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Akedo Studio at Stunfest 2022: The sequel

15/8/2022

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If you missed it live or on #twitch, rediscover Nicolas Juspin's discussion for Akedo Studio and Nick Reckless in The Curse of The Lost Cause with other #indies during the Stunfest Festival!
We were listed for the festival prizes...we didn't win any, but we went home from Stunfest with so much more!

Meetings, exchanges, discussions and above all challenges: because it also means confronting the public and the industry - challenging yourself!

We have lots of ideas in mind!
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2022 Stunfest! The Indie meeting of the month of May!

11/5/2022

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Akedo Studio presents Nick Reckless in The Curse of The Lost Cause at the Stunfest festival in Rennes on May 20, 21 and 22, 2022!

In 2019, we met the organizers of Stunfest de Rennes. After this great exchange, we decided to participate in the 2020 edition! Then COVID came through. There you go, 2022! A new opportunity to participate in a world-renowned event!

On May 20, 21 and 22, we will be in Rennes with a 15 min demo by Nick Reckless in The Curse of The Lost Cause. We are excited ! Akedo Studio, always looking for a challenge, has entered the jury prize competition... will we be selected?

​To be continued...
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On the occasion of this event, we offer the Ak'Shopper a small gift:

Use the coupon STUNFEST22LOOT on the Loot Zone and get 22% off your order over €50!

As a bonus? The first fifteen orders will receive a free headphones!

The Stunfest

​​Akedo Studio will be at the Théâtre du Vieux Saint Etienne

" ​Created in 2005 by the Rennes association 3 Hit Combo, the Stunfest was originally a simple tournament of fighting games. Very quickly, the Stunfest established itself as a much larger event, crossing the multitude of cultures games serving the same ambition: to encourage the plurality of audiences to question their relationship to a common cultural object in perpetual evolution." Find out more about Stunfest >>>
"For three days, nearly forty stands and more than 80 games will be available to discover and test and you will be able to exchange directly with the creators present to tell you about their games." Find out more >>>
Discover the program
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New with old |Integrating Indies, developing Oldies: Akedo Studio's leitmotif!

26/4/2022

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The Magazine, Informations Entreprise wrote an article about our Studio!

​Integrating Indies, developing Oldies: Akedo Studio's leitmotif! A fully independent and 100% self-financed French video game studio, the company refocuses the focus on players in order to offer them playful entertainment, and this, through a vintage game style… without nostalgia! Let's enter the world of "Nick Reckless in The Curse of The Lost Cause", the first game from the firm.
Read it in French !
​June 4, 2019 is a milestone for Akedo Studio. On this date, the company is indeed preparing the production of the assets of its first video game. By taking advantage of its partnership with Rubika Montreal - coupled with Speed ​​Jobbing with 17 students - the independent studio is thus embarking on a 13-week race, through an assumed objective: to do something new, with old ! “We operate in an industry tamed by the majors. Here, the games certainly become more and more beautiful, but at the same time, the playful aspect is put in the background. Our desire is therefore to reshuffle the cards, to fit into another logic, which takes more account of what we could find in the games of the 80s and 90s; In short, a progressive course, which allows you to have fun, while learning” introduces for us Zoé Toussaint, Digital Marketing Manager and co-founder of Akedo Studio.

​In life and at work, the duo formed by the entrepreneur with Nicolas Juspin mixes new technologies and nineties design in order to offer all lovers of vintage video games entertainment in tune with their expectations!

​“We are obviously talking about an old-fashioned game here, where you have to find hidden parts, choose the right weapon in the right situation, etc. However, it also seemed important for us to enhance our game with new improvements, whether it be music in a "contemporary" format, the addition of special effects, etc. "explains Nicolas.


Acting as the "man behind the code", the co-founder introduces here some clues to illustrate the approach of a programmer with proven know-how!
​Within a universe made up of 4 environments - the jungle, the ruins, the cave and the temple - the players embody Nick Reckless, an upside-down Indiana Jones, struck by a curse that continues to haunt him. To get rid of it, Nick will have to overcome many obstacles, survive a whole set of traps, before returning the idol stolen by his ancestors.


Here, the hero immerses us in a colorful world, made up of randomly generated levels: “this will offer players almost infinite replayability” specifies Zoé in a second step.


Thanks to the magic of pixel art, Nick Reckless in The Curse of The Lost Cause takes up the codes that have made 2D platform games successful, with, it is true, a natural consideration of technological innovations.
“By developing the “little bit of technology” on top of that, we managed to create a game that was small in terms of weight, therefore presenting very low constraints. In the form, we have chosen a pixelated universe, with bright and contemporary colors. Even if the Oldies aspect is essential, we do not limit ourselves”. Continue Mr. Justin.
​

No limit ; this is the idea that we can retain here! Thanks to its financial autonomy, Akedo Studio enjoys total independence, freedom of movement, the basis of an approach that makes it unique!


However, it is a question of not being mistaken. Behind this strong choice lie several challenges. Statistically, an independent studio is only profitable from its 5th game. Aware of the problem, Akedo Studio has launched the Loot Zone, an online store offering various products bearing the image of the firm. T-shirts, mugs, mouse pads, etc. A participatory campaign logic, which has the quality of trying to create a real relationship with the community!

​The Akedo Studio front

Initiated by Nicolas Juspin, Akedo Studio draws its expertise from the career of a 3D programmer who studied with the famous firm Ubisoft Montreal. Participating in the development of games such as Rainbow Six, Watch Dog or Splinter Cell (just that!), this enthusiast has evolved for more than 11 years within the AAA. Despite the attractiveness of his position, the programmer felt the need to rediscover what was the essence of his job. Nostalgic for his first lines of code on the Amiga 500, he decided to abandon the comfort of the majors in order to create his own gaming technology.

​And while Nick Reckless in The Curse of The Lost Cause is currently only available on PC, the time has now come for deployment: “our desire is to release our game on other media, such as Linux, or even Nintendo. There is also talk of developing a new universe, around a cyberpunk. At the same time, we are working hard on a project called Behind The Screen, a book whose role will be to answer questions about the development of a video game,” punctuates Madame Toussaint.
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Entrepreneurship as a couple: Challenges expressed in the Voice of Leaders 2022

17/1/2022

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​The backstage of a great experience

​On a beautiful day in December 2021, the film crew came to meet us in our Studio to discuss pixels, pleasure and lightness. A great experience, and a funny exercise. It's quite extraordinary to find yourself in front of the camera to talk about your daily life as an entrepreneur - knowing that it will be published on national territory!

We had a lot of fun! And we hope that you will have as much to discover the article: AKEDO STUDIO - PIXELS, PLEASURE AND LIGHTNESS: At the crossroads between retro gaming and modern gaming. Akedo Studio integrates the Indies by rethinking the Oldies... continue reading in French >>>

​If French is not in your coding! We have translated the article for you!

​Complementary duo in life and at work, Zoé and Nico have created Akedo Studio, a 100% independent and self-financed video game development studio Launched in 2016, Akedo has just released its first game Nick Reckless in The Curse of The Lost Cause. Journey of a very young company, with ethical values ​​and playful creations, told by Zoé Toussaint, Digital Marketing Manager at Akedo Studio.

​Your first game Nick Reckless in The Curse of The Lost Cause has just been released, what is it?

​Our character Nick Reckless is a kind of anti-Indiana Jones, touched by a curse that never ceases to pursue him. It's a platform game with a retro twist. The player will have to return the idol stolen by Nick's ancestors while avoiding the traps that will be in his way. The hero evolves through randomly generated levels, which allows Gamers almost infinite replayability.
​
In this game, the imagination takes over thanks to the magic of 2D, pixel art and neo-retro gameplay. We chose to take the game ideas that made us vibrate when we started playing.

Nick Reckless in The Curse of The Lost Cause has been available on itch.io and steam platforms since October 2021 and works on PC.

​What are your projects ?

​For 2022 we would like to release our game Nick Reckless on other media like Linux and maybe Nintendo. We are also developing our next game, the universe will be completely different, since the hero will be a cyberpunk.

And I'm working on a new project at the same time: it's called Behind The Screen. It is a book that answers the various questions that people may ask themselves: What is going on behind a video game? How do we code? How does pixel art work? To discover our universe and share our journey, we designed the Ak'Mag, with our stories of pixels, encounters, favorites, etc.

​Who is the man behind the code?​

​Akedo Studio is the initiative of Nico, a 3D programmer who studied at Ubisoft Montreal - from Rainbow Six to For Honor via Splinter Cell and Watch dog. Nostalgic for his first lines of code on the Amiga 500, when he created his first game: an "Asteroid" shooting game, Nico wanted to rediscover the taste for creation, as well as the beauty and magic of old school video games. In 2016, after eleven years dedicated to big budget games, Nico left the AAA industry to create his own game technology, to develop low and medium budget games. A big fan of e-sports games such as Street Fighter and Dota, Nico also draws his passion from games like Mario, Zelda, Quake III, Counter Strike, Starcraft, Unreal Tournament, Heroes of Magic and Might, Sonic, Tomb Raider and many more. others, from the late 80's to the most recent versions... The list would be too long.

​What is the challenge when you are an independent studio?

​Statistically an independent studio starting to be profitable after the 5th game, the challenge for us is to finance ourselves. This is why I created the loot zone in reference to a video game principle known to all Gamers. It's an online store that allows you to buy different products in limited series, it's like taking part in a participatory campaign. We offer t-shirts that take up the visuals of our first game, mugs, mouse pads but also the Artbook of the game Nick Reckless in The Curse of The Lost Cause. It is a sixty-page book that follows the evolution of the characters and places them in the universe of the game.
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And of course, the video! ​

These are the debut in front of the camera, where we present the path of Akedo Studio since its creation, but above all its future projects! Watch it to find out how 2022 is shaping up. And above all, if you haven't already, discover Nick Reckless in The Curse of The Lost Cause and the Loot Zone.
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Akedo: "Company of the week for CNEWS", an Ak'interview !

15/11/2021

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​The article is in French because it is CNEWS, but we will translate it for you, right away in our blog!
Good enough, I will translate it myself !
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​AKEDO STUDIO: THE CREATIVITY OF A FRENCH STUDIO AROUND 2D VIDEO GAMES AND PIXEL ART

​For the past few weeks, the independent video game studio has released its adventure game Nick Reckless in The Curse of The Lost Cause, which immerses you in an immersive and bewitching universe alongside a hero, Nick Reckless, struck by the curse.

Created by Nicolas Juspin and Zoé Toussaint, Akedo is a fully independent and 100% self-funded French video game studio. The company wants to develop small and medium budget games.

"Nicolas worked for many years at Ubisoft Montreal on major video games such as Watch dog, Splinter Cell, and Rainbow Six at For Honor. At one point, Nicolas wanted to change his working environment by touching on something other than 3D development. Nostalgic for his first lines of code on the Amiga 500, his desire was to return to more creative and artisanal work. The idea then came to create Akedo Studio " explains Zoé Toussaint, Head of Communication and Marketing at Akedo and partner of the founder.
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​Starting from scratch, Nicolas Juspin then independently developed his own technology. The objective was then to design independent video game creations using the aesthetic codes and the magic of video games from our childhood, adding touches of modernity; video games that could be called "neo old school".
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​NICK RECKLESS: AKEDO STUDIO'S FIRST RETRO GAME

From 2019, the studio is working on its first platform game called "Nick Reckless in The Curse of The Lost Cause". In this 2D game, the hero takes the form of an anti Indiana Jones affected by a curse that continues to haunt him throughout his epic.

The player must then avoid all the traps present on his way through completely randomly generated levels; a feature that gives gamers access to almost endless replayability.

“Each environment has four levels with gradual difficulty. In all environments, the curse plays an essential role: it can be beneficial to the player, or on the contrary harmful; this element then gives rhythm to the game. In this unrealistic universe, the imagination takes over thanks to neo-retro gameplays, the magic of 2D, and pixel art ".

Officially launched in October 2021, the game whose mission is to reveal players through many stimulating challenges is currently available on the itch.io and Steam platforms.

​"THE VIDEO GAME AS A REFLECTION OF OUR CREATIVITY"


​​Passionate about designing video games, the founders of Akedo wanted to create a development lab. The objective is then to carry out research into a "wizard-magician" as Zoé Toussaint explains, by offering simplicity in technology, complexity of the game, but also pleasure; and this thanks to stimulating experiences.
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​“We want to offer an immersive neo-retro experience and convey our passion for video games and our enthusiasm to be an independent, self-funded development studio. This form of entrepreneurship allows us to make video games a reflection of our creativity, in complete freedom! "

​THE “LOOT ZONE”: AN ONLINE STORE TO SUPPORT THE STUDIO

Akedo Studio also offers its players and Internet users an online store called "The Loot Zone". The main purpose of this platform is to financially support the studio through the sale of all kinds of objects bearing the image of its video game (sweaters, T-shirts, mugs, USB keys, mouse pads, notebooks, artbooks , etc.). From November 15 to 29 on Black Friday, the company will be offering AK’WEEKS. Internet users will be able to take advantage of a 15% discount with the code "AKWEEK15" and free delivery in mainland France for any order.
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Once upon a time, Akedo Studio & Rubika Montreal

24/8/2021

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This unprecedented experience, we have made it possible to create the foundation of our 2D pixel art platform with which we participated in the Montreal DreamHack and in the MEGAMIGS, with these graphics here. The work accomplished during the summer of 2019 opened the doors to certain media and other partnerships.

Since then, the game and its universe have evolved and we teach you to discover the metamorphosis.
We came back from a wonderful trip to Costa Rica, which inspired the universes for our first game: Nick Reckless in The Curse of The Lost Cause. But from an idea, inspirations and concepts: we were still very far from having a video game!

And despite Nico's experience, creating an Indie video game from A to Z isn't all about technology and code! There are at least another dozen trades that we did not master.

The solution? Recruit!
We are close to La Guilde, Gaming Jobs and Gameplay Space in Montreal. One thing leading to another, Mireille Mallol from Rubika Montreal meets us to discuss a partnership.

During a Speed-jobbing, we were able to present our project to the students, and especially what we were looking for for our project. It was the first time we had spoken publicly about our ideas: one hell of a time, intimidating and exciting!
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​RUBIKA (Supinfocom, Supinfogame, ISD), created 30 years ago in France, has been based in India for 10 years and in Montreal since September 2016. The sectors have distinguished themselves by becoming references at the global level in the industries of the Animation, Video Games and Design.

​Recruiting also means selecting!
A first for us, going through the CVs and interview notes to make a choice: the choice, that of our team.
We have a team, we have well written docs with all the theoretical instructions and concepts. In short, it's time to start working. We were able to take advantage of the school premises, and work for a term on the graphics of the game. It was a very rich experience, the little secrets of which you can discover in the web series made at that time. And yes, 2019 was another time, especially for Akedo Studio.

Who is this famous team?

​Kathy Lee, Prithvi Kumar, Mathew George Pulinat, Sandra Liz Sleeba, Alexandre Delfolie, Emma Dupuis, 0livier Paquette, Mike.A DJing, Zoé et ​Nicolas.
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