It is with a bittersweet feeling that I am writing this blogpost to share with you the news that Squeaky Wheel, an independent strategy game development studio based in the Philippines, will cease active game development. I know this must be a shock to some people, so I wanted to take the time to explain our thought process, and share what lies ahead.
The covid 19 pandemic was like a big pause button in a lot of people’s lives. While it created lot of destruction and trauma, It also gave some of us time to rethink the trajectory of our lives and careers. Coupled with the fact that we were winding down development of Academia : School Simulator, it was the perfect time to think deeply about what’s next for myself and Squeaky Wheel, and if those two things would be intertwined.
I spoke with my cofounders Tristan and Marnel about how they felt about moving forward with the company, and over numerous conversations it became apparent to me that our goals and aspirations were diverging. So we came to the conclusion that it was best to part ways, and we agreed to buy them out of the company so that I could move forward on my own after we released Academia : School Simulator to version 1.
Initially, my plan was to continue Squeaky Wheel along with our COO Marica as a micro publisher, focusing on the Southeast Asian region. The idea was to make some small investments in the same vein as Ruinarch, and build up a portfolio of strategy and simulation games whilse supporting regional game development. The long term plan was to be something of a Lite version of Paradox Interactive.
But then something crazy happened.
On a whim, I sent in a speculative application to Paradox Interactive, and after 4 months and 4 interviews, they offered me a position at the company. When I got over the shock, quite a few things crystallized for me, and helped me make a decision.
I’ve been very tired of leading our small company for a very long time. And while I was proud of what we’d accomplished, the truth is that I was incredibly burned out. While the initial plan of turning Squeaky Wheel into a micro publisher was exciting, it was also going to be pretty rough, with a lot of new headaches involved in becoming a different organization entirely.
The allure of joining one of my favorite companies and simply becoming a cog in the machine was very tempting. As I told one of my interviewers, the idea of still being in a leadership role but without feeling like the entire fate of the company rests on my shoulders sounded perfect.
In the end, I accepted their offer. (Note: Actually getting to Sweden and working there is a whole can of worms that may still get derailed at any point due to Philippines bureaucracy, so fingers crossed it all works out!)
And so here we are. The Squeaky Wheel team has now disbanded and are each doing their own thing, and we’ll be cheering each other on in our individual efforts.
Marnel has hired Neil to help him work on the next big simulation game to come out of the Philippines.
Tristan is taking his time thinking about the future for him, whether that’s joining Ubisoft, joining the foreign service, or following in the footsteps of Wan Hazmer and willing himself into becoming the lead designer of the next game in the Final Fantasy Franchise.
JM has joined the fabulous folks at Chikonclub in developing the amazing game social cooking game Soup Pot.
Marica will continue as the caretaker CEO of Squeaky Wheel to manage our business affairs, and working on an exciting secret non entirely game related project with Squeaky Wheel.
With regards to our games, we will continue to maintain Academia : School Simulator to ensure that any major issues are resolved. Maccima will continue to actively develop Ruinarch.
I’m very proud of the things we’ve accomplished together. When we embarked on this quest, we wanted to prove that you could create a successful original IP in the Philippines. It took us two games and 3 years to achieve that. The next quest was to help fund an original IP by a different studio, in order to help build up the ecosystem of game IPs in the Philippines. We did that in year 5 with Ruinarch. The end the goal was to prove that you could create a successful original IP in the Philippines, and that our games were as good as anyone else's. It was a long and difficult road and sometimes it felt like the company was held together by duct tape and prayers. But we all made it through somehow. We definitely could not have done it alone, and I’m very grateful to our team for all the hard work and support over the years.
While it is time for us to go our separate ways, I believe the seeds have been planted for new and better things to come, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Squeaky Wheel could not have succeeded without the help and support of fellow game developers. It’s impossible for me to remember everyone, so please don’t be upset with me if I forgot you. It’s merely a testament to how many people need to help you in order for you to thrive in this world :
Aissa Ereneta, Madelynn Uy, Marie Cortez, our parents and families, IGDA Philippines, GDAP, Solon Chen, Alvin Juban, Indie Fiesta, Gwen Foster, Flip Velez , Francis Roque, Positech Games, Introversion Software, Indie Megabooth, Bitsummit, Tokyo Sandbox, EGX, Taipei Game Show, Tokyo Game Show, Level Up KL, BICFest, VirtualSEA.com, Michael Logarta, Lukas Stobie, Another Indie, Ysbryd Games, Toge Productions, Tanya Short, SomaSim, Gabby Dizon, Paul Gadi, co.lab, builtable.co, Fiel Gabriel, Vernon Cenzon, Robert Yatco all the streamers and players!