We're a married couple running a game studio from Dunedin, New Zealand. Empire of the Jade Gods is what happens when two people with too many hobbies decide to combine them.
One of us was sketching jade-themed illustrations. The other was learning a game engine. At some point the two projects collided and we ended up with a working prototype — a simple reel game with hand-drawn symbols.
We shared it with a few friends. They kept coming back to it. So we polished it up, put it online, and here we are. The whole thing still runs from a home office with a temperamental heater and far too many houseplants.
One person handles the art — symbols, backgrounds, UI. The other writes code and keeps the servers running. A third joined later to manage the community after spending months as one of the most active players.
Decisions happen fast because there's nobody to run them past. A bug report usually gets fixed the same day. Feature requests get discussed over lunch and either built that week or shelved with an honest explanation.
