IndieDev 2025: Eight Irish Game Studios to Launch Prototypes Through the Pioneering IndieDev Fund
Posted: 29th January 2026
IndieDev 2025 was an initiative co-managed by Ardán and Imirt on behalf of Northern Ireland Screen and Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland as part of the Digital Games Portfolio. This programme has boosted the Irish games developers’ ability to punch above their weight in the competitive international games industry, and turn ambitious concepts into playable prototypes.
This is a cross-border fund programme supporting indie video game developers in Dublin, Galway, Laois, Clare, Tipperary, and Kilkenny in the Republic of Ireland and Antrim, Armagh, Tyrone, and Down in Northern Ireland, each received £15,000/€15,000 and 12 weeks of intensive mentorship to bring their visions to life.
Universe or Nothing, Table Topple, Space Lion Studios, Rúcach, Silly Goose Games, Reliable Plumbing Services, Round Robin Interactive and Sharp Glass Games, were the 2025 recipients of this pioneering programme.
The emerging developers were paired with industry mentors Dave McCabe (Spooky Doorway), Sam Redfern (Psychic Software), and Paul Froggatt (Outlier Games), who all shipped games to international markets last year and who brought their hard-won expertise to the programme.
From this, a variety of game prototypes have emerged, showing the diversity and creativity of the games development sector in Ireland.
IndieDev is a great programme. If something like this had been around when I started my studio 12 years ago I would have jumped at the chance to take part. There’s a real sense of things coming together in Ireland for games right now.
– Colm Larkin, Imirt CEO and founder of Gambrinous
About the Games
Persevere
Universe or Nothing’s Persevere is a roguelike strategy game that fuses survival management with tower defense. The core team members, Mark Aherne, Naomi and Adam Kaufman, and Dave Churchill are based out of Galway, Dublin and Clare.
IndieDev gave us the space and structure to turn Persevere from an ambitious concept into a working, playable game. The mentorship, workshops, and focused development time helped us validate our ideas, sharpen our design, and build a prototype we’re extremely excited about. It’s been a huge step forward for the project and for us as a studio.
Universe or Nothing‘s Mark Aherne
Above Quarry Crater
Table Topple’s core team of Richard Naughton, Adam Englishby, Cillian O’Brien, Alexander Navarro Mantari, and Luke Jason Farrell, are based out of Galway, Clare, Tipperary, and Dublin. Their Above Quarry Crater is a 3D Action-Adventure platformer.
Balloons of Paradise
Led by Mark Robinson and Jonathan Aykroyd, and based out of Dublin, Space Lion Studios’ Balloons of Paradise is a hot air balloon simulator where you steer your craft via wind.
Valley of the Lost Abbey
In Rúcach’s Valley of the Lost Abbey, players rebuilt said abbey with the aid of fellow woodland creatures. The core team is Denman Rooke, Caitlyn Rooke, George Mercer, and Claire Brankin, based out of Galway and Laois.
IndieDev has been a phenomenal help in building a foundation for my team and company to create a future in original IP game development. The funding has allowed us to really spend the needed time to create something cohesive with a vision. Our team has been able to take the time to learn new skills, polish rough ones, and experiment in ways we normally wouldn’t have the time to. We’re feeling very confident that with a little extra post-IndieDev polish, we can attract project funding from publishers.
Rúcach’s Denman Rooke
Selkie
Silly Goose Games’ Selkie is a stealth-puzzle game that draws strongly on Irish folklore. The core team are Jessica Williams, Joseph McKinney, and Dylan Knipe, based out of Antrim, Armagh, and Tyrone.
Pinfall
Reliable Plumbing Services’ Pinfall is a minimalist pinball-inspired perseverance platformer that explores the history of philosophical ideas through falling, reflecting, and climbing focused gameplay. Based out of Kilkenny and Dublin, the core team are Matt Murtagh and Thomas Hitchcock.
Isle of Éan
Isle of Éan by Round Robin Interactive is a first-person, stealth exploration game that aims to educate about Irish bird conservation. The core Round Robin Interactive team members are Brendan Hewson, Laura Ryder, Eve Golden-Woods, and Brianna Chew, based out of Mayo and Dublin.
Deathwish Bloom
County Down based Sharp Glass Games, with a core membership of Irina Kuksova and Anaïs Chareyre-Méjan, developed Deathwish Bloom, a post-apocalyptic romance adventure visual novel.
IndieDev is the best thing that could have happened to us as a newcomer game studio. Being on the programme was key for connecting with professionals who helped us to test assumptions, try new approaches and get a better understanding of the industry. The funds gave us time to work on the project while the commitment to deliver sped up our work. We are publishing the Deathwish Bloom prototype next month and are looking forward to growing further.
Sharp Glass Games‘ Irina Kuksova