Francois van Niekerk
@francoisvn.bsky.social
Studio Director at @clockworkacorn.com • he/him • https://leafcloud.com/ • Cape Town, South Africa
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
I see some book piracy discourse, and, to make a positive argument in favor of buying books, your marginal ability to influence what books get published and support the careers of writers you like is massive compared to most other forms of media.
November 25, 2025 at 11:07 PM
I once asked a bookseller at a large indie store how many people would have to buy a book for it to get the attention of the store buyer and cause an additional order and they said: Three.
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
It's objectively strange that Chrono Trigger is the name of a JRPG series about time travellers dealing with a crisis, and Time Crisis a series of light gun games.
November 25, 2025 at 2:05 PM
It's objectively strange that Chrono Trigger is the name of a JRPG series about time travellers dealing with a crisis, and Time Crisis a series of light gun games.
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
Hey everyone 👋
It's been a while since we posted a company update, so we thought it's about time for a new one! 🙌
You can read more about how we expanded the team and the game we jam'd together in our new post 👇
clockworkacorn.com/2025/11/when...
Stay tuned! Cool things are coming 😀
It's been a while since we posted a company update, so we thought it's about time for a new one! 🙌
You can read more about how we expanded the team and the game we jam'd together in our new post 👇
clockworkacorn.com/2025/11/when...
Stay tuned! Cool things are coming 😀
November 26, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Hey everyone 👋
It's been a while since we posted a company update, so we thought it's about time for a new one! 🙌
You can read more about how we expanded the team and the game we jam'd together in our new post 👇
clockworkacorn.com/2025/11/when...
Stay tuned! Cool things are coming 😀
It's been a while since we posted a company update, so we thought it's about time for a new one! 🙌
You can read more about how we expanded the team and the game we jam'd together in our new post 👇
clockworkacorn.com/2025/11/when...
Stay tuned! Cool things are coming 😀
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
We did something different with the credits for Demonschool. We used this format: name, title, lengthy description of what they did. Often you see credits in games where you don't know what the credited developer was actually responsible for. We wanted to give people proper, actual credit.
November 24, 2025 at 10:23 PM
We did something different with the credits for Demonschool. We used this format: name, title, lengthy description of what they did. Often you see credits in games where you don't know what the credited developer was actually responsible for. We wanted to give people proper, actual credit.
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
everyone on a game is a storyteller and the storytellers on Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator fuckin’ despise the incentives of late stage capitalism
also that kid beto is pretty cool
also that kid beto is pretty cool
November 22, 2025 at 1:44 AM
everyone on a game is a storyteller and the storytellers on Space Warlord Baby Trading Simulator fuckin’ despise the incentives of late stage capitalism
also that kid beto is pretty cool
also that kid beto is pretty cool
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
BIG NEWS:
We are no longer Eggplant. We are, simply:
The Secret Lives of Games
AND ALSO:
We've launched the first episode of All Systems Brough, a year-long, one-a-month series exploring the work of @smestorp.bsky.social. Join us and play along!
secretlives.games/all-systems-...
We are no longer Eggplant. We are, simply:
The Secret Lives of Games
AND ALSO:
We've launched the first episode of All Systems Brough, a year-long, one-a-month series exploring the work of @smestorp.bsky.social. Join us and play along!
secretlives.games/all-systems-...
The Secret Lives of Games: All Systems Brough - Introduction
We're joined by Frank Lantz (Q-UP) and Mare Sheppard + Raigan Burns of Metanet (N++) for the first episode of All Systems Brough, a year-long exploration of the work of Michael Brough. We share our th...
secretlives.games
November 21, 2025 at 9:32 PM
BIG NEWS:
We are no longer Eggplant. We are, simply:
The Secret Lives of Games
AND ALSO:
We've launched the first episode of All Systems Brough, a year-long, one-a-month series exploring the work of @smestorp.bsky.social. Join us and play along!
secretlives.games/all-systems-...
We are no longer Eggplant. We are, simply:
The Secret Lives of Games
AND ALSO:
We've launched the first episode of All Systems Brough, a year-long, one-a-month series exploring the work of @smestorp.bsky.social. Join us and play along!
secretlives.games/all-systems-...
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
November 21, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
Whenever I see variations of the "Dependency" comic by xkcd (xkcd.com/2347/), I always feel it's actually more like this:
November 21, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Whenever I see variations of the "Dependency" comic by xkcd (xkcd.com/2347/), I always feel it's actually more like this:
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
Yo dev I heard you like platforms so I put a platform inside your platform so you can pay a fee while you're paying fees
Unity developers will soon be able to bring games to Fortnite
Unity developers will soon be able to bring games to Fortnite
Beginning next year, Unity developers will gain access to Fortnite's vast platform and creator economy.
www.gamedeveloper.com
November 19, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Yo dev I heard you like platforms so I put a platform inside your platform so you can pay a fee while you're paying fees
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
Audio (sound effects, music, and dialogue) has a weird relationship with temp assets, mostly because of issues revolving around human psychology.
Problem #1: How do you communicate that something you're hearing is temp?
Problem #1: How do you communicate that something you're hearing is temp?
The annoying thing about the "oh we left a placeholder" generative AI slop excuse is that that is EXACTLY NOT how you should be using placeholders. Anything "not obviously terrible with a panicked hurried half-awake glance" is getting shipped.
In gamedev, if you're using a placeholder asset, best practices involve marking it as placeholder so garishly and offensively clearly PLACEHOLDER that you can't possibly miss it. Also flagging that asset in the dev process so it can be identified quickly before the final build.
November 19, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Audio (sound effects, music, and dialogue) has a weird relationship with temp assets, mostly because of issues revolving around human psychology.
Problem #1: How do you communicate that something you're hearing is temp?
Problem #1: How do you communicate that something you're hearing is temp?
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
when i say ship a game i mean like a viking ship with a dead guy on it who is on fire
November 20, 2025 at 12:03 PM
when i say ship a game i mean like a viking ship with a dead guy on it who is on fire
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
ok they deleted and reposted it for some reason but, reminder: this is a survey of GDC attendees only which self-selects for highly paid, senior devs and management
which is to say: this is most likely what a result skewed _against_ unionization looks like right now
which is to say: this is most likely what a result skewed _against_ unionization looks like right now
GDC survey indicates over half of U.S. game workers want to join a union
Half of U.S. game workers want to join a union
According to the 2025 Game Industry Salary Report, 64 percent of developers support unions and 56 percent want to join one.
www.gamedeveloper.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:56 PM
ok they deleted and reposted it for some reason but, reminder: this is a survey of GDC attendees only which self-selects for highly paid, senior devs and management
which is to say: this is most likely what a result skewed _against_ unionization looks like right now
which is to say: this is most likely what a result skewed _against_ unionization looks like right now
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
We just published the latest update to our prototype on itch.
Involving a massive art overhaul and mechanics shake up -
lootdonkey.itch.io/fool-king
Involving a massive art overhaul and mechanics shake up -
lootdonkey.itch.io/fool-king
Fool King by Loot Donkey
Claim the throne in this tactical auto battler!
lootdonkey.itch.io
November 18, 2025 at 5:00 PM
We just published the latest update to our prototype on itch.
Involving a massive art overhaul and mechanics shake up -
lootdonkey.itch.io/fool-king
Involving a massive art overhaul and mechanics shake up -
lootdonkey.itch.io/fool-king
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
The annoying thing about the "oh we left a placeholder" generative AI slop excuse is that that is EXACTLY NOT how you should be using placeholders. Anything "not obviously terrible with a panicked hurried half-awake glance" is getting shipped.
In gamedev, if you're using a placeholder asset, best practices involve marking it as placeholder so garishly and offensively clearly PLACEHOLDER that you can't possibly miss it. Also flagging that asset in the dev process so it can be identified quickly before the final build.
November 17, 2025 at 6:33 PM
The annoying thing about the "oh we left a placeholder" generative AI slop excuse is that that is EXACTLY NOT how you should be using placeholders. Anything "not obviously terrible with a panicked hurried half-awake glance" is getting shipped.
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
non-binary people do not owe you tutorialization
November 14, 2025 at 9:15 PM
non-binary people do not owe you tutorialization
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
Xbox made the certification documents public (this is it takes to ship/pass the checklist/QA to launch a game on Xbox) for everyone; and Nintendo/PS should consider the same. There are a lot of things that if were common knowledge would save hours/money to everyone. developer.microsoft.... #gamedev
Unlocking Access to Game Publishing Documentation for All Developers
We’re removing barriers to learning and making it easier for teams of all sizes to understand what it takes to ship a game on Xbox.
developer.microsoft.com
November 16, 2025 at 6:14 AM
Xbox made the certification documents public (this is it takes to ship/pass the checklist/QA to launch a game on Xbox) for everyone; and Nintendo/PS should consider the same. There are a lot of things that if were common knowledge would save hours/money to everyone. developer.microsoft.... #gamedev
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
Oops, we made another game!
Fivefold is a daily logic puzzle where the rules change every day. Play it free in your browser!
fivefold.ca
Fivefold is a daily logic puzzle where the rules change every day. Play it free in your browser!
fivefold.ca
November 12, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Oops, we made another game!
Fivefold is a daily logic puzzle where the rules change every day. Play it free in your browser!
fivefold.ca
Fivefold is a daily logic puzzle where the rules change every day. Play it free in your browser!
fivefold.ca
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
Adam Saltsman just gave the best talk about the process of game design that I’ve ever seen. Bravo.
Incredible investigation of the journey an idea goes through, and smart breakdown of the intrinsic and extrinsic forces tugging on the project. A must watch.
Incredible investigation of the journey an idea goes through, and smart breakdown of the intrinsic and extrinsic forces tugging on the project. A must watch.
@adamatomic.bsky.social has created a *lot* of small games, and we were delighted for him to join us at ThinkyCon 2025 to share how he approaches it.
My approach to making small games - Adam Saltsman (ThinkyCon 2025)
Adam Saltsman joins us at ThinkyCon 2025 to present the talk: "CorgiSpace, or, short legs on purpose, or, my approach to making small games"
Talk description: I've made and released 14 games in the last 12 months, all in my very limited free time, and had a super fun time doing it, even though I al
www.youtube.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Adam Saltsman just gave the best talk about the process of game design that I’ve ever seen. Bravo.
Incredible investigation of the journey an idea goes through, and smart breakdown of the intrinsic and extrinsic forces tugging on the project. A must watch.
Incredible investigation of the journey an idea goes through, and smart breakdown of the intrinsic and extrinsic forces tugging on the project. A must watch.
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
Announcing: New @steampowered.com Hardware, coming in 2026:
Steam Controller
Steam Machine
Steam Frame.
Watch our jazzy announcement video and wishlist now: steampowered.com/hardware
Steam Controller
Steam Machine
Steam Frame.
Watch our jazzy announcement video and wishlist now: steampowered.com/hardware
Steam Hardware
The Steam Hardware family officially expands in early 2026.
steampowered.com
November 12, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Announcing: New @steampowered.com Hardware, coming in 2026:
Steam Controller
Steam Machine
Steam Frame.
Watch our jazzy announcement video and wishlist now: steampowered.com/hardware
Steam Controller
Steam Machine
Steam Frame.
Watch our jazzy announcement video and wishlist now: steampowered.com/hardware
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
Brainslop
also sorry I am never going to call deduction games “metroidbrainias”. sorry. I am open to other terms but not to that one
November 9, 2025 at 2:36 AM
Brainslop
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
Happy #PitchYaGame!
Arcane Eats is a roguelike deckbuilder with a delicious twist 🧑🍳🍳✨
Does crisp & crunchy card play, tossed in roguelike spices, with a heaping side of culinary puns tempt you to try something new?
Get a taste with the demo: store.steampowered.com/app/2640090
#indiegame #games
Arcane Eats is a roguelike deckbuilder with a delicious twist 🧑🍳🍳✨
Does crisp & crunchy card play, tossed in roguelike spices, with a heaping side of culinary puns tempt you to try something new?
Get a taste with the demo: store.steampowered.com/app/2640090
#indiegame #games
November 7, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Happy #PitchYaGame!
Arcane Eats is a roguelike deckbuilder with a delicious twist 🧑🍳🍳✨
Does crisp & crunchy card play, tossed in roguelike spices, with a heaping side of culinary puns tempt you to try something new?
Get a taste with the demo: store.steampowered.com/app/2640090
#indiegame #games
Arcane Eats is a roguelike deckbuilder with a delicious twist 🧑🍳🍳✨
Does crisp & crunchy card play, tossed in roguelike spices, with a heaping side of culinary puns tempt you to try something new?
Get a taste with the demo: store.steampowered.com/app/2640090
#indiegame #games
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
Every publishing contract should have a clause saying that publishers are not allowed to submit games to peer competitions like the IGF. They treat it like a marketing beat every damn time and it's yet another place where their archaic focus on press releases actively damages games.
blog post boiling within me titled "indie publishers, you need to get your shit together" based on this year of indie pubs submitting games to IGF w/ a demo and then when asked for a dev build so anyone can actually judge it, either ghost or go "we will provide you with a build on the release date"
November 11, 2025 at 6:21 AM
Every publishing contract should have a clause saying that publishers are not allowed to submit games to peer competitions like the IGF. They treat it like a marketing beat every damn time and it's yet another place where their archaic focus on press releases actively damages games.
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
my ThinkyCon 2025 talk about crankin out little games in my free time is up! www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGsl... includes a cute photo of Stegi ((un)official mascot of the corgispace manifesto)
My approach to making small games - Adam Saltsman (ThinkyCon 2025)
YouTube video by Thinky Games
www.youtube.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:52 PM
my ThinkyCon 2025 talk about crankin out little games in my free time is up! www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGsl... includes a cute photo of Stegi ((un)official mascot of the corgispace manifesto)
Reposted by Francois van Niekerk
💊our game has a release date!!💊
- a pill-roulette horror game for up to 4 players
- pick your poison
- use experimental items to shift the odds
- bluff, betray, deceive, and survive
- solo or up to 4 players online
Side Effects, coming 21st November to Steam!
- a pill-roulette horror game for up to 4 players
- pick your poison
- use experimental items to shift the odds
- bluff, betray, deceive, and survive
- solo or up to 4 players online
Side Effects, coming 21st November to Steam!
November 11, 2025 at 4:01 PM
💊our game has a release date!!💊
- a pill-roulette horror game for up to 4 players
- pick your poison
- use experimental items to shift the odds
- bluff, betray, deceive, and survive
- solo or up to 4 players online
Side Effects, coming 21st November to Steam!
- a pill-roulette horror game for up to 4 players
- pick your poison
- use experimental items to shift the odds
- bluff, betray, deceive, and survive
- solo or up to 4 players online
Side Effects, coming 21st November to Steam!