iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Novak Studios

grimmerwood @grimmerwood.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

not good at playing with an audience

Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

A little sneak peek of The Energy Case trailer! Oop, something went wrong-- 🐜 #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames #appliedgames #theenergycase #tec #skyrim

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

Be careful who you call ugly in high school 😤 A first look at Dec, now in 3D! #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames #appliedgames #theenergycase #tec

A 3D model of a robot ant wearing a trenchcoat and a fedora. He’s shown from the waist-up, hand raised and looking down at it.

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

Our previous game for a client is out! Learn about how we made it and more on our website. There you can join us on many more topics! www.novakstudios.nl/post/the-dev... ‪ #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames #appliedgames #blogpost

Image of a board game and its box lying on a table. The board game’s name is displayed with the text “Sei Leiferser”. Text on the image says “The Development of Sei Leiferser!“.

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

‪ ‪ We'll miss them all so much😔 Until we see them again in September :P #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames #appliedgames #theenergycase #tec

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

Have you guys seen Dec? He left our Steam page and walked off to another bug-based game and came back looking like this :0 #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames #appliedgames #theenergycase #tec #hollowknight #silksong

An ant in a trench coat and fedora, drawn like a character from Hollow Knight

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 13/06/2025

Making games and videos is a lot of fun, but not without mistakes. Enjoy the best bloopers from our archive! ‪ #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames #appliedgames #theenergycase #tec #bloopers

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

About time that events started happening in the Northern Netherlands! Last Friday we attended LevelUp, the first game dev industry networking event in the north. Needless to say, we hope it’s back next year! levelupgroningen.framer.website #indiedev #gamedev #gameevent #indiegames #appliedgames

Two people stand on either side of a tall table with a black table cloth. On the table are two laptops, each displaying different videos, while behind the two is a black board with pictures and posters plastered on it.

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

Happy Pride Month! 🏳️‍🌈 Dec is indeed bisexual! Audio: Sonic Riders | Real-Time Fandub Games by SnapCube on YouTube #pridemonth #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames #appliedgames #theenergycase #tec

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 06/06/2025

It’s now out! Last year, we collaborated with Logos Dolomiti to develop Sei Leiferser!, a board game that focuses on fostering awareness towards and teaching children about local stores in the town of Laives in South Tyrol, Italy. #gamedesign #boardgamedesign #appliedgames #seileferser #southtyrol

A photo of a newspaper page written in Italian in the newspaper called Laives.

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

Tech team: Hey, here's some funny errors and tests you can make a video out of. The marketing lead: #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames #appliedgames #theenergycase #tec #bloopers

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 29/05/2025

Can you believe it? It's Ascension Day today! Perfect time to bring up this old drawing of Dec, now edited to feature his redesign! #ascensionday #indiedec #gamedev #indiegames #appliedgames #theenergycase #tec

Dec, a robot ant wearing a trenchcoat and a fedora, floats in the air with his eyes closed, head tilted back, and arms raised slightly. He appears to be floating towards a cloud that casts a spotlight on him.

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

Psst! Soon we’ll have our Steam page up, so here’s a sneak peek of some of our new capsule art! #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames #appliedgames #theenergycase #tec

This image depicts the meme with two panels. In the first one, someone holds up two pictures, edited to show one of them as the previous image on this post, and the second one as a meme visual depiction of the character Edwin from Five Nights at Freddy’s. The caption underneath says “Corporate needs you to find the differences between this picture and this picture.“
The second image continues the meme normally, with a woman looking into the camera and saying “They’re the same picture“.

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

Meet Herman Abano! He's the supervisor for Hemiaqua, a shipping company that doesn't particularly care about green energy, and is suspected to be involved with the Energy Case #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames #appliedgames #theenergycase #tec

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 14/05/2025

Excuse me, ma’am, we are not currently holding auditions 😒 #indiegames #appliedgames #theenergycase #tec

A blurry image of a wasp/hornet walking around on a grey carpet.

A blurry image of a wasp/hornet walking around on a grey carpet. A few chair legs are also seen.

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 09/05/2025

Having witnessed her friend’s murder, Phila comes to Dec for help. We talked about her on our TikTok and Instagram accounts! www.tiktok.com/@novak.studi... #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames #appliedgames #theenergycase #tec

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

All members of our team have now signed ✍️ Everything on the Internet is always at high risk of getting lost and forgotten. We must protect our archives to not lose our history!

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 25/04/2025

“My favourite thing in recent concept art has been exploring the bugs’ secondary set of limbs and what they can be used for. I imagine their society is very good at multi-tasking” - Kris, our Visual Lead #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames #appliedgames #conceptart #characterdesign #theenergycase #tec

A compilation of different images, all closeups of robot bugs, showing off how they use their secondary set of limbs. At the top the caption reads “The Many Functionalities of Secondary Limbs!“

The first image is a closeup of an ant’s back. She’s holding green papers under her secondary limb. A line points at it with the caption “carrying flyers“.

The second image is a closeup of two ants, facing each other. One holds up a wooden sign with his limb, and the other is holding spools in hers. Lines point to both of them, reading “keeping a sign upright“ and “holding spools“.

The third image is of a group of bugs. An ant stands tall with his head cut out of the image, and a ladybug is crouching beside him, passing a can of oil to someone else. The ant uses one of his limb to gesture for the ladybug to hide, and the ladybug uses one of his limbs to balance while crouching. Lines point to their limbs, reading “gesturing/pushing“ and “keeping balance“.

The forth image is a closeup of a barman ant cleaning a glass in his hands. His secondary limb holds up what looks like an alcohol bottle. A line points to it, reading “holding bottle“.

The fifth image is a closeup of two ants, each on opposites sides of a bar. The barman’s head is cut out of the image as he leans on the bar, pouring a drink while holding the bottle with his secondary limb. The other ant is reading the newspaper, holding it with both his secondary limbs. Lines point to their limbs, reading “pouring drink“ and “holding newspaper“.

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 18/04/2025

Happy Easter, everyone! Remember, when handling animals, do not perform strenuous activities, as your engine smoke is not good for organic life and might stress them out! #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames #appliedgames #theenergycase #tec #easter

A picture of Dec, the robotic ant detective, sitting on the ground and looking annoyed with one chicken sitting on his head, and another, joined by a rabbit, sitting in his lap.

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 16/04/2025

Comparing a project's concept art throughout the years can really show us where we've grown as designers. Working on The Energy Case has taught us so much! The first image was made in 2023, the second in 2024, and the third in 2025 #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames #appliedgames #theenergycase #tec

Concept art of a robotic ant showing a 3/4s angle and a side view. Large puffs of smoke come out of the robot's back.

Concept art of robot insects, each showing a side and a 3/4s angle. The bugs are an ant, a bee and a wasp.

Concept art of a robot ant. Shown are two variations of the beak, two variations of limbs, and two variations of arms, as well as the back of the ant.
The bottom part of the picture shows three characters, two ants and one bee, each wearing outfits with pictures of ant and bee species and other pictures that inspired them around them.

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

Did you know Dec has friends? Meet Messo Barber, a bartender in Deeprun, the city of TEC! Here’s some concept art from our most recent video and the oldest art of Messo we could find. vm.tiktok.com/ZNdNGJGC9/ #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames #appliedgames #theenergycase #tec

Concept art of Messo, a red robot ant, wearing a green vest. He's cleaning a glass with a towel in his hands, while a secondary pair of hands hold up a brown glass bottle, similar to a whiskey bottle.

Concept art of Dec and Messo, two robot ants, sit at the bar. Dec reads the newspaper, held between his secondary arms, as one of his upper hands holds a pencil, and the other is cupped around his glass on the bar.
Messo stands over him on the other side of the bar. He looks at a piece of paper in his hand as one of his secondary arms pours a drink inside Dec's glass.
The two are in darkness, only a warm light shining above their heads.

Concept art of Messo, a brown ant, wearing bright lime green clothing. He sits on the ground, holding onto a counter. His shirt is open, revealing some sort of wound, making him "bleed" oil on the ground.

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 09/04/2025

A few weeks back we held a presentation on How to Fail at Entrepreneurship! If you're looking to fail, the most important bits are: - Do NOT share your ideas. - Keep your pitch the same no matter who you are talking to. - Don't bother with marketing early. #indiedev #gamedev #gamebiz

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

Did you know Dec has a son? We talked about him on our TikTok account! Here’s some concept art from our most recent video: www.tiktok.com/@novak.studi... #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames #appliedgames #theenergycase #tec

Concept art illustration. Four robotic bugs walk, facing away from the viewer. From left to right, the bugs are a ladybug, an orange ant, a brown ant, and a bee. They carry protest signs and green leaflets. Each one wears a green armband with a symbol of a bug inside a circle.

Concept art illustration. A robotic ant stands centre-stage, leaning against a counter. Near him, hiding behind the counter, a bee and ladybug robots sneakily pass a jerrycan with the words “premium oil” on it.

Concept art illustration. Two robotic ants stand facing each other, sideways to the viewer. The ant on the right leans down to inspect the clothing of the other ant. She's holding a sewing needle and a few spools.

Concept art illustration. Two robotic bugs stand next to each other, one of them an ant, the other a bee. The bee smacks the ant’s hat off of his head and in front of his eyes.

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Very excited to be visiting the @dutchgamesassociation.nl’s Network Lunch this Wednesday! It’s always great to see what other designers are working on. This is a picture of us visiting last year when it was still the @dutchgamegarden.bsky.social. #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames #appliedgames

Picture of the members of Novak Studios attending the Dutch Game Garden’s Network Lunch.

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 28/03/2025

We want to give some attention to the real heroes of our game development: our pets! #productionpets #pets #dogsofbluesky #catsofbluesky

Name: Koldr
A picture of a pug lying down on his side, looking at the camera.

Name: Tijgertje
A picture of a brown, striped cat sitting in front of a brick wall, looking right at the camera.

Name: Kore
A picture of a blonde dog with a red collar sitting down, looking at the camera.

Name: Ziggy
A picture of a black and orange cat lying down curled up. She sticks her tongue out as she looks up at the camera.

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

Anthony felt it was time for his family to do some bonding. What better way to do that than through D&D? Editor’s note: TEC’s version of Dungeons & Dragons only has warforged. #dnd #ttrpg #tec #theenergycase

An image of Anthony, a robotic ant, running a D&D session. There is text next to him stating “Anthony got into D&D shortly after he joined Extermination Revolt, and has been playing with his friend group ever since.”
“Tries to run a serious campaign but he has a hard time keeping the silliness in check.”
“Gives amazing speeches as his NPCs.”

An image depicting Dec, a robotic ant, and Phila, a robotic bee playing D&D.
Dec is rolling dice and looking at his sheet, while saying: “I use my enhanced arcane focus to cast Scorching Ray at 3rd level, targeting two rays on the beetle-orc, and one of them on the mosquito-elf—”.
There is text stating “Dec is playing an Artillerist Artificer.”
“Gets really into the tactical strats, but does not care much for the roleplaying.”
“Enjoys the game more than he would like to admit.”
Phila is leaning forward, while saying “Messo, I need you to be more careful. I’m running out of spell slots.”
There is text stating “Phila is playing a Life Domain Cleric.”
“Tries to be a team player, but also wants to explore her own backstory.”

An image depicting Cophy and Messo, two ants, playing D&D.
Cophy is standing up, slamming her hands down on the table, while saying “I do 115 damage!” with a small doodle of Anthony responding “What??”
There is text stating “Cophy is playing an Oathbreaker Paladin… Well, this time, at least. She is on her third character.”
“Got really into the game after the first session.”
“Likes to derail Anthony’s sessions.”
Messo is looking towards Anthony, while responding to him “Cophy is correct, kid. I checked.”
There is text stating “Messo is playing a Swashbuckler Rogue.”
“Tries to be diplomatic in most situations, despite not playing a Bard.”

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 21/03/2025

There’s still time to change our ways and protect the environment, and this video demonstrates this perfectly! Kudos to Simon for this amazing and educational video! #climatechange #environmentalcare #energytransition

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 19/03/2025

It’s always fun to look at what games inspired others! Here’s the game we’re making and three games that inspired us! #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames #appliedgames #theenergycase #tec

A poster with the title “Novak Studios Presents: The Energy Case”. The poster is mainly a dark brown, with a yellow spotlight shining through half of it. In the middle stands a robotic ant figure dressed in a trench coat and fedora. Out of the exhausts on his back comes out a black cloud shaped like him, but holding a gun.

A poster for the game L.A. Noire. A man in a suit and hat, holding a gun, stands in the middle. On the left of the poster behind him is a blue image of a woman’s face. On the right is a red image of three figures standing near a crime scene.

A poster for the game Duck Detective, the secret salami. The poster features a duck dressed like a detective, holding a small notebook. He stands in front of a green sky and a dark building, with other characters appearing behind him.

A poster for the game The Last of Us. A run down city scape is most of the background, with two characters faced away from the camera but turned to look at it. The one closer is a young girl, and the one further away is an adult man.

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 12/03/2025

They’re lucky we don’t actually have a budget. Editor’s note: Beer is not real in TEC. #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames #appliedgames #theenergycase

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 07/03/2025

Game design is so fun if you have infinite money, infinite time, infinite energy, infinite skills, infinite– #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames

A meme depicting a little girl hiding from the Terminator. The little girl has the caption “coming up with game concepts” and the terminator has the caption “scope”.

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 05/03/2025

Today is the birthday of a very special member of Novak Studios! Our amazing narrative designer and team lead, @unofficial-trans.bsky.social ! Please enjoy a selection of quotes from or about Jeremy! #birthday #narrativedesign

An image of a calico cat wearing a grey suit and crouching down. He holds a magnifying glass. Next to him is the caption “Jeremy. Narrative designer & Team manager” and a pixel art version of the same cat.
The entire left side of the image is taken over by a series of screenshots from Discord. The screenshots read, as follows:
“You’re like oh I’m feeling butterflies in my stomach, but no it’s just spaghetti” - Jeremy
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[Jeremy:] “WITHOUT ME!?” Followed by a screenshot of someone having played Minecraft.
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“Stop with the unpaid labor and let my little people go… This joke would be way funnier if jeremy was here” - [Lorenzo]
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”I don’t like Jeremy“ - Lorenzo
[Lorenzo:] nooooo
[Jeremy:] I knew it it
[Kris:] I knew it
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“That is horse island.” - Jeremy
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“I don’t want to accidentally kill a teacher. I want to do it on purpose.” - Jeremy, Novak Studios
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“How tall are your balls?” - Jeremy
“Walls, Jeremy. Walls” - Bjorn
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[Kris:] Damn, I forgot to talk with you about the duck bill thing, Jeremy
[Jeremy:] Oh right, it looks like a duck, fix it
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“yea we also have 5 artists, and jeremy” Jeremy’s classmate
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Jeremy: Climbing trees is what inspired me to want to do free lance.
[Kris]: Huh? Free lance?
Jeremy: You know, jumping on buildings and stuff?
[Kris]: ... Parkouring?
Jeremy: Same thing
[Kris]: That's not what you said.
Jeremy: No, no, but it's basically the same--
[Kris]: The same thing!? You said 'Climbing trees is what inspired me to become a small business owner.'
Jeremy: Yes, that's right, and now I'm a professional thief.

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

What are applied games?? Check out our newest blog post about it! www.novakstudios.nl/post/what-is... #indiedev #gamedev #indiegames #appliedgames

"But now... now I'm not so sure. And besides..."
The words “applied game” have been edited over the sword.

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 26/02/2025

What an awesome idea! It’s truly amazing how far games can take us in these important fields, like cancer research. The concept of using people’s game-aquired problem-solving skills to solve real-life issues is unique and inspiring!

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

Who knew making robot characters meant making robot characters?

A drawn meme template depicting a person walking towards a yellow balloon. Said person is prevented from getting the balloon from a pink creature. The person is captioned as “The Energy Case visual designer”, the balloon is captioned as “1920s fashion” and the pink creature is captioned as “car anatomy”.

A cork board covered in different drawings of robotic bugs. A stock image of a person with their hands on their head looks at them, only the back of their head visible to the camera.

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 20/02/2025

As an up-and-coming indie game studio, who’s watched the growth of generative AI in recent years, we’re happy to say we’ll be using this seal for all our products in the future!

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

Account manager note: Dec is divorced

A Valentine-style picture featuring a 3D model of an upright robot ant in a trenchcoat and fedora. The text says: “There are 12 thousand ant species in the world. Will you let me be your one, valentine?”

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Novak Studios @novakstudios.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

due to budget cuts, our detective noir character is reduced to ant-size 😔

The camera is pointed towards the floor, looking down on a drawing of a robotic ant wearing a trench coat and a fedora. There is smoke coming out of the ant.

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