It has been a whirlwind few months for the team here at Box of Greebles.
Nivalis Nights, the cyberpunk slice-of-life sim that brought us all together for the first time, released at the end of September and reviews on the narrative have been heart-warming, humbling, and better than any of us measly writers could have hoped for.
“There’s a fascinating story here, from the unique tales of its NPCs to clever writing that paints a troubling picture of our inevitable future.” – Game8
“…elevated by a beautiful city design populated with over a hundred fascinating and tragic weirdos.” – PC Gamer
“The writing can be funny, awkward, and occasionally downright cynical, but it rarely feels like it’s trying too hard to make a point. Oddly enough, and dare I say it, it’s ALMOST akin to the writing direction portrayed in Disco Elysium, of all things.” – DualShockers
While it was amazing to stop and celebrate the reception the narrative design for Nivalis Nights received, there’s little rest for the Greebles as we took part in the Converge Create Change Challenge, for ‘creative, cultural, and social impact projects looking to become sustainable businesses.’
And we were awarded the honour of being runner ups during a record-breaking awards night!
Hear what our Creative Lead, Thomas Welsh, had to say about attending, and our success:
“Converge was a great experience for Box of Greebles, as we went through multiple rounds of pitches, presentations and training. We’re a bunch of writers and artists at heart, so the focus on business was tricky at first, but it was definitely the area where we needed support the most. And it wasn’t as bad as we expected!
We learned about IP, business insurance, trademarks, copyright, tax, dividends – the list goes on and on.
In the end though, it was our “childlike enthusiasm” (their words not ours) that won over the judges. They’re never funded a game like this before, but I think we had just enough energy and excitement to convince them. Several of the judges even said this would be the first game they would ever play. Which, given Tokamak’s intentionally weird and off-kilter setting and tone, should be quite the experience for them!
Nonetheless, this was a HUGE vote of confidence in us, and the validation from the judging panel and the award presentation was wonderful. Even more exciting is the follow-on support they offer. It’s not just the grant award that will help us, but also the industry connections and access to tutors, mentors and investors. It’s a big leap for us, but it’s also just a first step.”
It goes without saying (even though we just said it) that the past few months have been both unexpected yet incredibly welcome. We are forever grateful for the people who play our games and read our words, and find something they enjoy or connect with. It’s because of you lot we’re not stopping anytime soon!
We’re busy in the trenches building out our vision for Tokamak and, while we might be a little biased, it’s safe to say we’re already excited for what’s unfolding in the loop. We can’t wait for the day where we get to set it loose on the world. All in good time.
Stay weird,
- Box of Greebles
