Just Play a Game Studios

Basically, I got a new job where I have a non-compete clause that prohibits me from owning a software-related company. This doesn’t mean I can’t make games, I just can’t do it for money. Stan and I, while having a lot of fondness for Just Play a Game, are really excited to start something new. The name Just Play a Game was chosen years ago because its initials are the same as Joystiq Podcast Appreciation Group, where we met. While Stan and I are still great friends with many JPAGers, we really feel that our works are becoming more of a Stan and Marie thing, than a JPAG thing and we want our name to better reflect us. We’re already cooking up a new, unincorporated studio to release our games under, and of course we’re already working on our next project.

I couldn’t have hoped for someone better or more dedicated to make games with. Neon Sphee, the game we just finished, we did more for practice of the development cycle, but it’s a fun little piece and Stan’s art and Jesse’s music are fantastic and you should check it out!

Our next game, we’re already head over heels in love with.

We promise to leave a forwarding address!

I originally announced this in January, but with Neon Sphee out, Just Play a Game Studios is officially coming to an end. Due to unforeseen circumstances, its currently not in Marie’s best interest to co-own an official game development studio. But this isn’t the end, I’ll explain at the end. First, allow me to take a stroll back in time.

This day is somber for Marie and I. Just Play a Game Studios started way back in the Summer of 2010 with Marie. An avid member of the Joystiq Podcast Appreciation Group (JPAG) community, she reached out to that community trying to find others that might be interested in making video games. She had a number of people approach her, and together they began batting around ideas for what they would make. I joined in August of 2010, just as the initial ideas for what would become Spy Babies was beginning to form. We began work on Spy Babies in Fall of 2010, inexperienced and clueless about how to actually make a game. In Spring of 2011 Marie and I formally founded Just Play a Game Studios as a LLC. As time went, other commitments forced people to drop out of the project, until just Marie, Robert, and I remained. We ended up spending just over two years working on Spy Babies, retitled Spy Babies Episode 1 as it represented just the first part of the overall story that we had originally envisioned. The game we ended up releasing in October 2012 was buggy, almost unplayable even, but we were proud to have something even remotely like a final product finished. Rob ended up stepping back to focus on school after Spy Babies was complete.

After that we came up with Neon Sphee. We envisioned it as a small game, with a small development cycle. Something just to give us some practice. Over the course of these past holidays, it became clear that real life commitments were going to force us to bring Just Play a Game Studios to an end. With Neon Sphee’s release last week, we’re at that moment.

This day is also weird for Marie and I. Because it doesn’t feel like much of an ending for us. See the thing is, we’re not done working together. We have too much fun making stuff together. Even if as just a hobby sort of thing, or in a different medium from video games, Marie and I still plan on making stuff together. So for those who have followed us, and supported us, thank you. And I assure you, we’re not finished, not by a longshot.

Goodnight Just Play a Game Studios. Thank you for everything.