We’re both at GDC this week, so we might be a bit slow returning mail for a few days. What? One of us got devoured by a large corporation? It’s probably another fun side project, much like Indie Fund. If you’re at GDC this week and see us wandering around say hello!

At GDC last year, in an informal gathering of indie developers, and idea was born. As people discussed how and where to get funding for their games, someone asked why we don’t fund each others’ games. That question started a conversation that eventually resulted in the creation of Indie Fund, a new source of funding for independent developers. More info coming soon, stay tuned…

I recently had the pleasure of spending a good hour with Colin Northway playing a multiplayer session of Monaco, which is nominated for multiple awards at this year’s Independent Games Festival. Monaco is a co-op stealth game being developed by Andy Schatz of Pocketwatch Games.

For me, this game captures the essence of what is fun about the stealth genre and wraps it in a dynamic visual presentation that feels fresh, and beautifully mesmerizing. Sound design is also superb and creates a remarkably rich ambiance.   Another thing that struck me in Monaco’s design is that it’s very simple, bare bones even, and each element in the game expands it in a new direction, contributing something meaningful to the player experience. Nothing is superfluous or wasteful. Stealing is about to become cool again, get excited, kleptomaniacs!

There’s also an interview with Andy up on GameDev.net if you want to learn more about this game.