Sabotage Studio

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Love at first sight

Love at first sight

Thierry is four, and his brother receives an NES for his birthday. In true 90s kids fashion, they are both instantly hooked. Being two years older than Thierry,... read more

Thierry is four, and his brother receives an NES for his birthday. In true 90s kids fashion, they are both instantly hooked. Being two years older than Thierry, his brother soon learns to tell him there are hidden secrets in the pitfalls so that he would die and have to pass the controller.

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An unexpected visit, an unexpected surprise

An unexpected visit, an unexpected surprise

Thierry's grandfather shows up unannounced with a paper bag full of NES games, out of which he gets to keep six. Little does he know, many of what would become ... read more

Thierry's grandfather shows up unannounced with a paper bag full of NES games, out of which he gets to keep six. Little does he know, many of what would become cult classics are in there: Metroid, Little Nemo the Dream Master, Super C, Megaman 2, Zelda, and even some deep cuts like Super Team Games!

At the end of a most magical afternoon playtesting what feels like an infinite pile of wonders, the sixth and final pick was either going to be Ninja Gaiden 2 or Castlevania 3. Seven years old Thierry chooses Ninja Gaiden 2, a game that hits him so hard he starts getting up earlier so he can play it even before school. The beautiful and dark richness of Ninja Gaiden's world, its music, challenge, story and rewards plant a seed that gives birth to an obession he has yet to get over to this day. From this initial spark, over the years he comes into contact with his need to escape from the anxieties induced by too much shaming, and the power games have to provide coping for those in need, as well as entertainment for those in want.

Midway through elementary school, armed with a complete inability to draw and a dream to one day entertain the universe, a fantasy world starts to build in Thierry's mind.

Thierry experiments with multiple avenues in life

Thierry experiments with multiple avenues in life

A teen in the early 2000s, Thierry assumes that video games are not a reasonable career path, and slowly gives up on his imaginary world. The urge to create as ... read more

A teen in the early 2000s, Thierry assumes that video games are not a reasonable career path, and slowly gives up on his imaginary world. The urge to create as a team and help people unwind is still a core driver of his, so he develops other interests.

He spends roughly 7 years playing drums in punk rock bands, studying to become a professional cook, and working in kitchens. While on a trip he meets a wise chef who helps him realize cooking is not his true calling, and entirely gives up. Hindered by severe ADHD, and having no record of any ability to do homework or study diligently, he doesn't have the courage to undertake the long journey of a computer science degree to pursue his dream.

He is at a loss on what to do with his life.

Meanwhile, Steam (Valve) changes the game

Meanwhile, Steam (Valve) changes the game

Steam opens up the digital distribution of games with their store front, making it possible for smaller studios to get started, reach their audience and become ... read more

Steam opens up the digital distribution of games with their store front, making it possible for smaller studios to get started, reach their audience and become sustainable businesses. Lowering the barrier to entry is pivotal for the gaming market: a great idea, programming skills and a lot of focus can now be enough to get a shot on the market.

In 2007, 112 new games will come out on Steam.
In 2020, 10263 new games will come out on Steam.

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time comes out

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time comes out

A world class title is made in Montréal, a city close to Québec. It seems a serious career in games is possible in this little province after all. There is hope.

Thierry meets Dunlay

Thierry meets Dunlay

Thierry and Dunlay meet at work and become fast friends, bonding over gaming. They move in together, and over the next couple of years video games take the stag... read more

Thierry and Dunlay meet at work and become fast friends, bonding over gaming. They move in together, and over the next couple of years video games take the stage just like during their respectives childhoods.

The binge is on in the era of World of Warcraft and Twilight Princess.

Thierry and Dunlay go to Game Dev School

Thierry and Dunlay go to Game Dev School

After spending two years in carefree denial of adulthood, Thierry and Dunlay decide to shoot for the dream. A local school, Collège Bart, offers a 1 year course in games programming.

They enroll.

Pac meets Dunlay and Thierry at the gamedev school

Pac meets Dunlay and Thierry at the gamedev school

At school they meet Pac, who Thierry approaches because he has a Blind Guardian shirt. The friendship is instantaneous and very symbiotic. Pac is more on the sh... read more

At school they meet Pac, who Thierry approaches because he has a Blind Guardian shirt. The friendship is instantaneous and very symbiotic. Pac is more on the shy side but wants to have fun, and Thierry needs to learn how to do homework and study.

He will be forever grateful for Pac, without whom he absolutely would have failed school and given up on his dream. Along with Dunlay, they all get their degree.

Thierry starts working on Darkest Night as a school project

Thierry starts working on Darkest Night as a school project

The first school project is to design and solo dev a very small 2D game. Not sure what to make, Thierry draws from the fantasy world he had been imagining in hi... read more

The first school project is to design and solo dev a very small 2D game. Not sure what to make, Thierry draws from the fantasy world he had been imagining in his earlier years and starts working on "Darkest Night", a very early version of what would 10 years later become The Messenger.

Before even finishing their 1-year program, the trio get their first job as Gameplay Programmers at a local game studio

Before even finishing their 1-year program, the trio get their first job as Gameplay Programmers at a local game studio

The game servicing industry is booming in Québec City. About two thirds of the way into their one year program, Dunlay, Pac and Thierry get a guaranteed job at a local studio.

Making friends, gaining experience

Making friends, gaining experience

Over the next 7 years years, the trio is split on different projects. Thierry learns the ropes of production and becomes lead programmer on teams ranging from 7... read more

Over the next 7 years years, the trio is split on different projects. Thierry learns the ropes of production and becomes lead programmer on teams ranging from 7 to 40 devs.

Frédérik (Fro) and Sylvain (Sclout) are assigned to his team as soon as they join the company, and together they develop their own way of approaching production. A love for quality, a focus on gameplay, and the importance of meeting deadlines not by crunching, but rather planning carefully and making a point to communicate clearly.

Meanwhile, the Canada Media Fund (CMF) is launched

Meanwhile, the Canada Media Fund (CMF) is launched

Before there was a mature ecosystem with first party exclusivity deals and publishers hunting for new titles to add to their portfolio, it was a real puzzle to ... read more

Before there was a mature ecosystem with first party exclusivity deals and publishers hunting for new titles to add to their portfolio, it was a real puzzle to gather the financial means to work fulltime on a video game project with a small team.

The Canada Media Fund is launched, with the goal of supporting innovation in digital medias. This makes it much more viable for a studio to get started with funding, provided it can prove the potential of its idea. Over the years, the CMF would play a big role in helping the ecosystem grow into what it is today.

Over a bit more than 10 years, they funded 634 Canadian games.

Philippe (Dzidzi, not to be confused with Phil) and Thierry meet

Philippe (Dzidzi, not to be confused with Phil) and Thierry meet

Dzidzi, a veteran level designer having worked on two Prince of Persia titles along with the first Assassin's Creed joins the studio on the same project as Thie... read more

Dzidzi, a veteran level designer having worked on two Prince of Persia titles along with the first Assassin's Creed joins the studio on the same project as Thierry, who recognizes his name from game credits and is instantly starstruck.

Over several months, Dzidzi is very generous with his time and expertise, and validates Thierry's dream of becoming a designer. To this day, even though they are now the closest of friends, Thierry is still starstruck (though to be fair Dzidzi was on a panel with Hideo Kojima once).

Philip (Phil, not to be confused with Dzidzi) and Thierry meet

Philip (Phil, not to be confused with Dzidzi) and Thierry meet

Phil appears to drop out of nowhere. A tech-meets-marketing wizkid who has been in the startup world for the past 5 years, now looking for a bit of stability. H... read more

Phil appears to drop out of nowhere. A tech-meets-marketing wizkid who has been in the startup world for the past 5 years, now looking for a bit of stability. He takes a job as junior project manager, and is very curious and respectful of the different crafts, while demonstrating experience and potential that is lost on the current context.

Thierry and him start hanging out and quickly acknowledge that they are meant to take each other to the next level. They go on long drives, day dreaming about launching a studio with the talented friends they met in recent years.

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Gaining more experience, making more friends

Gaining more experience, making more friends

Now with the distant goal of starting a studio in mind, Thierry keeps an eye out for talent in other crafts who seem cut from the same cloth as the ones he alre... read more

Now with the distant goal of starting a studio in mind, Thierry keeps an eye out for talent in other crafts who seem cut from the same cloth as the ones he already knows. He sees Michaël working on his pixel art personal project during lunch one day and introduces himself!

Thierry pitches The Messenger to his employer, gets rejected

After pitching The Messenger to his employer, Thierry is told it is "irrelevant, a terrible idea, and the proof he will never be a designer and should stick to coding".

It seems starting a studio is the only option indeed.

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Dzidzi and Thierry turn game nights into gamedev nights

Dzidzi and Thierry turn game nights into gamedev nights

Dzidzi and Thierry are now very good friends. Every wednesday night is locked for gaming together. Eventually they scratch the retro itch and Thierry opens up a... read more

Dzidzi and Thierry are now very good friends. Every wednesday night is locked for gaming together. Eventually they scratch the retro itch and Thierry opens up about Ninja Gaiden. Turns out it was a big one for Dzidzi as well!

Since the two of them combined cover the basic crafts (Thierry code + game design, Dzidzi illustration + level design) they decide to start working on that ninja platformer idea that had been so poorly treated back in gamevdev school years ago, and so harshly received at work months ago.

For a few months they work on it evenings and weekends, mostly playing around with the cloudstep mechanic.

Sclout goes to a pirate metal festival and meets Eric

Sclout goes to a pirate metal festival and meets Eric

Sclout posts a picture with him on Facebook. Thierry asks about it because of the GameBoy label, which leads him to discovering chiptune dance metal. He finds i... read more

Sclout posts a picture with him on Facebook. Thierry asks about it because of the GameBoy label, which leads him to discovering chiptune dance metal.

He finds it so catchy that he adds "And Rainbowdragoneyes (Eric) will make the music" to his daily daydream rant to Sclout about their future studio which, at this point, was still considered a fantasy.

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Learning the ropes of business, getting some pixel art in

Learning the ropes of business, getting some pixel art in

Michaël joins the unofficial team to provide proper pixel art for the prototype working with Dzidzi and Thierry. Meanwhile, Phil starts a small design and mark... read more

Michaël joins the unofficial team to provide proper pixel art for the prototype working with Dzidzi and Thierry.

Meanwhile, Phil starts a small design and marketing agency called PLÉ, and invites Thierry as a partner so he can learn the ropes of business.

NightShroud?

NightShroud?

The protoype is feeling good and things are getting real. A bit too excited and eager to get formalities out of the way, Thierry names the would be studio NightShroud and Michaël makes a logo for it.

Eric has a gig in Québec city, Thierry hopes he can meet him

Eric has a gig in Québec city, Thierry hopes he can meet him

Sclout, Fro and Thierry go to the show, hoping Eric will simply walk off after his set and be open to talking, which literally happens just like that. The conve... read more

Sclout, Fro and Thierry go to the show, hoping Eric will simply walk off after his set and be open to talking, which literally happens just like that. The conversation is very brief, and very promising.

Thierry: "Hey Eric, nice set."
Eric: "Hm-hm."
Thierry: "So... I've been a game developer for about 8 years..."
Eric: "I like where this is going."
Thierry: "And I'm starting this indie studio to make retro sty-"
Eric: "Yes I will make your music."

Phil and Thierry have lunch with Martin

Phil and Thierry have lunch with Martin

Now armed with catchy music, it is becoming clear that The Messenger will happen and deserves to be more than a hobby project. Philip suggests showing it to Mar... read more

Now armed with catchy music, it is becoming clear that The Messenger will happen and deserves to be more than a hobby project.

Philip suggests showing it to Martin, who has experience with funding through the Canada Media Fund.

They have never worked together despite having been at the same studio for years, but Thierry and him did bond over a NOFX shirt once, so Martin takes the meeting.

Seeing the prototype and hearing the vision for retro aesthetics and modern design in a work environment with minimal management, he falls in love instantly and decides to quit his job to start this thing with Phil and Thierry.

Phil quits

Exhausted from the startup life, and confident that The Messenger will happen even without him, Phil leaves for a comfortable day job to see what it's like. Okay Phil.

Thierry and Martin first talk publicly about The Messenger during the Startup Numix pitch session

Thierry and Martin first talk publicly about The Messenger during the Startup Numix pitch session

After giving the pitch, they learn of the one precondition to accepting the prize, which is for the company to be incorporated. While NightShroud was a good pl... read more

After giving the pitch, they learn of the one precondition to accepting the prize, which is for the company to be incorporated.

While NightShroud was a good placeholder, it didn't mean much. With the goal of accepting a cash prize to bootstrap the studio in sight, the brainstorm to name and officially found the company is on. They are looking for something that will work both in French and English, while also being an acknowledgement of the thing they bonded over other than gaming: punk-rock.

They quickly vote for Sabotage.

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Thierry and Martin officially create the company Sabotage Studio Inc.

It is now Officially Official! Thierry is to be game director, designer and writer, while Martin focuses on networking, funding through the Canada Media Fund, ... read more

It is now Officially Official!

Thierry is to be game director, designer and writer, while Martin focuses on networking, funding through the Canada Media Fund, and anything he can think of to let everyone else focus on creating the games such as paying rent and organizing special events.

Thierry and Martin officially create the company Sabotage Studio Inc.

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Thierry starts Sabotage with Martin

Thierry starts Sabotage with Martin

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Martin starts Sabotage with Thierry

Martin starts Sabotage with Thierry

Sabotage wins the Startup Numix 2016 Award

Sabotage wins the Startup Numix 2016 Award

Sabotage wins the Numix for "Most promising startup" and takes home the hefty sum of 5000$.

They are on top of the world.

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Sylvain (Sclout) joins the team

Sylvain (Sclout) joins the team

Sabotage's first employee! Since they met 8 years ago, Sclout and Thierry have stuck together for every milestone of their careers. Wanting total freedom while ... read more

Sabotage's first employee!

Since they met 8 years ago, Sclout and Thierry have stuck together for every milestone of their careers. Wanting total freedom while working on gameplay with Sclout is one of main reasons why Thierry wanted his own studio. Sclout's unique eye for good gameplay remains key to Sabotage's success to this day!

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Eric joins the team!

Eric joins the team!

That catchy Autumn Hills track took us this far, but it will take more to call it a soundtrack. Believing in the project and its odds of getting funded, Eric st... read more

That catchy Autumn Hills track took us this far, but it will take more to call it a soundtrack.

Believing in the project and its odds of getting funded, Eric starts dedicating more time to the project. He wouldn't be a "full time employee" until Sea of Stars, but The Messenger keeps him busy during the downtimes of his touring musician life.

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Sabotage moves into a first office!

Sabotage moves into a first office!

In the roof of a centennial house, Sabotage finds its first office. The "studio" was a simple room with two tables, but it was theirs.

Sclout loved sitting in the window.

Sabotage gets a 100k loan from the bank

Sabotage gets a 100k loan from the bank

Fully believing in their company, and being very serious about taking good care of their One Entire Employee, Thierry and Martin put everything on the line to s... read more

Fully believing in their company, and being very serious about taking good care of their One Entire Employee, Thierry and Martin put everything on the line to secure a 100K loan from the bank.

From now on Martin can focus on CMF funding full time, while Sclout and Thierry do servicing 4 days a week, and spend Fridays working on The Messenger.

CEIM Seattle Mission

CEIM Seattle Mission

A first time pitching since the Numix Awards, The Messenger is presented to Steam, Nintendo and Microsoft during a trip to Seattle with other Canadian indie studios.

Through a contract with Oddworld Inhabitants, the studio can self-sustain

Through a contract with Oddworld Inhabitants, the studio can self-sustain

After their servicing client cancels their contract without warning, Sclout and Thierry start working directly with Oddworld Inhabitants, a gig which will eventually lead to a lot of hiring!

Sclout and Thierry go to San Francisco for the first time

Sclout and Thierry go to San Francisco for the first time

They spend a couple of weeks there working directly under Lorne and Bennie in Oddworld's studio. The two of them along with Sherry are very generous with their ... read more

They spend a couple of weeks there working directly under Lorne and Bennie in Oddworld's studio. The two of them along with Sherry are very generous with their knowledge and Thierry learns a lot about the role of creative director, the dream job he finally has a shot at through Sabotage.

Thierry still looks back on this trip as the gamedev equivalent of going away to train with kung-fu masters.

Sherry, Bennie and Lorne, thank you for everything <3

Dzidzi takes a day off to visit Sabotage

Dzidzi takes a day off to visit Sabotage

Despite having loved his time working on the prototype, Dzidzi is a young father who prefers to stay at his current studio which feels safer. Thierry insists, s... read more

Despite having loved his time working on the prototype, Dzidzi is a young father who prefers to stay at his current studio which feels safer.

Thierry insists, so he takes a day off to visit their small room and play around with the level design tools and plugins Sclout had been implementing. He has fun with them, and can't help but express how great it would be to work on a full production with these tools, and to be with his friends again...

The Messenger gets its CMF funding! 💰

The Messenger gets its CMF funding! 💰

After being rejected twice, The Messenger gets funding for 50% of the development costs. Finding the means to take the project home will remain a challenge, but... read more

After being rejected twice, The Messenger gets funding for 50% of the development costs. Finding the means to take the project home will remain a challenge, but everyone at the studio believes a publisher will be interested if they can only get the game to a point where the vision comes across.

Sclout and Thierry switch to working full time on The Messenger. It is time to ramp up the team, so Thierry initiates conversations with those he had in mind for expanding the team.

GDC 2017

GDC 2017

Used to industry events, Martin organizes Sabotage's mission at GDC 2017. It is a first for Thierry, who is mezmerised and tries to take it all in.

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Pier-Luc joins the team on Oddworld Soulstorm!

Pier-Luc joins the team on Oddworld Soulstorm!

Pier-Luc and Thierry met a little less than a year prior, and the fit was pretty apparent. Pier-Luc had demonstrated interest for tools development in a smaller... read more

Pier-Luc and Thierry met a little less than a year prior, and the fit was pretty apparent. Pier-Luc had demonstrated interest for tools development in a smaller studio, which seemed to be a good fit for the long term as the team planned on eventually working on its own RPG.

He accepts the offer right away.

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Frédérik joins the team on Oddworld Soulstorm!

Frédérik joins the team on Oddworld Soulstorm!

Fro had been eager to join since day one, but knew the studio needed more funding before it could expand. He was already aware of Sea of Stars and simply couldn... read more

Fro had been eager to join since day one, but knew the studio needed more funding before it could expand. He was already aware of Sea of Stars and simply couldn't wait for its production, which was further down the line. The plan was for him to wait until that moment to join.

Seeing as the studio had demand in servicing, he joined as soon as he got the offer, happy to be reunited with his friends.

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Dzidzi joins the team on The Messenger!

Dzidzi joins the team on The Messenger!

Still daydreaming about The Messenger, and of the level designer fantasy of working with a simple yet proper toolset, Dzidzi entertains the thought of joining, ... read more

Still daydreaming about The Messenger, and of the level designer fantasy of working with a simple yet proper toolset, Dzidzi entertains the thought of joining, especially now that the studio has funding and can secure his role as family provider.

He never looked back, except for the occasional bout of disbelief that he might have missed out on this adventure.

Jany lends her graphic design talent to create the logo

Jany lends her graphic design talent to create the logo

Jany was the perfect fit for this mandate. She got the vibe right away, even resonated with it, so there were very few iterations. The current logo was in her f... read more

Jany was the perfect fit for this mandate. She got the vibe right away, even resonated with it, so there were very few iterations.

The current logo was in her first propositions. After it was selected, she revealed it was her favorite amongst the options as well! A true instant hit.

Jany would remain Sabotage's go to for logos, later designing the ones for The Messenger, Picnic Panic, and Sea of Stars!

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Jeakim joins the team on Oddworld Soulstorm!

Jeakim joins the team on Oddworld Soulstorm!

A true master of what is referred to as "tech art", Jeakim had only one ask: that we never tried to manage his schedule. Four years later, we can confirm with S... read more

A true master of what is referred to as "tech art", Jeakim had only one ask: that we never tried to manage his schedule.

Four years later, we can confirm with Sea of Stars' lighting system that magic indeed happens on its own time, with Jeakim often pushing updates at 4am on Sundays, while being nowhere to be seen on Wednesday afternoons.

We love him just the way he is. If you see him, please say hi for us.

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Michaël joins the team on The Messenger!

Michaël joins the team on The Messenger!

Michaël was probably the easiest hire as he had been itching to join full time since the protoype in 2015. His unwavering drive and efficiency remain one of Sabotage's biggest hacks.

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Jean-Luc joins the team on The Messenger!

Jean-Luc joins the team on The Messenger!

Jean-Luc had never done pixel art, but had experience leading art teams and doing character art and animation, which was needed to complement Michaël's level a... read more

Jean-Luc had never done pixel art, but had experience leading art teams and doing character art and animation, which was needed to complement Michaël's level art skills.

Thierry and him hadn't worked together in a few years, then met at a punk-rock show one night. Thierry asked Jean-Luc if he would like to join Sabotage, to which he simply said "sure".

The famous Sabotage baseball tee is born 💪

The famous Sabotage baseball tee is born 💪

An instant classic!

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Ricardo joins the team on Oddworld Soulstorm!

Ricardo joins the team on Oddworld Soulstorm!

Ricardo simply writes in with his resume. He is fresh out of Collège Bart, the same school Thierry had been too. The mood and the timing feel right, it is time... read more

Ricardo simply writes in with his resume. He is fresh out of Collège Bart, the same school Thierry had been too. The mood and the timing feel right, it is time to give back!

Ricardo (and his smile) join the team to work on Oddworld Soulstorm.

Dunlay joins the team on Oddworld Soulstorm!

Dunlay joins the team on Oddworld Soulstorm!

Thierry's long time friend since even before gamedev school, Dunlay reaches out about any opportunities. Realizing how ridiculous it is that they never got a ch... read more

Thierry's long time friend since even before gamedev school, Dunlay reaches out about any opportunities. Realizing how ridiculous it is that they never got a chance to work together despite this whole adventure starting with just the two of them, a place is made for him.

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Carl joins the team on Oddworld Soulstorm!

Carl joins the team on Oddworld Soulstorm!

Dev buddies with Sclout, Fro and Thierry since they worked together on the Skylanders web world back in 2011, it was clear that Carl would be the one to join as... read more

Dev buddies with Sclout, Fro and Thierry since they worked together on the Skylanders web world back in 2011, it was clear that Carl would be the one to join as soon as Sabotage needed QA talent.

Finally, it felt like the whole team was home.

But where the hell is Phil?

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The Messenger is showcased for the first time at MIGS

The Messenger is showcased for the first time at MIGS

The Messenger wins the Gameplay Design and Music Awards at The Montreal Independent Games Festival

The Messenger wins the Gameplay Design and Music Awards at The Montreal Independent Games Festival

The one and only Osama Dorias sees potential in The Messenger right away and gives props to the team. With praise from now not one but two big names, and two awards in a row, the team is ecstatic.

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Our very own Discord server

Our very own Discord server

The dev team are alone on the server for a while. None of us would have guessed it would eventually grow this much, reaching over 16 000 members (as of April 2021)!

The Messenger is officially announced with a trailer, and a front page feature on Polygon

The Messenger is officially announced with a trailer, and a front page feature on Polygon

Jeremy Parish (Retronauts) covers The Messenger's announcement on Polygon and links to the trailer, which gets over 40k views in the first few days along with a... read more

Jeremy Parish (Retronauts) covers The Messenger's announcement on Polygon and links to the trailer, which gets over 40k views in the first few days along with a string of positive comments.

The team can't believe it.

The Messenger is first shown to the international public during PAX South 2018

The Messenger is first shown to the international public during PAX South 2018

A pivotal moment for Sabotage, as Devolver Digital tries The Messenger for the first time and demonstrates interest. It is also the first contact with Jirard "T... read more

A pivotal moment for Sabotage, as Devolver Digital tries The Messenger for the first time and demonstrates interest.

It is also the first contact with Jirard "The Completionist" Khalil, who is blown away by Thierry's pitch and the playable demo.

Jrocthegod, a streamer who plays games with his feet, brings his controller to play the demo. A Kotaku journalist captures the moment and writes an article.

It is becoming increasingly clear that something might happen around our little game.

Sabotage hosts the Flambeau

Sabotage hosts the Flambeau

A staple of Québec City's gamedev scene, studios take turns hosting social events for local devs. When it was Sabotage's turn, a bus full of industry friends f... read more

A staple of Québec City's gamedev scene, studios take turns hosting social events for local devs. When it was Sabotage's turn, a bus full of industry friends from Montréal showed up, making the night extra special.

What a tightnit community!

As a bonus, Savannah showed up at the event hoping to meet the team and let them know she wanted to join. She became fast friends with everyone, and her interview was booked right away.

The contract is signed with Devolver

The contract is signed with Devolver

The "wouldn't it be awesome if" scenario comes true.

We will forever be thankful to Devolver for believing in us so early. MERCI DEVOLVER <3

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Savannah joins to work on The Messenger!

Savannah joins to work on The Messenger!

The interview was super short: Savannah: "I'm fresh out of school but I think what you do is pretty cool and I would like to know what I need to work on to be a... read more

The interview was super short:

Savannah: "I'm fresh out of school but I think what you do is pretty cool and I would like to know what I need to work on to be able to join within 5 years."
Thierry: "It's all about the fit with the team. What do you like other than video games and 2D animation?"
Savannah: "I'm into gore."

A sucker for quality timing in humor, Thierry offers her a job on the spot.

popagenda joins the party

popagenda joins the party

Just as The Messenger gets signed by Devolver, a new PR firm called popagenda is founded by Genevière St-Onge, Nicolas Verge and Marie-Christine Bourdua. Gen i... read more

Just as The Messenger gets signed by Devolver, a new PR firm called popagenda is founded by Genevière St-Onge, Nicolas Verge and Marie-Christine Bourdua.

Gen is a long time friend and ex-colleague of many at Sabotage, and popagenda is ready to take its first project, so they team up!

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The Messenger wins the Grand prize of the Ubisoft Indie Series 2018 🍾

The Messenger wins the Grand prize of the Ubisoft Indie Series 2018 🍾

It was all fun and games until the check didn't fit in the car.

Official announcement that The Messenger will be published by Devolver

Official announcement that The Messenger will be published by Devolver

<3

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The Messenger will launch on Nintendo Switch announcement

The Messenger will launch on Nintendo Switch announcement

The Messenger wins the Best of The Mix Award at GDC 2018

The Messenger wins the Best of The Mix Award at GDC 2018

A very meaningful validation for us, The Messenger wins Judges Pick at the 2018 Media Indie Exchange!

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With five months left until release, the game is starting to get some coverage!

With five months left until release, the game is starting to get some coverage!

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The Messenger is picked up by IndieMegaBooth for Pax East 2018

The Messenger is picked up by IndieMegaBooth for Pax East 2018

Another big validation for us, and a chance for The Messenger to get more attention from the press.

We had some problems with the booth, but thankfully very few people remember "The essenger".

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The studio moves into a new space in Le Réacteur on St-Vallier Est Street

The studio moves into a new space in Le Réacteur on St-Vallier Est Street

Finally, we have our own place downtown!

The owner tells us we could even get an extra area if needed, to which we naively reply that we will "never be more than 10 people."

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Magalie joins Sabotage as a freelance producer!

Magalie joins Sabotage as a freelance producer!

Wearing too many hats, Thierry is overwhelmed on the producer side close to The Messenger's release. Magalie, the shrewdest manager he's ever met, accepts to jo... read more

Wearing too many hats, Thierry is overwhelmed on the producer side close to The Messenger's release.

Magalie, the shrewdest manager he's ever met, accepts to join the team for 3 months to coordinate the localization efforts, along with any project management items she identifies.

Thank you so much Magalie!

Happy Birthday Fro!

Happy Birthday Fro!

Nothing is too much for our teammate, here’s a new car for you!

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Thierry and Martin go to Japan for Bit Summit!

Thierry and Martin go to Japan for Bit Summit!

With a few days to spend before the big event, they see the sights and binge on ramen.

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During the event in Kyoto, Ninja Gaiden designer Hideo Yoshizawa and composer Keiji Yamagishi play The Messenger!!!

During the event in Kyoto, Ninja Gaiden designer Hideo Yoshizawa and composer Keiji Yamagishi play The Messenger!!!

Overwhelmed by the emotions of meeting and receiving praise from his childhood heroes, Thierry ugly cries in the restroom.

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Gen (popagenda) and Martin tackle E3 2018

Gen (popagenda) and Martin tackle E3 2018

Meanwhile, the team is racing to finish the game and make it as good as they can. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the dream just might happen for Sabotage.

Play video

The US press tour for The Messenger is launched!

Martin and Thierry give an interview at Waypoint in Brooklyn, then Thierry heads off to a big press tour in San Francisco with Gen from popagenda. The big highl... read more

Martin and Thierry give an interview at Waypoint in Brooklyn, then Thierry heads off to a big press tour in San Francisco with Gen from popagenda.

The big highlight was the Up At Noon interview, during which Thierry was so nervous he never dared to watch it afterwards.

The US press tour for The Messenger is launched!

Subsequently, the European press tour begins!

Subsequently, the European press tour begins!

Martin attends Gamescom in Germany to bring more hype.

Usually very comfortable during events, he is taken aback by the sheer size of Gamescom and the number of attendees.

Play video

Behind-the-Schemes documentary on The Messenger is released

Behind-the-Schemes documentary on The Messenger is released

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The Messenger team flies to Seattle for the lauch event at PAX West 2018 ✈️

The Messenger team flies to Seattle for the lauch event at PAX West 2018 ✈️

Everyone worked hard. Time to play hard!

Play video

Jirard the Completionist on the big Devolver screen

Jirard the Completionist on the big Devolver screen

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The Messenger launches worldwide on Steam and Switch

The Messenger launches worldwide on Steam and Switch

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The Messenger launch party 🎉

The Messenger launch party 🎉

Seattle's Hard Rock Cafe is Sabotage's for the launch party, with a live performance from Rainbowdragoneyes!

Phil beats The Messenger and calls Thierry crying after finishing The Messenger and reading the thank you note in the final story

Phil beats The Messenger and calls Thierry crying after finishing The Messenger and reading the thank you note in the final story

It wasn't designed to trick him, but Phil (at last) starts considering leaving his comfortable day job to join Sabotage, as it should have been in the first place.

The team takes a month off 🌴

Some well deserved rest for all!

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Sabobo Summit 2018

Sabobo Summit 2018

Gen and Eric fly from the US. The entire team is gathered in a cabin for a week to celebrate The Messenger's success, and partake in a workshop about the next steps for Sabotage.

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Picnic Panic and Sea of Stars are pitched to the team

Picnic Panic and Sea of Stars are pitched to the team

Thierry leads a week long workshop, pitching both Picnic Panic and Sea of Stars to the team. Everyone gets familiar with the vision for both new titles, and spe... read more

Thierry leads a week long workshop, pitching both Picnic Panic and Sea of Stars to the team.

Everyone gets familiar with the vision for both new titles, and spend the week working daily sessions in sub teams to prepare pitches of their own, contributing ideas and closing in on a shared vision for both games.

Play video

Music from The Messenger is played during the Odyssée Musicale Video Game Music Symphony in Montreal

An honor Eric will never get over!

Music from The Messenger is played during the Odyssée Musicale Video Game Music Symphony in Montreal

The community triggers the ARG (Alternate Reality Game)

The community triggers the ARG (Alternate Reality Game)

Following the discovery by a community member of some cryptic text found hidden in the game files, along with a hidden password briefly visible in Picnic Panic'... read more

Following the discovery by a community member of some cryptic text found hidden in the game files, along with a hidden password briefly visible in Picnic Panic's trailer, The ARG begins.

If you are curious about this ARG thing, you can follow this link, but be warned that it is quite the rabbit hole: https://the-messenger.fandom.com/wiki/ARG/November_2018-February_2019

Play video

While Picnic Panic is in production, Jeakim and Pier-Luc start pre-production for Sea of Stars.

While Picnic Panic is in production, Jeakim and Pier-Luc start pre-production for Sea of Stars.

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The Messengers wins the 2018 Game Award for Best Debut Indie Title

The Messengers wins the 2018 Game Award for Best Debut Indie Title

At the time of this writing it has been more than two years and we still have no words. Merci.

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A closer look

A closer look

What a beauty. 😍

Pax South 2019 🐴

Pax South 2019 🐴

Yee-haw!

Phil finally pulls his head out of his ass and joins Sabotage

Phil finally pulls his head out of his ass and joins Sabotage

After a long discussion, countless emotions, and a sense of purpose, Phil partners up with Sabotage to be its executive producer and marketing head, making the ... read more

After a long discussion, countless emotions, and a sense of purpose, Phil partners up with Sabotage to be its executive producer and marketing head, making the studio whole on its initial vision.

Welcome home Phil.

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Phil joins the team!

Phil joins the team!

Everything in moderation

Everything in moderation

As the Discord community is growing, some members with experience or interest towards moderation rise naturally to the task. Michael Starr (aka Kammesennin) ste... read more

As the Discord community is growing, some members with experience or interest towards moderation rise naturally to the task.

Michael Starr (aka Kammesennin) steps up to become Sabotage's official Lead Moderator, surrounded by a bunch of wonderful mods. Boo, Gzoubi, Sol, Storme the Cat, Aevoa and SwordSlash, thank you all so much for keeping our growing community safe and wholesome. <3

Iam8bit opens the pre-orders for a limited edition Vinyl 2x LP of The Messenger’s soundtrack

Iam8bit opens the pre-orders for a limited edition Vinyl 2x LP of The Messenger’s soundtrack

It even has slick cover art by Peter Mohrbacher!

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Special Reserve Games opens pre orders for a limited run of physical copies

Special Reserve Games opens pre orders for a limited run of physical copies

Another dream come true for the team.

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Picnic Panic gets a fancy tropical booth at Pax East

Picnic Panic gets a fancy tropical booth at Pax East

Devolver really has at it, even giving the booth a sunscreen scent vaporizer.

The team dresses up for the event, down to pixel sunglasses and ugly beach socks!

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Sabotage holds its 3 year anniversary party at Le Scanner in Québec City, featuring a live performance by Rainbowdragoneyes

Sabotage holds its 3 year anniversary party at Le Scanner in Québec City, featuring a live performance by Rainbowdragoneyes

A hundred people headbang to the sound of hardcore chiptune metal. Half of the crowd regrets being there, while the others have the best night of their life.

Sabotage in a nutshell!

Patrick starts working on Sabotage’s websites!

Patrick starts working on Sabotage’s websites!

It really clicked with Patrick, a web developer who shares Sabotage's passion for pixel perfect integration. His ability to listen and understand our vision all... read more

It really clicked with Patrick, a web developer who shares Sabotage's passion for pixel perfect integration.

His ability to listen and understand our vision allowed us to push the boundaries for low-budget websites. Jibz' web design ambitions is a perfect match with Patrick's thirst for integration challenges.

He is the developer behind this project, Sabotage's website, Sea of Stars website and The Messenger's website.

Bit Summit 2019 in Kyoto

Bit Summit 2019 in Kyoto

The love for Japan is real and an excuse to go back is more than welcome!

Thierry was even invited on stage for a live Q&A session.

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The Messenger DLC Picnic Panic is launched!

The Messenger DLC Picnic Panic is launched!

Beach party time.

The remaining members from The Messenger team transition to Sea of Stars

The remaining members from The Messenger team transition to Sea of Stars

Everyone who had joined Sabotage knew that the dream was to eventually have the means to make a turn-based RPG. Pre-production is on, tackling the infamous 3C (... read more

Everyone who had joined Sabotage knew that the dream was to eventually have the means to make a turn-based RPG.

Pre-production is on, tackling the infamous 3C (camera, character, controls), and sprinkling some of the platformer experience to reinvent some areas of the genre.

Play video

Sabotage gets its own burger at Chez Victor 🍔

Sabotage gets its own burger at Chez Victor 🍔

Trying to solve the funding puzzle, the idea of doing a Kickstarter for Sea of Stars emerges

The studio is all in, reinvesting everything from The Messenger into the next dream project.

The idea of a Kickstarter came about as the perfect solution to mitigate risk by crowdfunding part of the budget, and validating whether or not there was any hype for a turn-based RPG made by Sabotage.

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Anne-Marie joins Sabotage to handle finances and HR!

Anne-Marie joins Sabotage to handle finances and HR!

It is now clear that the studio is in it for the long run, and the growing needs for structure are becoming apparent. Boasting over 12 years of experience worki... read more

It is now clear that the studio is in it for the long run, and the growing needs for structure are becoming apparent.

Boasting over 12 years of experience working in game studios administrative branches, she is the perfect fit.

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Chong Mon Chi joins the team!

Chong Mon Chi joins the team!

Despite all the time spent in gamedev talking about sprints, a career is really a marathon. Facing the reality that devs are seldom known for their healthy habi... read more

Despite all the time spent in gamedev talking about sprints, a career is really a marathon.

Facing the reality that devs are seldom known for their healthy habits, we found a very good fit with Chi, who is naturally driven to call people out when they are doing their future selves a disservice.

Avid boxer, zen practitioner, tea specialist and massage therapist, Chi keeps an eye on all of us to make sure we keep our stress levels in check, and can have long and healthy careers.

You're the best, Chi!

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Sabocamp 2019 🏕

Sabocamp 2019 🏕

Taking a break from computer screens, Unity, Slack notifications and pixels, the team gathers in nature for two days of swimming in the river, listening to camp... read more

Taking a break from computer screens, Unity, Slack notifications and pixels, the team gathers in nature for two days of swimming in the river, listening to campfire stories, playing outdoor games and roasting marshmallows.

Jeakim hates camping, but loves the team, so he takes the hit. Thanks Jeakim, you can pick the activity next time!

Thierry joins The Completionist for IndieLand 2019

Thierry joins The Completionist for IndieLand 2019

On the west coast for a road trip, Thierry attends IndieLand 2019 in person, and has the honor of waxing Jirard's arm!

Lana works on concept art as a freelancer

Lana works on concept art as a freelancer

Lana brings her skills to the table for the very first character design iterations on Sea of Stars. It was too early to close in on any final designs, but the e... read more

Lana brings her skills to the table for the very first character design iterations on Sea of Stars. It was too early to close in on any final designs, but the early passes really helped mapping and defining the cast a bit more.

Thanks Lana!

The Messenger turns 1! 🎂

The Messenger turns 1! 🎂

The team celebrates in the only possible way. With a Quarble cake.

The Messenger Physical edition special launch event at La Planque

The Messenger Physical edition special launch event at La Planque

The Quarble cake wasn't enough, so a signing of physical Switch and PS4 copies of the game happens at the best local game store Québec City has to offer, La Planque!

The SaboCup Speedrunning Tournament is launched

The SaboCup Speedrunning Tournament is launched

One last round of celebration, Sabotage hosts a Messenger speedrun tournament, offering 5000$ to the winner! Savannah even makes a physical trophy, the SaboCup!... read more

One last round of celebration, Sabotage hosts a Messenger speedrun tournament, offering 5000$ to the winner!

Savannah even makes a physical trophy, the SaboCup!

Thanks to Coltaho, DreamHazard, Kammesennin, Kyleberry, Shayfe, Minous and all the others for the organization!

Some visuals for Jungle Path

Some visuals for Jungle Path

With Jungle Path set to be featured in the first Sea of Stars demo, Miko gets to work on the level's environment assets.

Sabotage and Oddworld Inhabitants part ways

After careful consideration, the challenges of making Oddworld Soulstorm the game it derserves to be are incompatible with Sabotage's intention to focus on its own IPs.
We will remain eternally grateful for the time we got to spend on this project <3

The Messenger is showcased at EGX in London

The Messenger is showcased at EGX in London

Phil, Martin and Michaël go to London!

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Jean-Bernard (Jibz) joins the team!

Jean-Bernard (Jibz) joins the team!

A graphic designer with an impressive resume, and Phil's go to team mate from a previous gig. On top of his UX/UI expertise, Jibz has all the skills the studio ... read more

A graphic designer with an impressive resume, and Phil's go to team mate from a previous gig.

On top of his UX/UI expertise, Jibz has all the skills the studio is missing to do proper marketing, from web design to video editing to photography. He is the secret ingredient to having a real shot at an impactful Kickstarter campaign.

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Thierry gives a talk in Banff for Reboot Red 2019

Thierry gives a talk in Banff for Reboot Red 2019

The talk is titled "Designing The Messenger: how embracing vulnerability can fuel the creative process".

Let's just say things got a bit emotional.

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Édouard joins the team!

Édouard joins the team!

Another experienced animator joins the party!

All Ed is asking for is the chance to work on motion for Cool Combat Moves, and to not be questioned too much on how much ramen he eats.

Montreal International Games Summit 2019

Montreal International Games Summit 2019

Thierry is very nervous as he prepares to pitch Sea of Stars to industry movers for the first time using an early prototype. Thankfully, Martin and Phil are the... read more

Thierry is very nervous as he prepares to pitch Sea of Stars to industry movers for the first time using an early prototype.

Thankfully, Martin and Phil are there to cheer him on.

They also meet with Anya Combs from Kickstarter, who offers insights for the Sea of Stars campaign currently being planned.

Play video

TwoCPlus is the official winner of the 2019 SaboCup! 🏆

TwoCPlus is the official winner of the 2019 SaboCup! 🏆

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Work begins on the Sea of Stars protagonists’ anims

Work begins on the Sea of Stars protagonists’ anims

Translation of Sav's slang: "Wow, it's the sun boy"

Sabobo Summit Xmas edition 2019

Sabobo Summit Xmas edition 2019

The team retreats in a mountain cabin for some relaxing fun!

Fireplace, hot tub, SSBU, and a game of Chromino we will never forget.

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Sabotage moves into a new office on Saint-Joseph street in downtown Québec City

Sabotage moves into a new office on Saint-Joseph street in downtown Québec City

It really is the perfect spot!

For the final touch, Jean-Luc and his girlfriend paint our logo on the big wall.

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Shooting the Kickstarter video 🎥

Shooting the Kickstarter video 🎥

Our friend Loup, who previously filmed the Behind-the-Schemes documentary as well as the burger promo video, comes to the office for a full 2 days of shooting. ... read more

Our friend Loup, who previously filmed the Behind-the-Schemes documentary as well as the burger promo video, comes to the office for a full 2 days of shooting.

Thierry is a nervous mess, but Loup's unrelenting patience and clear vision take it home. In the end, everyone is happy with the video.

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Unshackling traversal, one animation at a time

Unshackling traversal, one animation at a time

One of our main goals with Sea of Stars is crafting a navigation system that breaks free from the bound-to-the-grid tileset movement of classic JRPGs. That mean... read more

One of our main goals with Sea of Stars is crafting a navigation system that breaks free from the bound-to-the-grid tileset movement of classic JRPGs. That means a lot of different animations for swimming, climbing, vaulting, jumping off or hoisting up ledges for each of our playable characters.

"First climbing test" from Jean-Luc here!

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Bryce Kho joins the team to handle concept art!

Bryce Kho joins the team to handle concept art!

Since we met through Devolver, Bryce has been doing Key Art for our games, including the upcoming reveal for Sea of Stars. Genuinely excited about the game, he ... read more

Since we met through Devolver, Bryce has been doing Key Art for our games, including the upcoming reveal for Sea of Stars.

Genuinely excited about the game, he joins the team to do character design and concept art.

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Thommy joins the team!

Thommy joins the team!

Thommy emails Thierry out of blue with the subject line "Another boy in the well". The connection is instantaneous, Thommy loves the project and Thierry can tel... read more

Thommy emails Thierry out of blue with the subject line "Another boy in the well".

The connection is instantaneous, Thommy loves the project and Thierry can tell his personality is a natural fit. He starts right ayway with a first challenge: animating the big monstrer scream for the ending of the reveal trailer for Sea of Stars.

Thommy aces it, and has been a core team member ever since.

Stephanie Tinsley was in the the shadows all along!

Stephanie Tinsley was in the the shadows all along!

Stephanie Tinsley from Tinsley PR is hustling to book a very busy GDC with the press. She says Thierry will be "so tired of pitching he will hate her by the end... read more

Stephanie Tinsley from Tinsley PR is hustling to book a very busy GDC with the press. She says Thierry will be "so tired of pitching he will hate her by the end."

Thanks so much for all the help and insights Stephanie!

Sea of Stars teaser!

Sea of Stars teaser!

It isn't The Messenger 2, but fans pick up on the musical hint.

GDC is cancelled. There goes the big plan.

GDC was jam packed and the dream was alive for a big reveal for Sea of Stars, but now the lockdown hits.

Time to make a clutch decision: reveal the game anyway and risk no one being receptive to a Kickstarter because of the current events, or go back into stealth mode until the dust settles?

There would be no sleep that night.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic all Sabotage employees start working remotely from home 🏠

Lockdown isn't mandated yet in Québec City, but to be safe everyone is sent home.

We couldn't enjoy the new office for very long, but it is a very minor complaint all things considered.

The remote PR campaign is on to support the upcoming Sea of Stars announcement and Kickstarter launch

The remote PR campaign is on to support the upcoming Sea of Stars announcement and Kickstarter launch

The clutch decision was made to film a video pitch and salvage as many appointments as possible in remote form. Stephanie is proud of the team for turning aroun... read more

The clutch decision was made to film a video pitch and salvage as many appointments as possible in remote form. Stephanie is proud of the team for turning around so quickly as all appointments still hold!

Phil and Thierry conduct back to back interviews in the empty studio for a few days.

The Kickstarter for Sea of Stars is launched, in spite of everything

The Kickstarter for Sea of Stars is launched, in spite of everything

In one of the most stressful moments since the beginning of Sabotage, the button is pressed and the campaign goes live as the press embargo is lifted. Given the... read more

In one of the most stressful moments since the beginning of Sabotage, the button is pressed and the campaign goes live as the press embargo is lifted.

Given the current events, there is no way to tell how it will play out.

The Kickstarter objective is reached within 7 hours

The Kickstarter objective is reached within 7 hours

Phil and Thierry sit alone on their last day in the empty studio, exhausted but filled with euphoria. It is a shame to be unable to high five the team, but sure... read more

Phil and Thierry sit alone on their last day in the empty studio, exhausted but filled with euphoria.

It is a shame to be unable to high five the team, but surely this whole pandemic will be resolved with a few weeks and they will all be able to get together again.

Right?

Announcement that Mitsuda will be contributing music to Sea of Stars

Announcement that Mitsuda will be contributing music to Sea of Stars

No words here, other than this is hands down the biggest thing to happen to the dream, ever.

All stretch goals are smashed, and more

All stretch goals are smashed, and more

We had mapped a bunch of scenarios, but even the sunniest one wasn't this big.

Not wanting to bloat production, the decision is made to stop adding stretch goals so that the game's vision can remain whole.

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The Kickstarter for Sea of Stars is over

The Kickstarter for Sea of Stars is over

The team is blown away by the response. It is officially the biggest canadian campaign of all time for a video game!

Time to focus on production and figure out this remote work thing.

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Dzidzi designs the game’s intro levels

Dzidzi designs the game’s intro levels

"On my end, I finalized the first version of Mooncradle and its dungeon. I also worked on the Forbidden Cavern"

The Messenger is available on Xbox

The Messenger is available on Xbox

At last, The Messenger is available on all major platforms.

Play video

The playable demo for Sea of Stars is released to super backers

The playable demo for Sea of Stars is released to super backers

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The team finally gets together after months of remote work

The team finally gets together after months of remote work

For the first time since launching the Kickstarter, the team gets together for a socially distant gathering.

As of this writing (April 2021) they have yet to meet up again!

Jirard plays Sea of Stars at IndieLand 2020!

Jirard plays Sea of Stars at IndieLand 2020!

The event raised over $80 000 for dementia research. Good job Jirard!

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Axel joins the team!

Axel joins the team!

Michaël needs backup to tackle the level art scope of Sea of Stars, so he recommends a friend of his from art school.

Axel was hired within 5 hours.

Sea of Stars is on the cover of Wireframe Magazine (UK)

Sea of Stars is on the cover of Wireframe Magazine (UK)

A great honor to see our game making the cover of Wireframe, along with a fully fledged 5 pages article!

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Bruno joins the team!

Bruno joins the team!

Everyone at Sabotage was a fan of the animator known as "Bruno Pixels".

To the team's delight, he accepts the offer to join the project, and starts working full time with Sabotage!

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A new Martin joins the team!

A new Martin joins the team!

To work at full capacity, even more animation talent is required. Michaël and Édouard refer Martin, who has never done pixel animation but has extensive exper... read more

To work at full capacity, even more animation talent is required. Michaël and Édouard refer Martin, who has never done pixel animation but has extensive experience in design and motion.

Laid back and focused, Martin learned the ropes of pixel art in record time.

The Fall Guys Messenger skin is launched

The Fall Guys Messenger skin is launched

Another hit for the Devolver Family. Congrats to MediaTonic for the huge hype they built around Fall Guys.

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Pac joins the team!

Pac joins the team!

As if to close a loop, Pac, the guy who helped Thierry learn to do his homework and get his gamedev school degree over 10 years before, joins Sabotage to tackle... read more

As if to close a loop, Pac, the guy who helped Thierry learn to do his homework and get his gamedev school degree over 10 years before, joins Sabotage to tackle the growing backend challenges surrounding security, websites, and special projects such as the backers crypt.

Together again, at last!

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Our first big one!

Our first big one!

Sea of Stars' first boss is in the can! The team is only getting started on these big, impressive sprites.

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Thierry and Phil distribute the Sabotage Remote Care Packages in person to the team

Thierry and Phil distribute the Sabotage Remote Care Packages in person to the team

A little side project for Phil, Anne-Marie and Thierry, the care packages are designed to warm the hearts of the team in the cold Québec winter just in time fo... read more

A little side project for Phil, Anne-Marie and Thierry, the care packages are designed to warm the hearts of the team in the cold Québec winter just in time for the holidays.

Thierry and Phil spend the day delivering them in person while respecting social distancing. It is bittersweet being unable to hug each other, but given the circumstances it is more sweet than bitter.

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Stevens joins the team!

Stevens joins the team!

And ex colleague with who the fit was great, Steven had applied for a QA position back in 2018 a couple of months before the release of The Messenger, but the t... read more

And ex colleague with who the fit was great, Steven had applied for a QA position back in 2018 a couple of months before the release of The Messenger, but the timing wasn't good.

His motivation was duly noted, and now that Carl was transitioning over to full time integrator, Steven was offered a job.

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Mathieu joins the team!

Mathieu joins the team!

With a growing community around both Sea of Stars and The Messenger, numerous ongoing marketing projects and 3 brands to sustain on multipe channels, Phil is co... read more

With a growing community around both Sea of Stars and The Messenger, numerous ongoing marketing projects and 3 brands to sustain on multipe channels, Phil is completely overwhelmed.

Talking to a couple friends about the situation, all recommendations end up pointing in one direction: "You have to meet Math".

Upon meeting him, the connection is instant. His wholesome vibe and appetite for learning is a perfect fit with the Sabotage team.

He is introduced to the community a couple weeks later as the new Sabotage Community Manager!

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Discord server snowball fight

Discord server snowball fight

Our cold Québec winter inspires a new ARG activity for the Discord server: a snowball fight! Following a few wizardry tricks from Phil, the Solstice Warrior fa... read more

Our cold Québec winter inspires a new ARG activity for the Discord server: a snowball fight!

Following a few wizardry tricks from Phil, the Solstice Warrior factions (Sun vs. Moon) are able to throw digital snowballs at each other through a “hot potato”-style inventory mechanic tracked by a bot.

The tournament ends in a draw, so the names of all participating Discord members are immortalized on a stone tablet inside Headmaster Moraine's office in the game!

Sabotage signs with Kowloon Nights to secure funding for Sea of Stars

Sabotage signs with Kowloon Nights to secure funding for Sea of Stars

Upon the first meeting with Callum and Alexis, it is clear that they understand on a deep level the long term vision for Sabotage. The fit is great and the deal... read more

Upon the first meeting with Callum and Alexis, it is clear that they understand on a deep level the long term vision for Sabotage.

The fit is great and the deal is fair. Things move quickly and everyone is excited to make the announcement.

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Frédéric Émel joins the team!

Frédéric Émel joins the team!

When asked who he would imagine joining him to turn Level Design into a team of two, Dzidzi said Fred Émel right away, reminiscing how great a connection they ... read more

When asked who he would imagine joining him to turn Level Design into a team of two, Dzidzi said Fred Émel right away, reminiscing how great a connection they had at a previous studio.

During the interview, Fred Émel mentioned how he had considered applying before, but thought Sabotage was "too cool" and "out of reach".

Who's cool now, Fred Émel?

Sea of Stars wins the crowdfunding campaign of the year

Sea of Stars wins the crowdfunding campaign of the year

The international panel of judges from GameIndustry.biz vote Sea of Stars the 2020 crowdfunding campaign of the year at the Indie Publishing Award.

The team is over the moon.

Play video

New area reveal: The Moorlands

A big internal milestone for the team, as a new area is now at "presentation quality". There were no bugs and there were no glitches. Good job team! After only ... read more

A big internal milestone for the team, as a new area is now at "presentation quality". There were no bugs and there were no glitches.
Good job team!

After only one short practise round, Mathieu co-hosts the stream, feeding Thierry questions from the community as he shows off the new area. There were no awkward silences and there was no cringe.
Good job Math!

New area reveal: The Moorlands

Sabotage turns 5!

Sabotage turns 5!

A first glimpse of normality?

A first glimpse of normality?

Our first post-Covid SaboTeam party! A whole day enjoying each other's company? It felt like an eternity since we'd been able to do that. For some of our pandem... read more

Our first post-Covid SaboTeam party! A whole day enjoying each other's company? It felt like an eternity since we'd been able to do that.

For some of our pandemic hires, it's even their first time meeting the rest of the team in person.

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The Compendium is revealed

Looking for a fun way to keep the community entertained while we're deep in production, we create "The Compendium." The webpage lets the community unlock new ch... read more

Looking for a fun way to keep the community entertained while we're deep in production, we create "The Compendium."

The webpage lets the community unlock new character teasers by reaching engagement milestones across social media.

The Compendium is revealed

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Sea of Stars Summer Dev Update

Thierry goes live on stream to showcase fishing, cooking, shopping, and a handful of never-before-seen game mechanics. The community also gets to vote on which ... read more

Thierry goes live on stream to showcase fishing, cooking, shopping, and a handful of never-before-seen game mechanics.

The community also gets to vote on which of Bryce's character designs will become "The Cryptwalker", the creature guarding the Crypt where Kickstarter backers will be immortalized in-game.

Sea of Stars Summer Dev Update

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Getting the office ready for the team’s return

Getting the office ready for the team’s return

We didn't get much time to make the office our own before the lockdowns hit.

As we slowly get back to working in person, handymen Jibz, Math, and Phil are on the case!

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Vincent “Jake” Jones joins as part-time audio assistant and composer

Jake of AETHERREALM and good friend of Eric joins the party as part-time audio assistant and composer, helping to bring deeper immersion and a few Tiny Metal Ha... read more

Jake of AETHERREALM and good friend of Eric joins the party as part-time audio assistant and composer, helping to bring deeper immersion and a few Tiny Metal Hand riffs to the world of Sea of Stars! 🤌

The announcement is made alongside a first teaser of his work.

Vincent “Jake” Jones joins as part-time audio assistant and composer

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The World Map is taking shape!

The World Map is taking shape!

Sclout’s on a mission to add an extra follower during traversal

Sclout’s on a mission to add an extra follower during traversal

Something we initially thought wasn't possible, but we're now exploring ways to have all three active party members visible while exploring the world of Sea of ... read more

Something we initially thought wasn't possible, but we're now exploring ways to have all three active party members visible while exploring the world of Sea of Stars.

Sclout is making some promising progress on that front!

The “social club” is back!

The “social club” is back!

The Social Club makes its comeback, keeping it simple with BBQ and drinks at the park!

The Crypt customizer opens for high-tier Kickstarter backers

The Crypt customizer opens for high-tier Kickstarter backers

With over 300 backer monuments for our artists to draw by hand, we need to get started sooner rather than later. To coordinate it all, we develop a small web ap... read more

With over 300 backer monuments for our artists to draw by hand, we need to get started sooner rather than later.

To coordinate it all, we develop a small web app where backers can submit their ideas, references, and personal messages. It's a lot of fun going through the incredible variety of inspirations and creative ideas for their memorials!

Greg joins the team!

Greg joins the team!

Introduced by Bryce, Greg is a passionate and incredibly versatile artist who adapted to our pipeline and culture in no time, all remotely. He joins the animati... read more

Introduced by Bryce, Greg is a passionate and incredibly versatile artist who adapted to our pipeline and culture in no time, all remotely. He joins the animation team and makes it feel like he’s always been there.

Thommy moves temporarily to Québec City!

Thommy moves temporarily to Québec City!

After going through a lengthy, rocky immigration process, Thommy is finally here with us, sharing our daily life at the studio. He brings his sense of humor and... read more

After going through a lengthy, rocky immigration process, Thommy is finally here with us, sharing our daily life at the studio. He brings his sense of humor and magnetic chill vibe to Quebec during a beautiful, colorful autumn, which quickly turned into a brutally cold winter.

His signature Arctic boots and daily “What’s up, man?” never gets old.

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Halloween: Pumpkin Carving 🎃

Halloween: Pumpkin Carving 🎃

Whether it's pixels or pumpkins, our artists are pretty damn good.

Martina joins the team temporarily as a portrait artist!

After nailing her first assignment, Martina joins us remotely from Finland as our official portrait artist.

Over time, her role grew to include all of the game’s food illustrations too!

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Dzidzi starts tackling the ultimate challenge that is designing a fun water temple

Dzidzi starts tackling the ultimate challenge that is designing a fun water temple

We will be working with Kakehashi games to bring Sea of Stars in Japan

We will be working with Kakehashi games to bring Sea of Stars in Japan

Japan is its own world, and one of the most exciting and complex markets for video games, where so much of it all started. As we want to do things properly, we ... read more

Japan is its own world, and one of the most exciting and complex markets for video games, where so much of it all started. As we want to do things properly, we team up once again with our friends at Kakehashi, who were a great partner on The Messenger.

They’re handling our Japanese and Korean localization, marketing in Japan, and our relationships with the platform holders there.

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A day of monuments

A day of monuments

For the last workday of the year, the art team focuses all its efforts on hand-drawing a fraction of the monuments that will honor high-tier Kickstarter backers in the game's Crypt.

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Sea of Stars is featured in Nintendo’s IndieWorld showcase with a new trailer!

What a thrill! Not only is this the first major showcase for Sea of Stars, but the game gets a premium spot right at the start of the show. Showing our little a... read more

What a thrill! Not only is this the first major showcase for Sea of Stars, but the game gets a premium spot right at the start of the show. Showing our little adventure to a much wider audience is always a little nerve-racking, but the response is overwhelmingly positive.

This is also our very first 100% homemade trailer. GG Jibz!

Sea of Stars is featured in Nintendo’s IndieWorld showcase with a new trailer!

JP joins the team!

JP joins the team!

A seasoned tester hungry to learn the engine, JP joins the team as Dzidzi’s sidekick, integrating levels, puzzles and mini-games. That frees Dzidzi from the e... read more

A seasoned tester hungry to learn the engine, JP joins the team as Dzidzi’s sidekick, integrating levels, puzzles and mini-games. That frees Dzidzi from the engine’s quirks so he can fully focus on spearheading the production through level design.

Bruno also moves temporarily to Québec City!

Bruno also moves temporarily to Québec City!

It feels surreal to finally have Bruno with us at the studio after a whole year of video calls. Time to introduce him to all of Quebec’s finest offerings!

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First time a hands-off preview of Sea of Stars is shown to media outlets

First time a hands-off preview of Sea of Stars is shown to media outlets

Thierry pitches to 30 journalists back-to-back, playing through the Wizard’s Lab over and over while sharing the vision. Seeing seasoned journalists unable to contain their excitement was something else.

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Bryce finalizes the design for our last playable character

Bryce finalizes the design for our last playable character

"A gaseous being with a living-glass golem as a vessel" is quite the challenging brief.

Bryce nails it, and B'st is born!

Delay announcement: Sea of Stars will release in 2023

As we are closing in on a very big milestone the road to launch becomes clearer. Keeping in mind our two main priorities, quality of life for our team and quality of the finished game, we can now confirm that Sea of Stars will be released in 2023.

We understand waiting is a big ask to our community, but we are looking at options to get a playable slice out to everyone as soon as possible.

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State of Play: Sea of Stars is officially coming to PS4 and PS5!

State of Play: Sea of Stars is officially coming to PS4 and PS5!

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Sabotage turns 6!

Sabotage turns 6!

It's our first public event since the pandemic, and even though safety guidelines have pretty much been lifted by this point, COVID is still very much in the ai... read more

It's our first public event since the pandemic, and even though safety guidelines have pretty much been lifted by this point, COVID is still very much in the air... and almost all of us catch it.

Still, it's awesome to finally reunite with friends and familiar faces from the local video game scene. Plus, we get rainbowdragoneyes to deliver one memorable live performance!

Rabaska 🛶

Rabaska 🛶

There ain't much better for team building than trying to steer a very big canoe ten people at a time.

IOI joins the adventure as a PR/marketing partner in China

IOI joins the adventure as a PR/marketing partner in China

China is its own beast, so when our friends at Kowloon introduced us to IOI Gamer, we jumped at the chance to team up. They become our PR and marketing partner ... read more

China is its own beast, so when our friends at Kowloon introduced us to IOI Gamer, we jumped at the chance to team up. They become our PR and marketing partner in China, get us up to speed on platforms like Bilibili and Weibo, and give us invaluable insight into how Chinese players think, play and connect with games.

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Pixel art food 🤤

Pixel art food 🤤

Martina puts the finishing touches on all the game's dishes, and the results are absolutely mouthwatering.

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Jibz is getting close to finalizing the combat HUD

Jibz is getting close to finalizing the combat HUD

Let’s run!

Let’s run!

A small crew spends the summer running together and closes out the season by tackling 5K and 10K trail races!

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Hotdogs & Football

Hotdogs & Football

We don't have many football fans at Sabotage, but hanging out and eating hot dogs at a tailgate party? We're down for that.

Even Fro's kid is there showing off all his swag.

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Making progress on the game’s cinematics

Our friends at Du Coup Animation have been hard at work on the game's many cinematics for quite some time now, and saying we're thrilled with how they're coming along would be an understatement!

Making progress on the game’s cinematics

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A word from Yasunori Mitsuda

Our collaboration with the legendary composer is going great, and we're finally ready to share his first composition for the game with the world. He even genero... read more

Our collaboration with the legendary composer is going great, and we're finally ready to share his first composition for the game with the world.

He even generously takes the time to record a special message for our fans!

A word from Yasunori Mitsuda

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The release date is announced during a Nintendo Direct!

What an unbelievable honor: our very first Nintendo Direct feature!

Along with the release date announcement, we surprise everyone by launching a free demo on Switch.

The release date is announced during a Nintendo Direct!

Sea of Stars mentionned in a Penny Arcade comic strip

Sea of Stars mentionned in a Penny Arcade comic strip

What a fun and meaningful nod to our project.

Full strip here.

Bruno finishes the World Eater

Bruno finishes the World Eater

At a whopping 1,887 pixels tall, it is Sabotage's biggest sprite to date. And it's not even close!

Solstice Warriors for scale.

Sea of Stars makes the March cover of Game Informer!

Sea of Stars makes the March cover of Game Informer!

I mean, what can we say about that?

What an honor to grace the cover of such an iconic magazine. This is one we'll keep close to our hearts forever.

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Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One are added to the launch roster

And with that, the full launch lineup is officially revealed!

Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One are added to the launch roster

Masamune joins the adventure as a PR partner for Latin America

Masamune joins the adventure as a PR partner for Latin America

As we see a growing Latin American community forming around our games, we feel it's time to work with someone who really knows the region and can help us with P... read more

As we see a growing Latin American community forming around our games, we feel it's time to work with someone who really knows the region and can help us with PR and marketing there.

Renato and the Masamune team turn out to be exactly what we're looking for, on top of being incredibly easy and fun to work with. Welcome aboard!

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The art for the final dungeon is completed!

The art for the final dungeon is completed!

With the Fleshmancer's Lair now in the can, it's becoming increasingly clear that we're nearing the end of production. Some crafts are starting to wrap up their... read more

With the Fleshmancer's Lair now in the can, it's becoming increasingly clear that we're nearing the end of production.

Some crafts are starting to wrap up their major tasks and shift their focus to polishing the game.

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Sabotage turns 7!

Sabotage turns 7!

We celebrate with a delicious dinner prepared by a private chef.

And with the whole team gathered in one place, we take the opportunity to autograph a whole bunch of Game Informer copies!

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The Fan Art Wall is born

The Fan Art Wall is born

Our fans are so talented, we just have to cover our kitchen walls with their art.

The backer survey is ready to go

With the game's release fast approaching, nearly 30,000 backers are about to make their final choices for their rewards.

At that scale, putting together a survey that covers everyone's needs is quite the logistical challenge, but everything goes *almost* without a hitch.

ID @ Xbox: PC and Xbox Game Pass announcement

ID @ Xbox: PC and Xbox Game Pass announcement

Partnering with the Xbox team for a Day 1 Game Pass launch means potentially reaching millions of new players at launch. We’re incredibly grateful for their flexibility and huge marketing support.

Content Complete!

Content Complete!

Sea of Stars joins Steam Next Fest. The PC Demo is out!

Any indie dev will tell you how important Steam Next Fest can be for getting your demo out there and building up this precious wishlist.

PC players get their first taste of Sea of Stars and, just like with the Switch demo, the response is overwhelmingly positive. It's a huge relief to see the game's core gameplay resonate with players as we enter the final stretch of development.

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Thierry plays Wheels live on stream

To make the world of Sea of Stars feel more alive, the team is set on creating a fun mini-game of its own. After many iterations, Wheels is born! Thierry goes l... read more

To make the world of Sea of Stars feel more alive, the team is set on creating a fun mini-game of its own. After many iterations, Wheels is born!

Thierry goes live on stream to showcase the tabletop game that's all the rage in taverns across the many islands of Sea of Stars.

Thierry plays Wheels live on stream

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Sea of Stars booth at G-Fusion in China

Sea of Stars booth at G-Fusion in China

Players get to try the Sea of Stars demo at G-Fusion, one of China's biggest gaming conventions. While we're not there to see it with our own eyes, our partner ... read more

Players get to try the Sea of Stars demo at G-Fusion, one of China's biggest gaming conventions.

While we're not there to see it with our own eyes, our partner IOI tells us the line to play the game gets so long that it ends up blocking the Xbox booth!

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Incredible Valere cosplay at G-Fusion!

Incredible Valere cosplay at G-Fusion!

Fro notices we’re down to fewer than 100 open Jira issues for the first time

With QA well underway and less than two months until release, the game is reaching a pretty stable state.

Our confidence in an (almost) bug-free launch is running high!

Eric spends 3 days exporting all the 210 tracks (!!!) for the soundtrack

With most of the game's tracks having both Day and Night versions, plus acoustic arrangements for the pirate band, the full soundtrack adds up to over nine hours of music!

Getting all 210 tracks exported and ready for release on music platforms turns out to be a painstakingly slow process.

Sea of Stars is coming to PlayStation Plus Extra

Sea of Stars is coming to PlayStation Plus Extra

Sea of Stars will be available on both PlayStation Plus Extra and Xbox Game Pass from day one! It's an amazing opportunity to put the game in front of a huge nu... read more

Sea of Stars will be available on both PlayStation Plus Extra and Xbox Game Pass from day one! It's an amazing opportunity to put the game in front of a huge number of players right from launch.

And PlayStation players can now get their hands on the demo too!

Sea of Stars has gone gold!

Sea of Stars has gone gold!

Play video

Making-of documentary by The Escapist premieres!

The Escapist spends a few days with us in Québec City, visiting the studio and chatting with members of the team about Sabotage's history and the development o... read more

The Escapist spends a few days with us in Québec City, visiting the studio and chatting with members of the team about Sabotage's history and the development of Sea of Stars.

The result is a 33-minute documentary that captures a very special moment in time: the exciting, but tensed end-cycle of development, just as the world is about to discover our little adventure.

A huge thanks to everyone who took part in making this production happen!

Making-of documentary by The Escapist premieres!

700,000 wishlists on Steam 🤯

700,000 wishlists on Steam 🤯

A number we could have never dreamed of reaching, just two weeks before launch. We're incredibly grateful to everyone who has been following Sea of Stars since ... read more

A number we could have never dreamed of reaching, just two weeks before launch. We're incredibly grateful to everyone who has been following Sea of Stars since we first announced it over three years ago.

A big wishlist count doesn't guarantee a successful launch, but it does open the door to valuable visibility opportunities on Steam. In a sea of games fighting for attention, every little bit helps!

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OFFICIAL LAUNCH TRAILER

The one-week countdown to launch begins with one final pre-release trailer!

Once again fully produced and edited in-house, it's quite a thrill to finally hit "publish" on this one.

OFFICIAL LAUNCH TRAILER

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Shining the spotlight on our audio dream team <3

So much work went into crafting a soundscape that captured that retro feel while remaining seamless throughout the adventure, we wanted to spotlight everyone wh... read more

So much work went into crafting a soundscape that captured that retro feel while remaining seamless throughout the adventure, we wanted to spotlight everyone who helped bring it to life. Introducing the microsite dedicated to the audio of Sea of Stars!

Eric W. Brown, Yasunori Mitsuda, Vincent Jake Jones, and Reece Miller all deserve major props.

Shining the spotlight on our audio dream team <3

A day ahead of launch, embargo on reviews is lifted!

A day ahead of launch, embargo on reviews is lifted!

As we settle into the house where we'll be monitoring and celebrating the launch, the embargo lifts and reviews start rolling in... And the numbers speak for th... read more

As we settle into the house where we'll be monitoring and celebrating the launch, the embargo lifts and reviews start rolling in...

And the numbers speak for themselves! We're completely flabbergasted as the 9s and the 10s just keep coming.

The launch party begins!

The launch party begins!

The last couple of years have been pretty draining for the team, but there's still plenty of energy in the air as we wait for the game to launch at midnight. In... read more

The last couple of years have been pretty draining for the team, but there's still plenty of energy in the air as we wait for the game to launch at midnight. In the meantime, there isn't much left to do but try to relax and celebrate all the work that got us here.

Pool party, games, and a feast are on the menu for the rest of the day!

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We push the button and… SEA OF STARS IS OUT

After years of work, late nights and countless iterations, the moment finally arrives. The whole team gathers, hearts pounding. Pride, relief, exhaustion, doubt... read more

After years of work, late nights and countless iterations, the moment finally arrives. The whole team gathers, hearts pounding. Pride, relief, exhaustion, doubt, pure joy, an incredible rush that no words can properly describe.

And then it’s live. Sea of Stars now belongs to the world.

We push the button and… SEA OF STARS IS OUT

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Sea of Stars is out on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, and Xbox!

Sea of Stars is out on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, and Xbox!

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Launch Day

Launch Day

A crazy day that begins with the internet going down because of a water leak near the cabin's modem, putting our community and backer support on hold for a long... read more

A crazy day that begins with the internet going down because of a water leak near the cabin's modem, putting our community and backer support on hold for a long stressful moment.

Everything gets sorted out in the end, and we spend most of the day together watching people stream Sea of Stars. Such a weird and wholesome feeling to see the game we've worked on for so long finally out there in the world.

Day one report: 100,000 copies sold!

Day one report: 100,000 copies sold!

No words.

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Time to rest: the team takes a full month off

Time to rest: the team takes a full month off

We leave the cabin after two days of celebration, and no one goes back to the studio for a whole month! Despite all the positivity surrounding the launch, exhau... read more

We leave the cabin after two days of celebration, and no one goes back to the studio for a whole month!

Despite all the positivity surrounding the launch, exhaustion is at its peak and the team is due for some much-needed, well-deserved rest.

Some of us take the opportunity to travel, while others simply relax and recharge before the next chapter.

Week one report: 250,000 copies sold!

Week one report: 250,000 copies sold!

We had projections for the first year, but it only took you all a single week.

Thank you 🥲

Sea of Stars wins Best Indie Game at the Equinox LATAM Game Awards!

Sea of Stars wins Best Indie Game at the Equinox LATAM Game Awards!

Once again, the LATAM community shows us incredible support as Sea of Stars wins its first major award, with Bruno there to pick up the trophy!

The Sea of Stars complete sprite sheet!

The Sea of Stars complete sprite sheet!

GG to all the art team.

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Sabobo Summit 2023

Sabobo Summit 2023

With the whole team back from vacation, it's time to talk about what's coming next. Thierry pitches the Throes of the Watchmaker DLC and "Game 3" to the team. T... read more

With the whole team back from vacation, it's time to talk about what's coming next.

Thierry pitches the Throes of the Watchmaker DLC and "Game 3" to the team. Two days of workshops and brainstorming sessions follow as everyone gets the creative juices flowing again!

Sea of Stars wins Best Indie Game at the Golden Joystick Awards!

Sea of Stars wins Best Indie Game at the Golden Joystick Awards!

Well, this is major.

Sea of Stars was nominated not only for Best Indie Game, but also for Ultimate Game of the Year! What an honor just to be mentioned alongside such an impressive lineup of games.

Sea of Stars makes the Famitsu cover

Sea of Stars makes the Famitsu cover

For a game so deeply inspired by the Japanese classics we grew up playing, this one feels like the ultimate stamp of approval.

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Part of the team attends the Game Awards

Part of the team attends the Game Awards

Miko, Sclout, Thierry, Eric, and both Phils fly out to LA to attend the biggest night in gaming!

Sea of Stars wins the Game Award for Best Independent Game!

Sea of Stars wins the Game Award for Best Independent Game!

Sea of Stars is nominated in two categories at The Game Awards: Best Independent Game and Best RPG. By the end of the night, Best Independent Game is in the bag... read more

Sea of Stars is nominated in two categories at The Game Awards: Best Independent Game and Best RPG.

By the end of the night, Best Independent Game is in the bag, which is... crazy. Everyone's reaction at the watch party in the studio speaks for itself.

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On a cloud at Super Nintendo World

On a cloud at Super Nintendo World

Sea of Stars has been played by over 4 million people

Sea of Stars has been played by over 4 million people

In less than four months, across all platforms and subscription catalogs. Pretty wild.

What a way to close out a truly transformative year for Sabotage.

Larian Studio drops a gift at our office

Larian Studio drops a gift at our office

On our street alone, a total of 7 Game Awards were won this year! Thanks to our neighbors at Larian Studio for the carry with Baldur's Gate 3, and for dropping ... read more

On our street alone, a total of 7 Game Awards were won this year!

Thanks to our neighbors at Larian Studio for the carry with Baldur's Gate 3, and for dropping this oversized bottle at our office.

(Potassium for scale)

Chrono Trigger creators praise Sea of Stars!

Chrono Trigger creators praise Sea of Stars!

@Genki_JPN reports on X that "Chrono Trigger creators Yuji Horii, Hironobu Sakaguchi and Kazuhiko Torishima praised Sea of Stars as a beautiful game they said l... read more

@Genki_JPN reports on X that "Chrono Trigger creators Yuji Horii, Hironobu Sakaguchi and Kazuhiko Torishima praised Sea of Stars as a beautiful game they said looks just like Chrono Trigger and said the developers really did a great job!"

🥹

Santa visits the studio 🎅

Santa visits the studio 🎅

It's been an incredibly intense and exhausting year, so we keep things nice and cozy for our Christmas celebration at the studio.

And Santa even shows up with gifts for everyone!

iam8bit releases the 2x LP vinyl pressing of the OST

iam8bit releases the 2x LP vinyl pressing of the OST

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iam8bit releases the Sea of Stars physical edition

iam8bit releases the Sea of Stars physical edition

Of course, Sea of Stars was always going to get a physical edition, and teaming up with our friends at iam8bit again was a no-brainer.

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Truly blessed: Sea of Stars keeps getting recognized

Truly blessed: Sea of Stars keeps getting recognized

Time to implement a full-fledged local co-op mode… for 3 players!

While a limited version of local co-op was announced as a stretch goal during the Sea of Stars Kickstarter campaign, we decide to push it to a fully-fledged experience.

Not only will it allow two players to play together as we initially thought, but it's decided that a third player will be able to join the adventure!

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GDC 2024

GDC 2024

Phil, Thierry, Math, and Sclout fly to San Francisco for Sabotage's first industry event in quite a while. We don't have anything new to promote this time aroun... read more

Phil, Thierry, Math, and Sclout fly to San Francisco for Sabotage's first industry event in quite a while.

We don't have anything new to promote this time around, but it's a great opportunity to catch up and celebrate Sea of Stars' success with partners and industry friends we haven't seen in person since launch.

We also meet the folks at Playdigious for the first time, and they have an interesting pitch for a mobile version of the game...

The first version of the DLC’s script is finished!

The first version of the DLC’s script is finished!

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Sea of Stars: The Concept Art of Bryce Kho is revealed

Sea of Stars: The Concept Art of Bryce Kho is revealed

Bryce created an impressive amount of gorgeous concept art throughout the development of Sea of Stars, so it's only fitting to collect it all in an art book tha... read more

Bryce created an impressive amount of gorgeous concept art throughout the development of Sea of Stars, so it's only fitting to collect it all in an art book that does his work justice.

Built around real conversations between Bryce and Thierry as they came up with the game's designs, the book offers a unique and personal look behind the scenes of Sea of Stars. Huge props to the book's publisher 3dtotal, we're incredibly proud of how it turned out!

Brittany joins the team!

Brittany joins the team!

A quirky QA specialist with a great instinct for catching bugs, Brittany joins us to beef up our testing force as production on the DLC ramps up.

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The backer-exclusive physical edition is finally ready to ship

The backer-exclusive physical edition is finally ready to ship

It took a little longer than expected, but as things evolved since the Kickstarter campaign, we wanted to make sure our backers get something truly special, wit... read more

It took a little longer than expected, but as things evolved since the Kickstarter campaign, we wanted to make sure our backers get something truly special, with exclusive elements that go well beyond a different cover. All of this is in the spirit of giving as much as we can to our early supporters

We end up with a box design that pays homage to an era of gaming that's obviously very close to our hearts.

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Meet & greet with fans at local game shops

Meet & greet with fans at local game shops

Now that players have their physical copies in hand, it's the perfect opportunity to get out there and celebrate the game with them! We hit the road for a fun d... read more

Now that players have their physical copies in hand, it's the perfect opportunity to get out there and celebrate the game with them!

We hit the road for a fun day of meet & greets at two local retro game shops, "Retro MTL" in Montréal and "La Planque" in Québec City.

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The final Dweller is under way!

The final Dweller is under way!

It's becoming increasingly clear that production on the complete Sea of Stars adventure is nearing its end. It's a bittersweet feeling. We've been immersed in t... read more

It's becoming increasingly clear that production on the complete Sea of Stars adventure is nearing its end.

It's a bittersweet feeling. We've been immersed in this world for so long, but seeing our team's talent on display as creations like this come to life is still just as exciting as ever!

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Fan art contest <3

Fan art contest <3

We organize a fan art contest with copies of the new art book up for grabs! Over the course of a month, we receive tons of incredible new fan art. Picking our f... read more

We organize a fan art contest with copies of the new art book up for grabs!

Over the course of a month, we receive tons of incredible new fan art. Picking our favorites is an impossible task, but somehow we manage, and Thierry and Bryce go live on stream to reveal the winners.

Play video

The music of Sea of Stars is played live by l’Orchestre de Jeux Vidéo

We're invited to a local orchestral performance celebrating the music of classic RPGs, with Sea of Stars featured in the lineup! Hearing our own music played al... read more

We're invited to a local orchestral performance celebrating the music of classic RPGs, with Sea of Stars featured in the lineup!

Hearing our own music played alongside some of the classics that inspired us? Pretty surreal.

The music of Sea of Stars is played live by l’Orchestre de Jeux Vidéo

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Sea of Stars exhibition at Gallery Nucleus

Sea of Stars exhibition at Gallery Nucleus

Bryce's artwork takes center stage at a Sea of Stars exhibition at Gallery Nucleus, kicking off with a special panel discussion.

Thierry, Phil, Sav, and Jean-Luc fly out to LA to attend.

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BitSummit 2024

BitSummit 2024

Our first trip to Japan since launch, in a very warm Kyoto! Thierry takes the stage to present The Sabotage Way, we sit down for a Famitsu interview, eat some g... read more

Our first trip to Japan since launch, in a very warm Kyoto! Thierry takes the stage to present The Sabotage Way, we sit down for a Famitsu interview, eat some great sushi, and above all, share an incredibly wholesome dinner with Yasunori Mitsuda.

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Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker is revealed during a Nintendo Indie World showcase

A DLC was promised as early as the Kickstarter campaign, where it was announce as a stretch goal. As a thank you to all the players that made Sea of Stars the s... read more

A DLC was promised as early as the Kickstarter campaign, where it was announce as a stretch goal. As a thank you to all the players that made Sea of Stars the success that it was, we finally decide to make it available for free.

Throes of the Watchmaker sends our Solstice Warriors on a side-adventure into the miniature, clockwork world of Horloge, where a cursed carnival threatens its innocent denizens. To survive, they'll need to play by unfamiliar rules and confront not only the mischievous Puppeteer and her minions, but also their own darker traits.

Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker is revealed during a Nintendo Indie World showcase

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Stéphane joins the team!

Stéphane joins the team!

Stephane, a good friend and longtime fan of our games, joins the art team to help us get started on "Project Sparrow" while everyone else wraps up production on Throes of the Watchmaker.

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We release the Dawn of Equinox Update

We release the Dawn of Equinox Update

Dawn of Equinox brings to life a more complete vision for Sea of Stars, incorporating elements that couldn’t be included at launch, along with some of the mos... read more

Dawn of Equinox brings to life a more complete vision for Sea of Stars, incorporating elements that couldn’t be included at launch, along with some of the most requested features and improvements informed by feedback from players.

3-player couch co-op, combat 2.0, a revamped prologue, a bonus cinematic cutscene, and other QoL updates are all brought to the game for free.

Sea of Stars has now been played by over 6 MILLION people!!!

Sea of Stars has now been played by over 6 MILLION people!!!

Thierry & Phil attend the Golden Joystick Awards in London

Thierry & Phil attend the Golden Joystick Awards in London

As last year's Best Indie Game winners, we're invited to present the award to the 2024 winner! Thierry and Phil fly to London for the occasion, looking quite da... read more

As last year's Best Indie Game winners, we're invited to present the award to the 2024 winner!

Thierry and Phil fly to London for the occasion, looking quite dapper.

Huge props to Balatro for taking home the award!

It’s An Ugly Sweater Christmas

It’s An Ugly Sweater Christmas

A fun little surprise for the team ahead of our traditional Christmas celebration.

Big shoutout to Sav for designing these custom Sabotage ugly Christmas sweaters!

A new year begins, and so does the final stretch on the DLC!

A new year begins, and so does the final stretch on the DLC!

2025 starts strong with the team fully focused on the Sea of Stars DLC, now just a few months away from its May release.

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A Sabotage ice sculpture at the Carnaval de Québec

A Sabotage ice sculpture at the Carnaval de Québec

The Carnaval de Québec is an annual celebration of the Québec winter, with ice sculptures being a big part of its long-standing tradition. This year, the orga... read more

The Carnaval de Québec is an annual celebration of the Québec winter, with ice sculptures being a big part of its long-standing tradition.

This year, the organization puts the spotlight on the local video game industry, and Sabotage is one of the studios to get its very own ice sculpture!

Throes of the Watchmaker reaches Gold milestone

Throes of the Watchmaker reaches Gold milestone

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Games&Symphonies – Sea of Stars Suite

Multiple themes played by a live orchestra at Palau de la Música Catalana, in Barcelona! A concert organized by Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès, in partnershi... read more

Multiple themes played by a live orchestra at Palau de la Música Catalana, in Barcelona!

A concert organized by Orquestra Simfònica del Vallès, in partnership with Games&Symphonies and participation from Cor Jove Amics de la Unió.

Games&Symphonies – Sea of Stars Suite

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Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker is available for free on all platforms!

Sea of Stars: Throes of the Watchmaker is available for free on all platforms!

DLC Launch Party

DLC Launch Party

With the DLC out in the world and getting great reviews, the timing couldn't be better to celebrate Sabotage's 9th anniversary!

The circus-themed cake certainly steals the show.

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The studio is getting a revamp…

The studio is getting a revamp…

We've reached a point where our workspace is starting to feel a little cramped and no longer quite fits all our needs. The thing is, we love the space and its l... read more

We've reached a point where our workspace is starting to feel a little cramped and no longer quite fits all our needs. The thing is, we love the space and its location, so moving somewhere else isn't exactly an appealing option.

Luckily, our neighbors on the floor are moving out, giving us the opportunity to expand the studio and add some of the missing pieces.

After a long period of planning, the renovations are finally ready to begin!

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… and the team is getting a vacation!

… and the team is getting a vacation!

With the studio unusable for a month during renovations, we figure a long summer vacation for everyone sounds a lot better than the logistical headache of sending the whole team back to working from home.

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We’re back, and the studio looks stunning

We’re back, and the studio looks stunning

It's an amazing feeling to all come back from a long break to a completely [refreshed workspace]. The studio gets tons of fun new additions, but the pièce de r... read more

It's an amazing feeling to all come back from a long break to a completely [refreshed workspace].

The studio gets tons of fun new additions, but the pièce de résistance is a large multimedia room we call “the Soub,” short for submarine. It's the perfect space for build reviews, team meetings, presentations, and all sorts of activities. It even has portholes!

An In-Depth Studio Update with Game Informer

An In-Depth Studio Update with Game Informer

Thierry reflects on what the success of Sea of Stars means for the studio and offers a few hints about what's coming next now that the DLC is out.

Read the full interview.
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The “Sabotrain” is operational

The “Sabotrain” is operational

Another highlight of the newly renovated studio is the “Sabotrain,” a digital bulletin board that keeps the team informed about upcoming milestones, daily u... read more

Another highlight of the newly renovated studio is the “Sabotrain,” a digital bulletin board that keeps the team informed about upcoming milestones, daily updates, birthdays, games to play for reference, and other fun stuff!

It's also a new way to put all the amazing fan art we receive on full display.

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“50 Indie Games That Changed The World” by Bitmap

“50 Indie Games That Changed The World” by Bitmap

Bitmap Books lists Sea of Stars as one of the 50 most influential indie games of the last two decades. The book is a truly beautiful piece of work, and we're in... read more

Bitmap Books lists Sea of Stars as one of the 50 most influential indie games of the last two decades.

The book is a truly beautiful piece of work, and we're incredibly grateful to be included alongside games that made indie history and, in many cases, influenced us along the way.

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Thanks to Fangamer, Sea of Stars finally gets official merch

Thanks to Fangamer, Sea of Stars finally gets official merch

Fans have been asking for something like this for a long time, and it's finally happening!

A new T-shirt designed by Bryce and an upcoming Malkomud plushie are revealed with our friends at Fangamer.

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The Concept Art of Bryce Kho: Sea of Stars – Throes of the Watchmaker is released

The Concept Art of Bryce Kho: Sea of Stars – Throes of the Watchmaker is released

The original art book is such a fan favorite that we have no choice but to give it a “sequel,” this time featuring Bryce's concept art from Throes of the Watchmaker!

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Christmas at L’Île d’Orléans

Christmas at L’Île d’Orléans

As you can see, the ugly sweater remains a Christmas staple.

A transition year

A transition year

A freshly renovated workspace and a new game almost done with pre-production... yeah, 2025 truly feels like a year of transition for Sabotage. While we're not q... read more

A freshly renovated workspace and a new game almost done with pre-production... yeah, 2025 truly feels like a year of transition for Sabotage.

While we're not quite done with Sea of Stars, it still feels like we're closing one chapter and moving on to the next. Project Sparrow is on our minds more than ever, and we can't wait to finally reveal it.

But not just yet. We'll have to keep everyone in the dark a little longer before we're ready to fully turn the page.

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Playdigious releases Sea of Stars on iOS and Android

We'd been quietly working with Playdigious on a mobile version of Sea of Stars ever since our first meeting at GDC 2024. The adaptation is developed mainly by t... read more

We'd been quietly working with Playdigious on a mobile version of Sea of Stars ever since our first meeting at GDC 2024. The adaptation is developed mainly by their team, with support from some members of ours, allowing us to stay focused on Project Sparrow throughout the process.

Thanks to the incredible response since launch, we've been able to keep expanding Sea of Stars' reach in ways we hadn't originally planned, and this is another great example of that.

Playdigious releases Sea of Stars on iOS and Android

Pre-production wraps up on Project Sparrow!

While it's still too early to reveal more about our third game, we've been working on it for a little over a year now, and we're excited to confirm that it has officially entered production.

There's still one final update coming for Sea of Stars, but after that, the whole team's focus will shift to Project Sparrow.

The only thing we'll say: in our ten years at Sabotage, we've never been this excited about a project at this stage of development.

The Malkomud Plush is Here

The Malkomud Plush is Here

What a cutie.

A Final Update for Sea of Stars: Sunset Edition

A Final Update for Sea of Stars: Sunset Edition

As we reach the end of a journey that has spanned more than seven years, we release one final content update for Sea of Stars. Its biggest addition is a brand-n... read more

As we reach the end of a journey that has spanned more than seven years, we release one final content update for Sea of Stars.

Its biggest addition is a brand-new cinematic intro, and our most ambitious one yet. Huge thanks to DuCoup Animation for bringing it to life <3

With that, our focus can now shift entirely to Project Sparrow, with production officially underway.

Are we… cursed?

Are we… cursed?

The team suspects something might be brewing to celebrate the studio's tenth anniversary. But when a mysterious cloaked figure starts appearing all over the off... read more

The team suspects something might be brewing to celebrate the studio's tenth anniversary. But when a mysterious cloaked figure starts appearing all over the office (in picture frames, on the Sabotrain, and even in cryptic Slack messages) it's clear that something strange is going on.

Turns out, a 10-year-old curse is about to doom the entire team unless we do something about it in the next 24 hours.

Let the festivities (and curse-breaking activities) begin!

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A day chock-full of surprises!

A day chock-full of surprises!

Breaking the curse requires us to take part in a series of strange rituals and unexpected encounters. What starts as an ordinary yellow school bus ride turns in... read more

Breaking the curse requires us to take part in a series of strange rituals and unexpected encounters. What starts as an ordinary yellow school bus ride turns into a multi-stop adventure full of surprises.

The mysterious cloaked stranger following us around, a magic show in a magnificent setting, and a dramatic appearance and performance by rainbowdragoneyes leave everyone speechless!

After all that, we finally discover a Golden Ticket that might just be the key to breaking the curse... and lets us dress up properly for the rest of the evening.

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Proper attire for this special occasion

Proper attire for this special occasion

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A legendary feast to top it all off!

A legendary feast to top it all off!

Those in the know will remember that a Golden Ticket inevitably leads to a feast. Our very own Golden Pelican is the Laurie Raphaël, where a custom menu and th... read more

Those in the know will remember that a Golden Ticket inevitably leads to a feast. Our very own Golden Pelican is the Laurie Raphaël, where a custom menu and the restaurant's incredible staff await us for an out-of-this-world dining experience.

We have the best time celebrating ten years of accomplishments together.

A wonderful climax to a truly memorable day of festivities!

Happy 10th anniversary, Sabobo! ❤️

Happy 10th anniversary, Sabobo! ❤️

"So you basically planted your tent, and it turned into a village."

— Charles Cantin

After a full decade, one observation is undeniable: we're still standing as a fully independent team, and the only explanation is the overwhelming support we've received.

While our gratitude will be best expressed through hard work on "Game 3", we want to thank once again all the fans, early believers, backers, community members and industry friends who helped take Sabotage's incredible journey this far.

The next adventure awaits. See you soon!

-SaboTeam

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