A Friendship Turned Indie Studio: The Story of "Not Evil"

When you hear about "Not Evil," you might wonder—what’s in a name? Well, this indie dev team’s story is as fun as it is inspiring. There are three members: Chris O, Chris H, and Kuramura, and they’ve been friends long before they became co-creators of immersive gaming experiences. Their journey began back in their university days. Although they weren’t all officially working together in their courses, they naturally gravitated towards each other. “We met in university and found that we worked really well together, even if we weren’t on the same teams,” they shared. The collaboration just clicked, and soon, the idea of forming an indie game dev studio after graduating became reality.

During their time at university, they started what they called the "Not Evil Plan." It was all about a group of friends banding together to buy a Christmas gift for someone special. That plan became a group chat name, and later, it stuck as the official title for their game development studio. It perfectly embodies their philosophy. “We put the player’s experience first and stand against the predatory nature of a lot of modern mainstream games,” they explained. It’s not just about making games for them—it’s about making games that feel good, that prioritize people over profits.

Game Development: From Hobby to Full-Time Career

For the team, game development isn’t just a hobby, even though they still find it incredibly fun. It’s their full-time career, something they’ve been seriously studying for years. “We don’t have industry experience outside of our studio, but game development has been our passion, and now, it’s what we do professionally.”

They’re no strangers to releasing games either. Their portfolio already includes two mobile titles—Fling! - The Game and Cat Dash!, both of which are available on iOS and Android. They recently expanded Fling! - The Game to Itch.io for Windows, MacOS, and Linux, proving that their creativity knows no bounds.

The Chilling Appeal of Dolls’ Domain

Their latest project, Dolls’ Domain, started with a game jam on January 31st, 2024, to celebrate reaching 100 followers on Twitch. The idea? A terrifying VR experience where you’re trapped in a dollhouse, hunted by eerie dolls, and trying to escape. “The concept of being trapped in a dollhouse in VR sounded terrifying,” they said. And terrifying it is! After falling in love with the project, they decided to turn it into a full-fledged game, offering both VR and non-VR modes for players to choose from.

Streaming horror games has been a big influence. From Phasmophobia to Escape the Backrooms and Labyrinthine, the team drew from their love of the genre to craft something both eerie and exciting. Even the puzzles in Dolls’ Domain have nods to classic games like Resident Evil.

What’s Next for Dolls’ Domain and Beyond

The game is still in early access, with five levels available at launch. But the team has big plans for Dolls’ Domain. Future updates will include new levels, additional dolls with unique mechanics, more puzzles, and even new modes. Their vision for the game is expansive, and they’re just getting started.

Outside of Dolls’ Domain, they’re collaborating with the National Marine Aquarium in the UK on a series of VR educational mini-games to be featured at the aquarium. There’s also another project, TDVR - The Defence of Vale Rest, which is currently on hold but has active dev logs on YouTube. Meanwhile, Chris O is working on a pet project, ShroudSword, in RPG Maker.