Snackbar Studio is a FRESH indie game Development firm
We’re working on our first title: a top-down, chill-action foraging and cooking RPG for PC, Switch, Playstation, and Xbox.
Our first release is coming soon:
Zia Lina’s. Food. Family. And Fighting Fascism.
A sardonic, heartwarming game centered around foraging, hunting, cooking, and fighting a fascist regime in the magical world of 1960s-Italy.
Uncover a story about freedom, love, and carbohydrates. Escape your city’s walls to the forbidden wilderness beyond. Fight a few magically-possessed boars. Discover a magical portal to an enchanted marketplace run by … raccoons? And (perhaps most challenging of all) master the elusive cacio e pepe before the tyrannical local ruler (aka, “the Sindaco”) shuts your restaurant down. You’ll forage for ingredients in the dangerous wilds, craft a menu to please picky customers, and collect Lire, recipes, and stories from customers as you keep the family trattoria afloat. Oh, and you might host a secret, anti-fascist gathering every second Monday in order to take down the corrupt local government.
Snackbar is a story about overcoming grief, tragedy, and impossible odds. It’s about how food and cooking can bring us together and triumph over evil, even in the darkest of times.
Snackbar is about striking balance between warmth and edge.
Despite the elements of mystery, loss, and grit, there is something warm and inviting, even in the darkest moments. The mood is loving without being treacly; the humor is smart without being mean-spirited or alienating. While the chef PC is often self-effacing, jokes are never made at someone else’s expense, not even NPCs’. Think of a clever, tween-appropriate but still sophisticated fictional voice (ala peak Muppets, Steven Universe, or Futurama). It’s less absurdist than Community, and not as earnest as Ted Lasso. We’re treating tyranny and a world-shaking cataclysm how The Good Place treated death and the afterlife - taking a scary concept and making it accessible, familiar, and, yeah, even a little fun.
Snackbar isn’t the story of a fated hero who just happens to be a chef. It’s the story of, well… just a chef. She runs a restaurant, albeit begrudgingly. She tries to make people happy with food. She tries to bring back “La Vita Bella” - the zenlike, Italian appreciation for good food, art, wine, espresso, friends - even in the aftermath of a great tragedy.
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Meet The Team
Rand Fishkin
Nicolas Kraj
Geraldine DeRuiter
Miriam Cabrera
Rand Fishkin
Creative Director & CEO
Rand is best known for his work in the software startup world, as founder of SparkToro and, previously, Moz and Inbound.org. He’s the author of Lost & Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World and has dreamt of building indie games since he was 7 years old.
His top 5 game recommendations are: Disco Elysium, Hades, Baba is You, Planescape: Torment, and Night in the Woods. His favorite Italian dish is the risotto from Ristorante Locanda del Teatro in Montefalco, Umbria. He does not recommend Bros (or being a “bro”).
Nicolas Kraj
Game Designer
With 15+ years of experience for companies like Ubisoft and Focus Entertainment, Nicolas has served as a Game Designer, Lead GD, and/or Director for dozens of the world’s most successful titles: Space Marine 2, Assassin’s Creed Origins, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon, Just Dance, The Crew, Immortals Fenyx Rising, Marvel and many more. Having worked on games from AAAA monster productions to small indie games allows him not only to cover the entire range of design expertise needed in a game production but also to be pragmatic in regard to shipping a product realistically.
Nicolas also coaches aspiring game designers and developers through GDKeys, a community he built serving 100s of indie creators. When in Italy, he’ll take a simple and efficient Spaghetti All'Amatriciana with a side of Hollow Knight.
Geraldine DeRuiter
Lead Writer
Geraldine is the architect of Snackbar’s stories and characters. She's also the James Beard Award winning voice behind The Everywhereist blog, the author of two critically acclaimed books, and her work has appeared in numerous publications, including The New Yorker and The Washington Post (and one time Stephen Colbert mispronounced her name on his show!). She started her career in games - as a content creator and editor for Cranium. She is incredibly excited to get back to her roots as she brings her love of cooking, Italy, and adventure to the SnackBar universe.
Geraldine craves Spaghetti alle Vongole fortnightly and takes great delight in puzzle games like Roki and The Last Campfire, nineties throwbacks like Sonic the Hedgehog and Toejam & Earl, and resource management games like Stardew Valley.
Miriam Cabrera
Lead Programmer
Miriam is a passionate professional in the video game industry with five years of experience as a game developer and game designer in the world of independent video games. Throughout her career, she has contributed to the development of various indie titles such as Startup Company Console Edition, Terracotta, Altered Alma, and many more!
In addition to her successful journey in creating independent video games, Miriam had the honor of participating in a startup talent program backed by PlayStation Iberia. This experience provided her with the opportunity to launch her first commercial video game, Jade's Ascension.
Currently, Miriam shares her knowledge and experience as a level design instructor at a renowned university, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. Her passion for imparting her love for video games and her expertise inspire the new generations of developers.
Miriam’s favorite video game is Sonic Heroes; it left an indelible mark on her childhood. And, should you want to brighten her day, you can always do so with a good plate of spaghetti bolognese!
Copyright Snackbar Studio, LLC | Based in Seattle, WA USA
