Lightning Rod Games
@lightningrod.bsky.social
Cute, thoughtful, and creative describes both our team and our games.
January 16, 2026 at 1:53 AM
Happy New Year 😘
January 6, 2026 at 1:50 AM
Happy New Year 😘
It's important to know where to stop. How much will people really look at the background water? They'll probably be reading the text messages. Doesn't that dialogue look compelling!? #gamedev #indiedev #gameart
December 29, 2025 at 4:15 AM
December 28, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Reposted by Lightning Rod Games
A Fold Apart used emissive glow so the player stood out in puzzles on small screens. They popped too much on big ones though. I wanted to try fresnel edge glow, but it made the character look like a cutout. But then adding a smoothstep to the world normal y made them pop AND blend #unity3d #gamedev
December 17, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Some beautiful stuff in here! #indiegame
This has been a long week but I will make a list of 50 indie games that are:
From this awards voting year (Nov 2024 - Nov 2025)
Not covered by the awards show
Deserve your attention
From this awards voting year (Nov 2024 - Nov 2025)
Not covered by the awards show
Deserve your attention
New rule this year: If you post "Play more indie games" during the game awards, you are required to make a thread recommending 50 of them.
December 17, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Some beautiful stuff in here! #indiegame
Reposted by Lightning Rod Games
A composer sent me their portfolio and they used AI images as the visuals for their tracks on YouTube. My gut reaction was that the music was AI too. I suppressed that reaction, did some digging, and figured the music was legit, BUT that first impression put a stink on the whole thing.
Every writer who generates a slop image for their work is a class traitor.
"I can't afford a visual artist"
So your solution is stabbing artists in the back? Stealing from them?
Furthermore, slop-generated imagery suggests slop-generated writing. That's how you're presenting yourself.
"I can't afford a visual artist"
So your solution is stabbing artists in the back? Stealing from them?
Furthermore, slop-generated imagery suggests slop-generated writing. That's how you're presenting yourself.
December 16, 2025 at 9:31 PM
A composer sent me their portfolio and they used AI images as the visuals for their tracks on YouTube. My gut reaction was that the music was AI too. I suppressed that reaction, did some digging, and figured the music was legit, BUT that first impression put a stink on the whole thing.
The time and resource crunch meant A Fold Apart, though very pretty, was left with some rough edges. We took some time to port it to #unity3d 6 and I've been looking at what it would take to bring back some of the rendering techniques we had to set aside for performance. #gamedev #devlog #indiedev
December 16, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Reposted by Lightning Rod Games
At the start, A Fold Apart was thought to be too complex to work on mobile hardware, but a series of coincidences set the groundwork to make it possible. A thread. #gamedev #indiedev #devlog
A Fold Apart had a tricky dev cycle. It was first intended to be a PC/Console game. This was mostly because I thought the amount of runtime math required to fold the paper, and the magical paper effects relying on GPU fill-rate, would make it impossible on mobile hardware. But then...
December 15, 2025 at 6:43 PM
A Fold Apart had a tricky dev cycle. It was first intended to be a PC/Console game. This was mostly because I thought the amount of runtime math required to fold the paper, and the magical paper effects relying on GPU fill-rate, would make it impossible on mobile hardware. But then...
December 15, 2025 at 6:39 PM
A Fold Apart had a tricky dev cycle. It was first intended to be a PC/Console game. This was mostly because I thought the amount of runtime math required to fold the paper, and the magical paper effects relying on GPU fill-rate, would make it impossible on mobile hardware. But then...
Reposted by Lightning Rod Games
We are not hiring, but I was responding to cold-call apps. today and it occurred to me that I need to be taking precautions against AI in that process. This skepticism is going to hurt juniors a lot! 2D artists might need to put extra work into their portfolios to prove they're real, and that sucks.
Yo! So first up: Fuck AI
With that out of the way, the Fortnite AI thing has raised a question in me that I have kept asking for the past year or so, despite there not being an answer -
1/3
With that out of the way, the Fortnite AI thing has raised a question in me that I have kept asking for the past year or so, despite there not being an answer -
1/3
December 1, 2025 at 5:35 PM
We are not hiring, but I was responding to cold-call apps. today and it occurred to me that I need to be taking precautions against AI in that process. This skepticism is going to hurt juniors a lot! 2D artists might need to put extra work into their portfolios to prove they're real, and that sucks.
Absolute monsters 😱
November 21, 2025 at 10:50 PM
Absolute monsters 😱
Reposted by Lightning Rod Games
If any #gamedev (pro or student) were curious about anything let me know and maybe I can do a post about it. I can try to answer just about anything that isn't covered by a partner NDA.
November 19, 2025 at 5:11 PM
If any #gamedev (pro or student) were curious about anything let me know and maybe I can do a post about it. I can try to answer just about anything that isn't covered by a partner NDA.
We're skinning our profile to A Fold Apart because now that I (mostly Steven posting these days) have some distance from it, I want to go back and explore it: the technology, the art, the design, and launching it on 7 platforms, in 15 languages, in #Unity3d. Follow along for #gamedev #indiedev
November 19, 2025 at 5:08 PM
And for ~$2, this Halloween treat is hard to beat!
This was originally a team-building project for our Designer Kit, Art Director Stephanei, and Animator David. It turned out super cute. The interaction with the chat feels genuine (legit exciting to win people over), and it's satisfying to figure out all the endings. It's a little Halloween treat. 👻
Halloween has officially begun (at least in our timezone) and there is no better time for a spooky, point-and-click adventure, that you can finish all the endings in one sitting. Finish a Halloween game on Halloween! store.steampowered.com/app/1776080/...
October 31, 2025 at 3:48 PM
And for ~$2, this Halloween treat is hard to beat!
Halloween has officially begun (at least in our timezone) and there is no better time for a spooky, point-and-click adventure, that you can finish all the endings in one sitting. Finish a Halloween game on Halloween! store.steampowered.com/app/1776080/...
Save 33% on LiveScream on Steam
Armed with nothing but your curiosity, streaming equipment, and insatiable need to impress others, you approach a long-abandoned house in your small town. What could possibly go wrong?
store.steampowered.com
October 31, 2025 at 4:09 AM
Halloween has officially begun (at least in our timezone) and there is no better time for a spooky, point-and-click adventure, that you can finish all the endings in one sitting. Finish a Halloween game on Halloween! store.steampowered.com/app/1776080/...
The new Steam Deck Verified page for A Fold Apart is super cute, and it's on sale! If you want creative puzzles (with a built-in hint system), relaxing music, a touching story, and a customizable couple, check it out! store.steampowered.com/verified/451...
A Fold Apart is Steam Deck Verified
A Fold Apart is Steam Deck Verified
store.steampowered.com
October 27, 2025 at 7:55 PM
The new Steam Deck Verified page for A Fold Apart is super cute, and it's on sale! If you want creative puzzles (with a built-in hint system), relaxing music, a touching story, and a customizable couple, check it out! store.steampowered.com/verified/451...
Our friends have a new game!
Announcing Ultimate Sheep Raccoon - our new game! 🐑🦝
🚲 Race on bikes against friends
🔨 Build the course together
🎉 Chaotic party fun
🏁 Wishlist now: store.steampowered.com/app/2923350/Ultimate_Sheep_Raccoon/
Trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=J4hC8GudgBU
🚲 Race on bikes against friends
🔨 Build the course together
🎉 Chaotic party fun
🏁 Wishlist now: store.steampowered.com/app/2923350/Ultimate_Sheep_Raccoon/
Trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=J4hC8GudgBU
Ultimate Sheep Raccoon Reveal Trailer
YouTube video by Clever Endeavour Games
www.youtube.com
December 11, 2024 at 8:26 PM
Our friends have a new game!
@ozone.birb.house Hello! We are a Game Studio!
September 7, 2024 at 2:17 AM
@ozone.birb.house Hello! We are a Game Studio!
Blue sky can be a bit intimidating since we tend to be at our most creative when working within constraints. ;P
July 14, 2023 at 11:46 PM
Blue sky can be a bit intimidating since we tend to be at our most creative when working within constraints. ;P