Thank you so much to the indie game enthusiasts who have supported this series so far! For our 4th Developer interview, we had the pleasure of speaking with Shawn, Lydia and Hanaan from Battlebrew Productions; the indie studio behind the Battlesky series and Cuisineer, which had taken off right from our sunny shores!
As of posting this interview, the demo for their upcoming game, Love in Tiny Spaces, is now available for you to download and try! Don’t forget add it to your wishlist to help our local devs gain some visibility before reading on!
1. Thank you so much for taking the time to answer this interview! Could we get a quick introduction to you and what you do at Battlebrew?
Shawn: I’m Shawn and I’m the resident janitor and Creative Director at BattleBrew.
Lydia: Hello~ I’m Lydia and I assist in production and design, and am the resident marketer at BattleBrew.
Hanaan: Hello, I am Hanaan and I do 2D art. Professional yapper as well.
2. What game is Battlebrew currently working on, and what are some fun features we can look forward to in it?
Hanaan: We are working on a game called Love in Tiny Spaces. You can expect level-manipulation mechanics to navigate each level while avoiding nosy neighbors, just to make out with your girl.
Shawn: What he said- I’d tell you about our OTHER secret project…but please sit tight while we uhh make Love In Tiny Spaces.
3. What do you think are Battlebrew Productions’ greatest strengths or defining features?
Shawn:I think the team is a little kooky.
Hanaan: We have cute art. Also we make fun games.
Lydia: Slight madness and insanity mixed with passion for our work.
4. What is a typical week or workday like in the studio?
Hanaan: Since I work remotely, my day to day routine is waking up, sitting in front of my PC, yapping with my colleagues, and working on art. Mostly I just yap, but my boss doesn’t seem to mind that much. I guess, I hope.
Shawn: The yapping is good. Well, for me, I wake up, go peepee poopoo, shower and become human, then I check emails and do a whole assortment of things including discussions on Discord, editing datasheets, making, editing, and approving GDDs (game design documents), playing the latest builds, do interview stuff maybe then game or watch anime for relaxation. Sometimes I have a meeting with US or UK partners at midnight.
Lydia: Those working in Singapore like me have the option to work hybrid, so depending on our preference, we can work in the office or at home. I think most of us appear in the office on Wednesdays for some friendly office socializing and for meetings, etc. I use my Wednesdays to clean the office ; v ;
5. Are there unique challenges that come with being a Singapore-based indie game studio?
Shawn: Well, spicy statement but we DO cost more than other SEA based studios just because of the currency. We’ve definitely gotten the line from publishers that we are above the budget they were projecting, so that’s a definite hurdle we face.
In other countries, there are some really nice production grants like the Australian screen grant. There’s an equivalent in the UK as well. HINT HINT SG GOVT =p
6. Is the audience targeted by Love in Tiny Spaces the same as the audience targeted by previous releases?
Shawn: HAHAHAHA…maybe?? I don’t think there is a direct overlap, but folks seem to be amused by Love In Tiny Spaces =p
Lydia: Definitely not the same, but they do overlap—I’d think that our audience this time is a little closer to home haha
7. The Battlebrew Team has a vast variety of gaming preferences and favourite games! How does the studio determine the direction for upcoming games?
Lydia: Shawn is the director when it comes to determining the main direction but I guess … with our hearts… and our stomachs.
Shawn: (Lydia told me to please give a more serious answer lol) Ummmm, it’s a mix of passion and market research I guess? “What do we want to make” versus whether the genre sells.
8. Has Battlebrew changed anything in its development or marketing process after its previous releases?
Lydia: I think the team has definitely learned a lot going through the development of Cuisineer, and we’ve made changes to improve production for sure. We’re working on improving our internet presence and figuring out what works for us as a company on that front too.
Shawn: Tonnes of stuff. Besides what Lydia has mentioned, I think I’ll also say that we’re approaching the games we make in an incremental way. Hopefully we can bring features that we wanted to build into new games, and expand and delve deeper into mechanics that we’ve built before. Love In Tiny Spaces is an exploration and a bit of a palate cleanser for us, but the other game will inherit quite a bit from Cuisineer and expand on a few aspects.
9. What kind of gaming experience are you hoping future Love in Tiny Spaces players will have?
Hanaan: I hope they’ll laugh a lot and maybe feel a bit frustrated trying to figure out how to complete the levels. I hope it’s the fun kind of frustration and on my personal side, I hope they’ll love the art (please love it I’m being held hostage <3)
Shawn: We hope you enjoy Love In Tiny Spaces and it warms the cockles of your heart. While engaging increased blood flow to other organs. …Like your brain.
10. Where can we subscribe to the progress of Love in Tiny Spaces and future releases?
Lydia: You can follow our socials at @battlebrewpro on X, Bluesky, Instagram and TikTok! We’ll also be releasing more trailers on our YouTube!
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Thank you so much to the team at Battlebrew for their time and fun responses! I hope you got to know them a little more, keep an eye out for the release of Love in Tiny Spaces! I can’t wait!