[{"content":{"text":"At Schell Games, we love creating amazing experiences. While most of our time is spent creating content for our studio, a huge plus of working here is the freedom to also create games for ourselves.<\/p>Welcome to the continuation of our Side Hustles series. It's been a few years since we've done one, but we hope to post new editions as needed to highlight all of the amazing work done outside of the office at Schell Games. Add these experiences to your wishlists or libraries, check out what they're working on, tell your friends about their projects, and follow along in the new, revamped version of Side Hustles.<\/p>"},"id":"f130d6f9-b972-47b8-bff3-c78948420dab","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"Starforged Legacy<\/em> | Second Shift Games","customid":""},"id":"1cdcb0e6-20e4-4f55-af82-1a0e405a96de","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"location":"web","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=GrbZxGDL69E","video":[],"poster":[],"caption":"","autoplay":"false","muted":"true","loop":"false","controls":"true","preload":"auto"},"id":"dcddfaeb-7435-4e0f-845e-42f951eb9994","isHidden":false,"type":"videoBlock"},{"content":{"text":"The Game:<\/strong>Our first title, Starforged Legacy<\/em><\/a>, is a unique take on the Roguelike Survivors genre. Players pilot their starships across the galaxy, fighting off cosmic combatants while enhancing their arsenal with new weapons and upgrades. The game is designed for deep replayability, featuring extensive meta-progression unlocks and permanent upgrades to fuel future runs.<\/p>The Studio:<\/strong>Second Shift Games<\/a> was born from a simple idea: gather a crew of friends with full-time industry experience to build the games we actually want to play. Our \"Second Shift\" philosophy allows us to stay small, tight-knit, and creative, ensuring every team member has a direct impact on everything we ship even while we all work full time jobs.<\/p>From the Devs:<\/strong>\"Taking a game from concept to completion has been incredible. While building a studio on nights and weekends is a grind, seeing players enjoy our work makes it all worth it. I\u2019m proud of what we\u2019ve built, and I can\u2019t wait for Starforged Legacy<\/em> to kick off the future of Second Shift Games.\" - Philip Simpson, Advanced Engineer at Schell Games, Lead Engineer & Co-Owner at Second Shift Games<\/p>"},"id":"25aa9390-4aac-44bc-9920-b14e92bb3ae9","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"images":["file:\/\/maj2dzzobaznyges","file:\/\/rxfixcszrofxyu1v","file:\/\/9possqgnytiuonge","file:\/\/vet419uvial2zqof","file:\/\/lkt3qt3pihjwnttd","file:\/\/n7raogvjwrsffvus"],"caption":"","ratio":"","crop":"false","gallerytype":"carousel"},"id":"f435c99e-2868-4618-9522-e79ce9cb5be0","isHidden":false,"type":"galleryBlock"},{"content":{"link":"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/widget\/3353390\/"},"id":"f9d3f126-a722-4d81-ac09-790dfedb6642","isHidden":false,"type":"steamBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"I Wanna Be a Game Dev!<\/em> | Lyko Studio","customid":""},"id":"9fdb5f50-78d8-4c14-9524-9a78ceab6a88","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"location":"web","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=v2Tkv1cqBhA","video":[],"poster":[],"caption":"","autoplay":"false","muted":"true","loop":"false","controls":"true","preload":"auto"},"id":"3c233787-e0e1-4768-b49e-44ac83b03e5d","isHidden":false,"type":"videoBlock"},{"content":{"text":"The Game:<\/strong> Live out your school days as you navigate the rocky world of game development in I Wanna Be a Game Dev!<\/em><\/a> Can you make an amazing game, or will something get in the way?<\/p>Editor's Note:<\/em> Visual novel fans, this one is for you. I absolutely fell in love with the writing in this game from the first hour. With wonderfully realized characters and a very unique throughline of creating your own indie game success, this goes right up in my pantheon next to Stein's Gate<\/em> and Fate\/Sta<\/em>y.<\/p>The Studio:<\/strong>At Lyko Studio<\/a>, we strive to make games that encourage people to think about themselves and the world around them. We\u2019ve been making games since 2022 and do it because we love it!<\/p>From the Devs:<\/strong> \"Our game released almost a year ago, and we\u2019ve been super happy with the reception from the community. We\u2019ve been hard at work on the Expansion, releasing on Dec. 19, and the sequel. We added a lot of new systems (including cutscenes and investigation-style gameplay) and we can't wait for you to play it!\" -Samik Mathur, Game Engineer at Schell Games, Co-Founder and Co-Game Director at Lyko Studio<\/p>"},"id":"e382c68a-30a2-4336-9d9f-334ab6916189","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"images":["file:\/\/xrsqwg719crahdaa","file:\/\/wwnuxcczesmkmrk8","file:\/\/rcxy4qbv5xieooh2","file:\/\/mvsjlx126q1oamgz","file:\/\/oxeut2bwa3ffcbgy"],"caption":"","ratio":"","crop":"false","gallerytype":"carousel"},"id":"8a28b1b7-e987-473c-badd-fcdd2e18523e","isHidden":false,"type":"galleryBlock"},{"content":{"link":"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/widget\/2953510\/"},"id":"83943499-5a30-4aea-a28c-70962e9b8a80","isHidden":false,"type":"steamBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"Floe State <\/em>(Working Title)","customid":""},"id":"fdfe7c0f-5db2-44ab-a118-56247868d825","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/8cmwae7x3rwct6ji"],"src":"","alt":"","caption":"","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"caeb8cd7-fd0c-464c-8b82-921dd0c533f9","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"text":"The<\/strong> Game:<\/strong>Floe State<\/em> (working title) is a high-octane, competitive 2D platform-brawler that reimagines arcade sports.<\/p>Players take control of colorful cartoon squids with a flagrant disregard for the laws of physics and marine biology. Their life's purpose: propel a pufferfish into a hoop... AKA, shoot a ball into a goal!!! Blending tight movement mechanics with fast-paced ball control, the game features dashing, diving, taunting, and ink-based tactical interference.<\/p>Designed to be accessible for newcomers yet deep enough for high-level play, Floe State emphasizes 1-4-player local multiplayer (\"couch co-op\"), bringing the energy of classic fighting & party games to a modern audience.<\/p>"},"id":"c0011c40-c0c9-4c3c-aa66-6480b31ccefc","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","image":["file:\/\/iwhxjnmykfqph5kd"],"src":"","alt":"","caption":"","link":"","ratio":"","crop":"false"},"id":"e1c0e364-3861-4d77-b8ad-9927e7f4e048","isHidden":false,"type":"imageBlock"},{"content":{"text":"The Studio:<\/strong>What began as a successful internal Jam Week prototype has evolved into a full-scale production driven by a core team of six volunteers.<\/p>From the Devs:<\/strong>\"We are currently approaching our Vertical Slice milestone, with plans for a 2026 tradeshow debut and a Steam Wishlist page coming soon.\" - George McNeil, Game Producer at Schell Games<\/p>"},"id":"9c50ac9d-1576-4c64-b8f5-35b116121dcd","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"images":["file:\/\/vvulxyj8vpg2pxvn","file:\/\/j9dcfpvwymnsehl2","file:\/\/vsl0ggqw0u4ycljf","file:\/\/nmnklb3pileqlzrj"],"caption":"","ratio":"","crop":"false","gallerytype":"carousel"},"id":"b47830e5-acb9-4390-846a-9850f8f9b616","isHidden":false,"type":"galleryBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"Family Style: Second Serving<\/em> | Co-op Kitchen","customid":""},"id":"77c66ac9-f277-40b1-8a8b-3a5d1d533984","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","url":"","video":["file:\/\/p2fyevmqgpl67y4w"],"poster":[],"caption":"","autoplay":"false","muted":"true","loop":"false","controls":"true","preload":"auto"},"id":"659ee82c-c346-49f9-9b68-03cb27022aa7","isHidden":false,"type":"videoBlock"},{"content":{"text":"The Game:<\/strong>Shout and scramble to cook dishes in this hectic, mobile, and cross-platform party game for 2-8 friends that transforms your living room into a virtual kitchen! In Family Style<\/em><\/a>, players must cooperate with one another to pass ingredients from phone to phone, assemble dishes, and race against time to score points and keep their kitchen open for as long as possible. This sequel enhances the original Family Style<\/em> recipe by adding a multitude of fun, new kitchen obstacles to overcome with your friends, including cooking minigames, exploding hot potatoes, and even garbage flies<\/strong>! The team is looking to release the game in the first half of 2026.<\/p>The Studio:<\/strong>Co-op Kitchen is a team of friends who met at Cornell University in an advanced game development course where students are placed in teams and create mobile games together. Their love of party games and food led them to create the original Family Style<\/em> (available on Apple<\/a> and Google Play<\/a>) in 2019, which was downloaded and enjoyed by millions of players and has thousands of reviews across the various app stores.<\/p>From the Devs:<\/strong> \u201cThe first Family Style was a college project that my team and I worked on and released after we graduated. Second Serving is a sequel that we\u2019re hoping plusses up all of the game\u2019s best bits and keeps players coming back again and again!\u201d - Ziyad Dur\u00f3n, Advanced Game Designer at Schell Games, Lead Designer at Co-op Kitchen<\/p>"},"id":"826f586a-ec4b-43d3-8386-8cd746782673","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"images":["file:\/\/0vlreajmiyimqupa","file:\/\/u0uinjgfvaxwiyro","file:\/\/57jnryilykulvhm3"],"caption":"","ratio":"","crop":"false","gallerytype":"carousel"},"id":"24e15acb-24db-4b85-babb-90e3b837acdb","isHidden":false,"type":"galleryBlock"},{"content":{"text":"Editor's Note: Schell Games side hustles include more than just gaming. Here's even more projects to check out:<\/em><\/p>"},"id":"a848c117-e72f-48bf-81d9-e096ae68e6d7","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"Peerbots<\/em>: Social Robotics for Everyone","customid":""},"id":"db74a954-7811-4c59-a767-14e92c9cf8c3","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","url":"","video":["file:\/\/br51qsnlriztuz9o"],"poster":[],"caption":"","autoplay":"false","muted":"true","loop":"false","controls":"true","preload":"auto"},"id":"7a0a2577-c95d-4f67-8dad-38af6615b943","isHidden":false,"type":"videoBlock"},{"content":{"text":"Peerbots<\/em> is an innovative, research-backed, and open-source platform that democratizes access to social robotics through engaging digital puppet and robot puppeteering tools. Easy to use, free, and web-based, Peerbots<\/em> creates impactful, engaging interactions for people of all ages, allowing the platform to be seamlessly applied across educational, recreational, creative, and therapeutic contexts. <\/p>Peerbots<\/em> removes barriers to entry, providing access to social robots while ensuring users and enthusiasts remain in complete control, empowering makers, educators, and novices to build their own robot systems. Peerbots<\/em> is driven by a mission to build social robots for everyone, empowered by experts, with key objectives focused on the research and development of broadly accessible tools, providing comprehensive training for non-technical users, and offering opportunities for the community to engage directly in the design, development, and promotion of social robot and virtual agent systems.<\/p>John Choi, Game Engineer at Schell Games, Lead App Developer at Peerbots<\/em><\/p>"},"id":"7cc94f4f-18e8-41c3-a47f-b58d8122e603","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"images":["file:\/\/xnwtzr7bydrpduzi","file:\/\/clppfgfx97lpjogc","file:\/\/uhfsnrjpktqzvh1n","file:\/\/josmlgb60w7fffn5"],"caption":"","ratio":"","crop":"false","gallerytype":"carousel"},"id":"329ccb85-5f4e-4ae3-bfc2-29b8743cbc14","isHidden":false,"type":"galleryBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"Project Meridawn<\/em>","customid":""},"id":"51d415e6-ca56-4259-a93e-e431c362f9ae","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"location":"kirby","url":"","video":["file:\/\/5tvcje82avuz8hlq"],"poster":[],"caption":"","autoplay":"true","muted":"true","loop":"true","controls":"true","preload":"auto"},"id":"e30f48a8-c1c7-4848-a787-f4cb92a94b09","isHidden":false,"type":"videoBlock"},{"content":{"text":"The latest side project from John Pile, Engineering Director, Principal Engineer Manager at Schell Games, Project Meridawn<\/em><\/a> will transform your television into a living Earth Clock.<\/p>Ditch the standard screensaver and watch as your device becomes a living map of the Earth showing exactly how it is currently being lit by sunlight. This relaxing app shows how daylight and darkness flow across our continents and oceans, but it's also more than just aesthetics, it's scientifically accurate. The images of the Earth you see come directly from NASA's Blue Marble<\/a> collection.<\/p>You can grab Project Meridawn<\/em> for your FireTV (works with most recent Fire OS devices) on Amazon<\/a>.<\/p>"},"id":"f74ef46b-d930-49cc-a855-39ebcf332c7b","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"level":"h2","text":"Steel Seraph Studios","customid":""},"id":"570fcb6e-06b5-4062-92bb-b4e102ffd7af","isHidden":false,"type":"headingBlock"},{"content":{"text":"Joshua Lippert, Schell Games' Senior QA Specialist in Production, has an atypical side hustle for someone who works at a game studio. But, once you understand why, it all makes sense! His passion for jewelry design was born out of a love of video games and an interest 3D modeling. After a lost wax casting workshop at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, he fine-tuned his craft with several semesters of the workshop and designed and built a handful of pieces in silver and bronze. With this know-how and an eye for precise lines and symmetry, he combined this with his love of 3D printing and created Steel Seraph Studios<\/a>.In business since 2018, Josh's unique Etsy shop offers a number of inspired, 100% original designs with lots of options for the materials they're printed in. Simply select your favorite piece, then pick whether you want it in silver, bronze, or brass. Steel Seraph offers designs in a lot of unique design themes, like history and astronomy, to help you find a truly special gift.<\/p>Fun Fact: <\/strong>Steel Seraph Studios has made designs based on Schell Games IPs in the past, two of which were sent in thank-you packages to Wil Wheaton and Puddles the Clown for their voiceover work on IEYTD2. You can see those examples below among his other offerings. <\/em><\/p>"},"id":"17ede8fe-0f4d-4792-93e3-d13b3cb55773","isHidden":false,"type":"textBlock"},{"content":{"images":["file:\/\/6q1mjxhimkwrbsk8","file:\/\/jvyeaw2ne2ljr4md","file:\/\/5iitcqzm7zbfcbd7","file:\/\/fk11qbzcrzovdcdf","file:\/\/srhnkvscyab2qgtj","file:\/\/jm0zscmod2pqgjsl","file:\/\/crislf9zfr0uwheh"],"caption":"","ratio":"","crop":"false","gallerytype":"carousel"},"id":"81ae51fd-bf60-4e4f-9207-a59f77597d10","isHidden":false,"type":"galleryBlock"}]
