SKOOTA GAMES Journey So Far Part 1

SKOOTA GAMES was launched and started publicly sharing information in March 2024, right before participating in the indie game event TOKYO INDIE GAMES SUMMIT held in Kichijoji, Tokyo. So, from an outside perspective, SKOOTA GAMES has just crossed the six-month mark since launching its website. Just six months!

That said, we started preparing a bit earlier, around September 2023, when internally we began rallying around the idea, “Now we’re going to make a game!” From there, we reviewed the project seeds collected from the team, considering whether they were simply interesting ideas, if there was a shared passion for them within the team, and whether we could realistically create them ourselves, among other factors. We then narrowed down the projects we would develop.

Here are some initial sketches of our current project, Momoko Crash. Rhythm game ❌ probability = thighs????? I plan to compile the history of project development for each title at a later opportunity!

Now, two months before the project call, in July 2023, the production team visited Kyoto in midsummer to check out BitSummit2023, known as the largest indie game festival in Japan. When Mr. Kimura from room6 appeared on SKOOTA TALK Journey, he mentioned, “We also want to make indie games!” and suggested that there was a big event in Kyoto during the summer that would give us a feel for the atmosphere, so we made the effort to go. July in Kyoto is hot! I knew it would be, but it was hot enough to be somewhat overwhelming. (Coincidentally, it coincided with the Gion Matsuri’s Yoiyama and Yamaboko Junko festivals, making it a doubly appealing event for overseas exhibitors. Even aside from that, the uniqueness of Kyoto offers an unmatchable advantage for hosting international events.)

The venue was the Miyako Messe, the largest event hall in Kyoto, located near Heian Shrine. Countless booths were crammed into the dimly lit space, with crowds forming everywhere—people playing games, distributing flyers. There were many overseas exhibitors, and while it might be an exaggeration to say there were more foreigners than Japanese, there was a certain atmosphere reminiscent of an overseas event. No large booths were present, just small teams showcasing what they had poured their hearts into. It was free-spirited, energetic, and had a nice underground vibe that was just great!

room6, along with Yoka Ze Label, had a fairly large exhibition, and while being amazed at the scale, we had a sort of strategy meeting behind the booth, asking questions about the basics of game development and how they were creating their games. Rather than techniques, it felt more like philosophy or vibe. I was struck by how often Mr. Kimura repeated, “Schedules will definitely be delayed.” It really does seem like they will. It’s not just about schedule management; when you seriously engage with what makes a game “fun,” it inevitably leads to delays, and denying that would lead you away from creating something fun, I broadly understood, as we looked around. The people there were having such a great time creating games, with an incredible density and energy—it struck me that one must participate from within rather than just observe from the outside!

So, I declared to Mr. Kimura, “Next time, we will definitely exhibit!” and returned to Tokyo.

At that time, our animation studio was in the midst of producing a short film titled “The Girls of the Ripple,” and the final touches were happening in August of the previous year. Therefore, we couldn’t immediately move forward, but finally, around September, we started brainstorming our original game concept! Thus, the preparation was officially underway.

SKOOTA GAMES will exhibit in the indie game corner! We will be sharing the latest information on X, so please follow us and turn on notifications to await further updates!