iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 1h

The one thing all Belgians agree on!

Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 18h

Naughty Dog's creative director, Neil Druckmann, once mentioned on social media that Half-Life was one of the intellectual properties he would love to work on if given the chance. Imagine that! How would you feel about a Half Life game made by Naughty Dog? You think they'd do it justice? #Wgames

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 12/10/2026

It’s interesting how the industry is perceived to be in decline, largely driven by aggressive industry giants being forced to confront their own practices, while the user market itself seems to be growing. #Wgames

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 11/10/2026

I’ve run my company for 16 years, prioritizing impact over headcount. Now, at 13 people, we’ve reached a crossroads: we have to invest in management, not just production team. I fear becoming “that type of company.” How do you scale without losing the cozy culture? Entrepreneurs, what’s your take?

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 09/10/2026

A prized possession, a Steam Deck provided directly by Valve for dev purposes. This is a great thing about Valve: if you're a trusted dev on Steam, you can sometimes request their hardware, even before it goes on sale. It has been a massive help for our development. #WGames

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 09/10/2026

Europe has a growing ecosystem of gamedev tools worth exploring. Meet four European game engines: 🇳🇱 Godot - Open-source, community-driven, supported by a Dutch foundation 🇬🇧 GameMaker - Great for 2D games 🇩🇪 CRYENGINE - High-end 3D graphics 🇸🇪 Defold - Lightweight and dev-friendly #WGames

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 09/10/2026

Been trying out this new indie game "The Lantern of the Laighless Saint" (rolls right off the tongue!), a retro Morrowind-style open-world RPG. Basically, this was made for me. Gotta praise it for trying what so many of us want. I really want to love it... but I'm torn. Anyone tried it? #WGames

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 08/10/2026

As a gamer, how do you discover new titles to play? Here's the data: YouTube videos (57%) and Steam's internal recommendations (55.8%) are the primary discovery channels for Steam players, followed by word of mouth (44.9%). (Source: GameDiscoverCo) #Wgames

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 07/10/2026

A few pins I’ve had produced for communities and associations I’m part of. Been calling it “pin diplomacy”: tokens of representation and appreciation. It makes a community tangible & easy to represent to the outside. I’ve sent out thousands of pins in just a few years. I’d love to add a W pin.

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 07/10/2026

"all of our merch will be available to win through our upcoming Ambassador Program" - W Social support. Interesting!

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 07/10/2026

As a game developer, these age restrictions likely impact my business, yet I'm in favor. Kids need protection, and it may make managing/moderating online multiplayer easier. We've seen plenty of childish behavior in our sessions... though unfortunately, many may be adults. Opinions? #Wgames

youtube.com

TikTok & Gaming BANNED? The EU KIDS Act Explained

YouTube video by EU Made Simple

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 07/10/2026

Aw yeah, twinkie en coffee for breakfast! 😅

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 06/10/2026

Had a big debate about these at work. Nay or yay! I was surprised to see that these are produced in Europe. I always thought they were only available as US imports?

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 06/10/2026

Added some fog to one of our drone sim levels. ...wait a minute. Are we sure we’re not making a Silent Hill game? 😅

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 06/10/2026

My daughter (6) told us the teacher spoke about a future of robots. And then she asked me if "we will all still be here when the robots come?" Obviously I said "Ofcourse we will!" 😶

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 05/10/2026

Life hack for boiling the perfect egg: Boil your egg for 1 minute, crack it, and if it's still running, pop it back in for another minute. Game changer for getting the timing exact every time! Trust the process! #Wfood

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 05/10/2026

Never been a World of Warcraft player... but I'm noticing this with a lot of my colleagues 😅

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 04/10/2026

Just saw the movie Sinners. What a twist! Let's just say I didn't expect this to turn into a "musical".

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 04/10/2026

Here's a dirty capitalist post for y'all. My drone sims joined the Steam Autumn Sale! Grab ’em while they’re discounted! 😅

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 04/10/2026

Good morning W! Exciting day ahead! We're going to an indoor amusement park to celebrate my daughter’s birthday, and it will also be my son’s very first amusement park experience at just 2,5 y old! I’m so curious to see his little face light up.

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Reposted by Kevin Haelterman

Marc ON4AAX #HAMR #DX #ax25 #MultiLingual #TheOutpost #TSF 📻🎙️📡 @radiosuperb.wsocial.eu · 03/10/2026

Every opinion must be given a voice in W. In my view, the conversations and dialogues must be based on a constructive foundation and grounded in measurements, technology, and science. And not just science paid for by some political or non-political lobby.

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 03/10/2026

For W to succeed, I don’t think it should be positioned as an alternative to anything. Every time that framing comes up, it feels like a missed opportunity. W should aim to stand on its own: new ideas, new systems, a new way of thinking. Not a copy of what others have done with a different vibe.

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 02/10/2026

Global trauma. Empty streets. People hiding indoors, terrified of a deadly pandemic. Am I the only one calling the post-COVID era the "post-apocalypse"? Sure, no mutants. But definitely some post-apocalyptic tribal leaders roaming the wastelands. 😅

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 02/10/2026

It sounds nice, but IMO this is the biggest fallacy proclaimed to aspiring gamedevs. If you want to turn gamedev into a business, play the game you want to play and build the game that has an audience. Those are two different things, both can become a passion, but one has a bigger chance of success.

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 02/10/2026

My birthday girl turns 6 today! I know it’s such a cliché, but goodness, they really do grow up so fast!

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 01/10/2026

We finally know what the W for WSocial stands for!

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 01/10/2026

The Steam Autumn Sale is live! For players, it’s bargain season. For devs, sales like this can mean a spike in visibility, wishlists, sales, and sometimes the difference between a quiet month and a very good one. It's always been a big win for us. Good luck & have fun! #WGames

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 01/10/2026

We have an open 3D Environment artist position at our studio. The response has been massive. It’s clear the job market isn't easy, especially with so many jobs lost in the industry over the past 3 years. Alongside the experienced, we sometimes also get some "creative" endeavours in our mailbox ;)

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 01/10/2026

Gamedev behind the scenes: a random programmer notebook at the studio. Any guesses what he's working on?

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 30/09/2026

So, we spent months building a custom OSD editor for our drone sim. Rearrange your screen, add speed, altitude, voltage, a flight horizon, and even share your layout on the Steam Workshop. Months of hard work put into this tool, and this is what our testers did with it. 😅 Dream big, they said...

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 30/09/2026

Gamedev behind the scenes: A new level in production!

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 29/09/2026

What I miss most in games: printed game maps. They used to come standard in the box, alongside a fun, printed manual. These days, the only way to get a physical map seems to be buying a deluxe edition or printing one yourself. Has anyone bought a game recently that still included pne? #WGames

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Reposted by Kevin Haelterman

Denys @denys.dev · 29/09/2026

The kettle's on again! ☕ W Mythology Vol. 3 is out - this time: "9% active users" = ghost town? Turns out that's not a bug, it's the internet. 1% rule, 90-9-1, and the maths that acquits W. 🍪📊 Even Bluesky scores the same - nobody calls it haunted. 👻 denys.dev/w-mythology-... #WSocial

denys.dev

Myths About W Social, Explained in Simple Words. Vol 3. | Developer Notes

This blog post is part of a series debunking myths and clarifying misconceptions about W Social - so you can separate fact from fiction.

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 29/09/2026

Fascinating! Rumours are starting to spread that, after GTA IV, Rockstar is working on a new L.A. Noire game. I was actually surprised to learn that Rockstar was involved with the first one (as co-producers and publishers)... which actually makes a lot of sense now that I think of it. #WGames

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 29/09/2026

No humans were harmed in the making of this game... #WGames

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 28/09/2026

Gamedev behind the scenes: Yeah that's basically half a day of "gamedev" work... every day. 😑

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 27/09/2026

Is this the most mysterious figure in game history? Any theories, or perhaps stronger candidates? #WGames

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 26/09/2026

Embrace the typo. In today's reality, it is a indication of human effort, a sign of kualiti!

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 26/09/2026

To the gamers here #WGames, what's your opinion about the Epic Games Store? Do you use it? Why not? Should alternative stores to Steam exist?

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 25/09/2026

Best moment of the week: a simple walk, a beautiful place, and one of those little moments that just hits differently. Nothing beats a good old real-life walking simulator.

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 25/09/2026

Gamedev behind the scenes: This is what a “simple” water shader looks like. Every connected node on the screen represents a different effect, all layered and working together to create realistic water in our simulator, accounting for every reflection, every ripple, and every subtle detail. #WGames

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 25/09/2026

We’ve officially got our very own window artist! Visitors to LuGus Studios and our co-working space Spawn Point, are greeted by an Alvergast, our beloved game-company mascot, who’ll be bringing a little extra warmth and fresh greetings throughout the year. Starting with a cosy "Happy fall!" 🍂

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 25/09/2026

Whoops? This keeps happening this morning.

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Kevin Haelterman @kevinhaelterman.wsocial.eu · 25/09/2026

If you needed proof of the immense cultural impact of games: Not only is the new GTA a phenomenon online, but Miami is rebranding itself, at least for the duration of the promo campaign, as Vice City. You’d think this would be to promote the game… Nope. It’s also to promote the city! #Wgames

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