrelenting in his observation, ruthless in his judgement. He saw himself, not as hunter, but as a guardian, keeping the lower world firmly in its proper place. 

After many years of patient hunting the fisherman began to grow angry. First at his boat - it rocked! - then at the water - so cold! - and finally at the fish themselves. Why did they not respect him? Why did they wait so long before rising up to greet his shadow? Why did they not flock to him, turning sideways to expose their delicate gills to his spear? He decided, eventually, to punish them: he would watch over them no more. He would leave them to attend to themselves. He did not even push his boat out into the water: instead he shattered it, and threw the pieces away. Then he sat on the sloping shore by the lapping lake and waited for the fish to come to him.

When finally he died of hunger, his body slid down into the water, and there was skewered from below by a thousand tiny, beautiful teeth.
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Reposted by inkle
Josh @joshmlabelle.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
I had an amazing time chatting about the things you learn about storyteller creating a quest a week for Kim Kardashian.
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inkle @inkle.co · 23/09/2026
And you can check out Josh's writing in action in this Choice of Games novel released just last week!
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inkle @inkle.co · 23/09/2026
New Kaleidoscope episode! Set-ups, Attempts, Complications and Pay-Offs @joshmlabelle.bsky.social talks us through the process of managing expectations so that we start off strong, and end with a bang. www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope...
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inkle @inkle.co · 22/09/2026
huge if true
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inkle @inkle.co · 22/09/2026
So here's to at least ten more years of great stories where you get to MESS things up as you go along!
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inkle @inkle.co · 22/09/2026
Nowadays, prose-heavy text adventures have never been stronger - think Duskpunk, Citizen Sleeper... - and today, Nighthawks, which was written in ink, the scripting language whose features were built and battle-tested as Sorcery! grew into the free-roaming monstrosity it became.
store.steampowered.com
Nighthawks on Steam
The secret is out. Vampires have been exposed to the world… and you’re one of them. Seize the night as a modern monster, stepping out of the shadows to build a thriving nightclub empire through fear, ...
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inkle @inkle.co · 22/09/2026
We wanted players to get their Analander into trouble - kidnapped, brainwashed, mutilated, penniless, starving, caged, turned into a pig, whatever - and then choose to roll forward, instead of rewinding to get a "better" outcome. We saw it as a comedy, almost - coming from that Discworld root.
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inkle @inkle.co · 22/09/2026
One curious design detail is we saw Sorcery! as an RPG without the need for dice, which isn't the direction that the current bumper crop of text-based RPGs have gone in. Our feeling was that dice were arbitrary but so were choices -- we wanted players to be in charge of their own fails and successes
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inkle @inkle.co · 22/09/2026
Today is the ten year anniversary of the completion of the Sorcery! series! What began as a pitch for a "Discworld companion app" to a publisher grew - thanks to Steve Jackson's trust! - into a massive, sprawling, open-world interactive fiction adventure. If you came for the ride - thank you!
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inkle @inkle.co · 21/09/2026
The core question in our conversation with @jigu.com.br - should game studios setting up outside of the global north try to blend in, or should they try to stand out? (Full ep here - www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope... - and 15% off the book this week with PUBLISHER15)
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inkle @inkle.co · 16/09/2026
Listen here! www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope...
inklestudios.com
The Game Narrative Kaleidoscope
The Game Narrative Kaleidoscope book and podcast from inkle.
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inkle @inkle.co · 16/09/2026
New Kaleidoscope! Can you believe we're up to thirty episodes already? @jigu.com.br joins us to talk about drawing on broader cultural sources while working in a worldwide market. (Also; get 10% of the book this week with the code BACKLIST10.)
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inkle @inkle.co · 12/09/2026
we tend to ask for samples and listen for what sounds in the right direction for the character at the first stage; and then send out a short audition piece with more details to people we reckon are a fit
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inkle @inkle.co · 11/09/2026
<3
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inkle @inkle.co · 11/09/2026
yes! We won’t move forwards until next week sometime
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inkle @inkle.co · 11/09/2026
The best would be Cornish but realistically 95% of the audience won’t be able to tell the difference with other SW/light Welsh accents; so we’ll ultimately go with the best performance / match for the character
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inkle @inkle.co · 11/09/2026
please do!
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inkle @inkle.co · 11/09/2026
it might do, but if you wouldn't mind firing that link to info@inklestudios.com it'd help with our filing system🤞
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inkle @inkle.co · 11/09/2026
Feel free to drop us an email! And note that for the age, it's very much about the timbre of your voice over your actual age.
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inkle @inkle.co · 11/09/2026
next friday, maybe? at this stage we only need a reel tho, so hopefully it's very quick to apply
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inkle @inkle.co · 11/09/2026
tell you what we'll do a fully-voice far-future game next so we can use Any Bloody Accent and call it worldbuilding
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inkle @inkle.co · 11/09/2026
thank you!
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inkle @inkle.co · 11/09/2026
🎙️ Call for voice actors! 🎭 We're looking for two lead voices for our next game. - One male and one female, vocal age 40 to 60 - Cornish / Welsh / South-West England accent If that's you, please send an acting sample to info@inklestudios.com, marked “casting call”. (Paid, ofc) <3 RTs!
static.klipy.com
Patrick Stewart's Witty 'Acting' Moment
ALT: Patrick Stewart's Witty 'Acting' Moment
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inkle @inkle.co · 10/09/2026
sure, except the queue is the line of succession to the english throne, and the year is 1485
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Reposted by inkle
litotic (elise) @litotic.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Elise here! forever grateful for having my experimental, deeply personal essay published first by @inkle.co (on real paper! alongside excellent folks!) and now on @mothership.blog along even more excellent folks
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inkle @inkle.co · 10/09/2026
In case you haven't picked up the Kaleidoscope, you can now read one of the essays in the excellent @mothership.blog
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Reposted by inkle
Steve Morton - 🔜 AdvX, London, 7-8 November @pvbuk.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Also, 15% off the book this week with code BOOKBIZ15 😎👍
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Reposted by inkle
Adriana X Jacobs @axjacobs.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I had the best time talking to @jon.inkle.co and @sagarberoshi.bsky.social about poems, video games, environmental storytelling and more. And after listening to this episode, be sure to check out the other conversations in this brilliant series!
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inkle @inkle.co · 09/09/2026
another little shiny little button available to read
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inkle @inkle.co · 09/09/2026
New Kaleidoscope! A magical episode where poet and professor @axjacobs.bsky.social discusses the uses of poetry and spoken performance in game writing to deepen the world of the game, and to draw the player in. Listen here - www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope...
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inkle @inkle.co · 08/09/2026
Narrative heist game Thousand Hells is out now, and we're happy to say it's bundled with Heaven's Vault in the "Heaven's and Hells" bundle!
store.steampowered.com
Save 5% on Heavens and Hells on Steam
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inkle @inkle.co · 03/09/2026
We’re super excited to announce we’ve hired a writer - @alexiskaegi.com is joining us to help create the world of our Next Big Thing, which is the thing coming after the Next Thing, like the Sun poking out from behind the moon during an eclipse
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inkle @inkle.co · 03/09/2026
Super proud to be celebrating 10 years of Akupara Games, in a bundle with Mutiazone! Congrats!
store.steampowered.com
Akupara Games 10th Anniversary Sale
We're celebrating this year with our BIGGEST INDIE BANG YET - Up to 90% off Akupara Games titles from September 3rd-17th
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Reposted by inkle
Josh Boykin @wallstormer.blacksky.app · 02/09/2026
It was really wonderful to get the chance to talk about game narrative...and more than game narrative with @inkle.co! Thanks so much for the opportunity, and hope y'all check it out 🖤💛
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inkle @inkle.co · 02/09/2026
and if you want to pick up the book, this week the discount code is METADATA10, for some reason
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inkle @inkle.co · 02/09/2026
New Kaleidoscope! @wallstormer.bsky.social talks to us about working in a fraught political climate, and how a vulnerable approach to writing can lead to richer stories. Listen here: www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope...
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inkle @inkle.co · 01/09/2026
Good times
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inkle @inkle.co · 01/09/2026
The couple-based gameplay in GTA VI is very cool but meanwhile, have you played 80 Days by inkle studios ltd
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Reposted by inkle
Villith @villith.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
@jon.inkle.co A message from this reader.
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inkle @inkle.co · 28/08/2026
Big shout out to Wikipedia, the acknowledged antecedent of all archival games, including ours
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inkle @inkle.co · 26/08/2026
New Kaleidoscope! This week the excellent @emmakidwell.bsky.social (Civ VII, Midnight Suns) talks us through the art of the quiet moment - how a pause in the action can let the characters shine. 🎧 www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope...
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Reposted by inkle
Greg Costikyan @costik.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
So we collaborated, multiple authors contributing, on our take. And although featuring only arguably indie games, we nod at AAA titles we deserve to be acknowledged. First up is Wadjeteye's Unavowed, but you'll have to click through for the full list, here: indiegamereviewer.com/top-10-indie...
indiegamereviewer.com
IGR's Favorite Indie Adventure Games of the 21st Century
Greg Costikyan and the IGR writing team weigh in on some of our favorite adventure games of the 21st century (so far)!
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Reposted by inkle
inkle @inkle.co · 19/08/2026
New Kaleidoscope! This week we talk to acclaimed TTRPG designer @grahamwalmsley.bsky.social (Cthulu Dark, Cosmic Dark) about the creation of tabletop games. How do we create a coherent world when don't have control? www.inklestudios.com/kaleidoscope...
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