Hey r/gaming , I've got a pretty unique story to share from a small indie game dev studio in Switzerland.

TLDR available at the end.

Twelve years ago, three friends and I, all around 22, decided to go all-in on independent game development. To make ends meet in one of the world's most expensive countries, we did everything: app dev, short animation films, graphics, printing, website design – you name it. We were hustling!

Our first mobile game (called Antyz) dropped in 2015. It hit over a million downloads, which was incredible, but our free-to-play model didn't quite click (the game was… challenging!). Still, it was our first real taste of working as a team on a game. That even led to us collaborating with Swiss national TV, creating educational and preventative "serious games" for schools and young adults.

For over a decade, we dreamed of producing our own video game. But with life being so expensive here, time and funds were always tight. It felt like that dream might never come true.

Then, two years ago, we got an email that felt completely unreal. It was from Institut Le Rosey, quite literally the most prestigious school in the world – think of it as the real-life Hogwarts, right here in Switzerland. This was one of those "WOW, THIS IS SOMETHING!" moments.

They wanted us to create a video game with their students, focusing on Ancient Roman life, specifically in Pompeii. The cool part? The entire game creation process would be integrated into their students' art, music, history, writing, and speech courses. It was an incredible educational initiative.

So, for nearly two years, we poured our hearts into this project. The game had a successful first launch on iOS as a free gift from the school, aiming to create accessible educational content. And now, they've allowed us to release it on Steam.

After 12 long years, we are officially releasing our first video game on Steam TODAY!

Danger in Pompeii: What happens when future world leaders make a game?

Now, I'll admit, it's not our fully independent passion project from the ground up, but it's a massive milestone for us. We've managed to survive as an indie studio in Switzerland for over a decade, and this release truly means something.

Danger in Pompeii is an adventure and educational game diving into Pompeii, the eruption of Vesuvius, and the daily life of Romans. It's based on historical documents and was developed in close collaboration with the students and faculty of Le Rosey Institute.

Want to see what the world's princes, future prime ministers, and a small Swiss indie studio created together? Check out the game!

TLDR: After 12 years of grinding, our indie studio in Switzerland just released our first Steam game TODAY! We created an educational adventure game about Pompeii and Ancient Roman life over two years, in collaboration with Institut Le Rosey – literally the most prestigious school in the world. Check it out!

Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1592920/Danger_in_Pompeii/