iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Santum @santumerino.com · 28/09/2026

McSpaghetti is a game about cooking pasta with dubious ingredients, performing well under time pressure, and feeling underappreciated in the workplace. Made for #FallingBlockJam! Always a joy to get to do something with my friends lol :) Check it out here! ➡️ f4b1.itch.io/mcspaghetti

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Santum @santumerino.com · 21/08/2026

I just had a glitch where every single notification I've ever gotten here became unread and re-notified me. Scared the hell out of me, I thought something happened lmao

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Santum @santumerino.com · 18/08/2026

New #devlog alert!!! My sokoban game had an issue. What if a player is stuck? How do I let them keep progressing, without just letting them skip levels all willy-nilly? We're probably thinking the same thing: add a city, a commune and a small town guarding a mysterious door! youtu.be/hdhL141paIE

youtu.be

i may have gone too far | Moonlit Dreams #8

YouTube video by Santum

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Darío @dariosamo.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Somebody asked me on Reddit why people who use AI to generate Recomp projects are currently being rejected from the communities and what they can do to fix this. I might tweak parts of this to be a more general blog post at some point, but this should be of help to anyone in a similar situation.

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Santum @santumerino.com · 22/07/2026

Wanted to try out Godot on my Android tablet. Not only does it run well, it runs my project (aimed at PCs) perfectly. Besides some mysterious errors that don't show on PC but also don't seem to affect anything. I'm in awe @godotengine.org, amazing job to all the contributors that made this possible.

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Santum @santumerino.com · 10/07/2026

I felt the current logo was a little too Comic Sans-y, so I went back and made a whole dang new one from scratch. So here's a little before and after! #gamedev #indiedev

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🖤 Ina! ❤️ @ina-strangeworld.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

pretty sure I said this before the last time this quote was on the TL but the more confident you are about conveying your idea as-is the less lame it is. it becomes lamer the more you coat it in irony and/or self-deprecation

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Mark LaCroix 💾 @marklacroix.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

One that even gamedevs don't always realize about other games is that a lot of the time that thing you don't like is that way on purpose. Players usually think of games only as software, not art. Often, missing "quality of life" features or "inefficient" systems are affirmative creative choices.

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Santum @santumerino.com · 06/07/2026

I forgot to post this last month when it would've been thematically relevant… I wrote a little short story about some thoughts that were bouncing around my noggin. You can read it in Spanish: www.santumerino.com/text/el_disf... Or, I also wrote an English ver.: www.santumerino.com/text/the_cos...

santumerino.com

The Costume

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Santum @santumerino.com · 05/07/2026

After the Cerebral Puzzle Showcase and the Steam Next Fest, I'm back on that #devlog biz. I'm talking cold hard numbers here, cuz the power of showcases is a lil crazy for marketing lol You can check that out here :) youtu.be/XEuxmZG00rs #gamedev #indiedev #madewithgodot

youtu.be

How I quintupled my game's wishlists | Moonlit Dreams #7

YouTube video by Santum

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Rami Ismail (رامي) @ramiismail.com · 20/06/2026

60% drop in reviews if people even smell AI on your game - full supports the investors, developers, and publishers that took a hard "no gen-AI" stance, despite grifters' proclamations that they were "going to be left behind".

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Rami Ismail (رامي) @ramiismail.com · 18/06/2026

Truly inspiring to see large corporations like Unity and Epic openly learn from each other and create true interoperability, in that both engines now equally and seamlessly support "moving to Godot". www.unrealengine.com/news/the-roa...

unrealengine.com

The road to Unreal Engine 6. Read about our plans and timeline

We have started the road to UE6, where Unreal Engine and UEFN will come together into a single, unified engine. Read more about our vision, transition plans and timeline.

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bridget @bridget.party · 17/02/2026

Wow Signal

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Santum @santumerino.com · 10/06/2026

The Moonlit Dreams demo will be available during Next Fest! (And, don't tell anyone, but it's also available right now...) Check out a sokoban game with overlapping levels! store.steampowered.com/app/4482070/... #gamedev #puzzlegames #madewithgodot

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dendy crew @dendycrew.com · 08/06/2026

im about to print this and frame it

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splendidland🌱 @splendid.land · 03/06/2026

gamedev problem: my placeholder asset is too perfect to replace

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Santum @santumerino.com · 28/05/2026

Moonlit Dreams has a demo available at the Cerebral Puzzle Showcase, alongside many other fantastic games! You can check out the first few levels of my sokoban game with overlapping levels at this link: store.steampowered.com/app/4482070/... Hope you enjoy! 🙌 #gamedev #indiedev

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Santum @santumerino.com · 28/05/2026

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Cerebral Puzzle Showcase (May 28 - June 4 2026) @puzzleshowcase.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

We're excited to announce that the Cerebral Puzzle Showcase will begin TOMORROW and run from May 28 - June 4! Featuring discounts on a selection of excellent puzzle games, streams from our favorite streamers, demos for upcoming games & plenty more! Links below 👇 www.cerebralpuzzleshowcase.com

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Michael Kamm @michaelkamm.games · 26/05/2026

Last year, miHoYo copied my puzzle game Ouros in Zenless Zone Zero. Because they are a recognized, billion-dollar studio and my game isn't well known, some people are now assuming that their version is the original, and mine is the clone. I hope this video clears that up.

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Derek Yu @mossmouth.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

Genuinely, this concern about AI is one of the reasons why I think having friction in video games is good and why it's increasingly important to have games that simply exist instead of catering to our expectations. Reposting this message from Kojima about "pre-digested" art:

And he said, "If everyone likes it, it means it's mainstream. It means it's conventional. It means it's already pre-digested for people to like it. And I don't want that. I want people to end up liking things they didn't like when they first encountered it, because that's where you really end up loving something."

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Santum @santumerino.com · 13/05/2026

SO happy to announce Moonlit Dreams will have a demo during the Cerebral Puzzle Showcase! You can read more here: store.steampowered.com/news/app/448... Thank you @puzzleshowcase.bsky.social for the opportunity! Hope everyone'll check out all the fantastic thinky games at the event when it starts!

store.steampowered.com

Moonlit Dreams - Moonlit Dreams will have a demo at the Cerebral Puzzle Showcase! - Steam News

The event runs from May 28th at 10AM PT to June 4th at 10AM PT, right here on Steam!

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Jenn Odd @jentranslations.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

More and more I see people say "it's ONLY used for translation" when it comes to genAI in games. As if the act of writing into another language is not worth respecting. As if people in other countries (both gamers and workers) don't matter at all. Translation IS writing. Translation IS art.

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Santum @santumerino.com · 02/05/2026

Moonlit Dreams is a sokoban game with overlapping levels, taking place inside your dreamscape! I've been working on it for a solid 3 months now, and it's shaping up to be very special... You can wishlist it on Steam! :D store.steampowered.com/app/4482070/... #gamedev #indiedev #screenshotsaturday

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Santum @santumerino.com · 30/04/2026

kulupu #tokipona a! o pana e pona tawa mi 🙏 toki Pona la mi sin. taso, mi wile e kepeken ni lon (lon? insa?) musi mi. mi wile sona e ni: sitelen la, sina ken sona e ni anu seme? pakala li lon? pona tawa sina a! #gamedev

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lex luddy needs a nap @lexluddy.xyz · 17/04/2026

BAFTA pulling a trailer for an autobiographical game about surviving sexual assault only hours before it was said to be a part of a showcase is an exceptionally bad look.

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Tamsin the Sword ⚔️ Mother @tamsin.reimaginedgirl.com · 16/04/2026

This is the single funniest thing I have ever seen Bluesky staff do.

BEAT @beatskelton.bsky.social • 1h
I THINK WE'LL KNOW THE SITE IS FULLY BACK ONLINE WHEN HE FINALLY CAN LOG IN LONG ENOUGH TO DELETE THIS.
• Removed by author

Karl Olson 🌸 Ultraklystron
@karlrolson.com
Good thing i screencapped it

BEAT @beatskelton.bsky.social
I THINK WE'LL KNOW THE SITE IS FULLY BACK ONLINE WHEN HE FINALLY CAN LOG IN LONG ENOUGH TO DELETE THIS.

Why @why.bsky.team • 8d
Looking forward to what the "ai sucks ackshoeally" crowd has to say about this one.

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Santum @santumerino.com · 10/04/2026

Tempted to reply to this scam with something stupid like "the game's $4 on Steam you don't need the other $96" I wonder what the goal here genuinely is tho. Do they just buy the game and fill it with cryptominers? What's even the play here #gamedev #indiedev

Subject: We are interested in purchasing the rights for your STEAM game: Yet Another Rage Game.
Body: Hello,
We are interested in purchasing the rights for your game: Yet Another Rage Game.
[Link to Steam page]
We are looking for games that performed poorly on STEAM and you want to make some money back.
We can offer you at least $100 right away, to transfer us the rights for your game(s)
We aim to put together a larger catalogue and take the risks of promoting such games.
If you are interested, please reply to this email
Robert

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Noel Berry @noelfb.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

Experimenting with the idea of running save files on the title screen for very smooth game-loading ...

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mors @mors.games · 30/03/2026

fuck it, i had more thoughts about this, so i wrote them down mors.games/blog/do-we-e...

mors.games

Do We Even Deserve Localization?

I mean, yes, but not like this...

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Amora B. @amora.ink · 30/03/2026

Vendo um monte de gente aqui falando como se Toby Fox não soubesse da existência de "empresas profissionais de localização" e gostaria de lembrar que ISSO AQUI quase foi a loc oficial de Celeste, feita por empresa muito bem recomendada:

Speedrun clock: relógio de virada rápida
Perished: pareceram
Themself: com sigo mesmo
Messed up head of yours: nesse seu corpo bagunçado
You got this: deixa comigo
You've got this: pode deixar comigo
Challenge me: me mude
Call it quits: ficar quite
Coming from me: vindo atrás de mim
I didn't mean actually laugh: não queria rir de verdade
If you want me to go away: Se você quiser ir embora
Hunting: machucando

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Emma (IPG) @invoxiplaygames.uk · 30/03/2026

when developing any user-facing software, make localisation something you think about fairly early on in the development process. it gets a lot easier to work on in the future, even if you dont currently intend on it, if you already have groundwork laid out for it

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Jall | PLAY UNUSUAL TALES ✨ @jall.live · 19/03/2026

devs know pain when this happens to you

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KAFUI 🇬🇭 @mykafuiohkafui.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

Graduating high school before ChatGPT is like having a brain made of recovered steel from warships old enough to not have been weakened by atomic bomb isotopes.

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Hilltop @hilltopworks.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

Hi everyone. Things have been happening in the fan-translation scene and I've been overdue in talking about them. For the first time ever I've made a long writeup. Please read it and feel free to reach out to me with comments.

medium.com

The deadly serious part-time unofficial hobby of videogame fan-translation

The very serious part-time unofficial hobby of videogame fan-translation Hi. A couple of things have happened in the “scene” that prompted me to make this writeup, and I’m probably overdue in …

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mors @mors.games · 12/03/2026

i hope one day i will be able to make a post on this damn site with the word "gamedev" in it without this stupid bot account liking the post

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Stuffed Wombat @stuffedwomb.at · 07/03/2026

A big draw of the game-design-by-A/B-testing type thinking is that it absolves you from having to form your own opinions & taste. It allows you to outsource the most difficult part of any creative endeavour: actually believing in your vision.

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Santum @santumerino.com · 07/03/2026

Spent some time today redoing all the Steam assets for my game. Previously I just used some sketches I'd made, but now I sat down and actually made some bespoke art. I'm quite happy with the result, but what do you think gang? :) #gamedev #indiedev #screenshotsaturday (<- bit of a stretch but...)

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Santum @santumerino.com · 04/03/2026

Hello, everyone!! So, SO proud, so, SO happy to announce that my block-pushing puzzle game with overlapping levels now has a Steam page up! Feel free to check it out, wishlist if you wanna, I think it's pretty neat :) store.steampowered.com/app/4482070/... #gamedev #indiedev #madewithgodot

store.steampowered.com

Moonlit Dreams on Steam

A sokoban game with overlapping levels, inside a dreamscape you'll never want to leave. Push blocks, open doors, traverse mazes, and then do it again across and between three layers of psyche.

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Santum @santumerino.com · 01/03/2026

So I had a name for my game since 2018, I checked Google and Steam to make sure there wasn't another game called that in the past, it was all good to go. I just paid the Steam Direct fee and thought to double check... ...a game with the exact name I was thinking of popped up. ...whoops. #gamedev

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Santum @santumerino.com · 18/02/2026

Another week, another devlog, this time recapping all the work I've done this first month of development, in presentation format! I promise it's interesting. Maybe. You decide! youtu.be/DM29rivIcf8 #gamedev #indiedev #devlog

youtube.com

One month of progress on my puzzle game! | Midnight Dreams #4

YouTube video by Santum

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Tyler Glaiel @tylerglaiel.com · 10/02/2026

and we have made back our development budget after 3 hours. Thank you all :)

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Santum @santumerino.com · 09/02/2026

Still chipping away at my puzzle game with overlapping levels, so I figured I'd make another devlog! In this one I talk all about NPCs, dialogue, and so on and so forth. You can check it out here if you wanna :) youtu.be/4H9q4NBYaK4 #gamedev #indiedev #devlog

youtu.be

Adding NPCs to my transdimensional puzzle game | Midnight Dreams #3

YouTube video by Santum

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Santum @santumerino.com · 09/02/2026

Proud to share that YARG and CUBERUN'24, my two precision platformers, are part of the #NoICEinMinnesota bundle alongside 1 437 other FANTASTIC games, benefiting the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota! Get some cool games and support a good cause! 👉 itch.io/b/3484/no-ic... 👈 #gamedev #indiedev

A poster announcing that YARG and CUBERUN'24 are in the No I.C.E. in Minnesota charity bundle, featuring a link and a QR code redirecting to https://itch.io/b/3484/no-ice-in-minnesota.
In the middle is a simplistic, geometric illustration showing Ariel, the protagonist from YARG: Prologue (curly brown hair, white shirt, blue pants), holding onto a flagpole displaying the flag of the state of Minnesota, having climbed onto it, right hand held over the eyes as though trying to look at something in the distance. Behind the flagpole, the protagonist from YARG (blonde pompadour-esque hair, grey shirt) looks away from the camera, hands behind the back, as though keeping guard for something. In the background, a shot of the Minneapolis skyline.

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mors @mors.games · 08/02/2026

it's kinda fucked up that we universally agree that if a programmer lacks art skills, them resorting to using ai is wrong... but a lot of artists seem to be okay with using ai, just because they lack the programming skills where do we draw the line? what makes one ethical and the other one not?

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Santum @santumerino.com · 31/01/2026

Some more work on my puzzle game with overlapping levels! Little maze, little memorization puzzle, yeeee 👍 #gamedev #indiedev #screenshotsaturday

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