Posts in development
“We’ve learned a lot, but our mission to make great horse games hasn’t changed” – Reflecting on Equestrian The Game with Kavalri Games’ Molly Ericson

Equestrian the Game is a mobile game about owning, training and breeding horses. Kavalri Games’ co-founder and CEO Molly Ericson sat down for a call with me to discuss some critical learnings about making free-to-play games and how to handle players and their feedback, about what’s left in store for ETG and what we can expect from Kavalri games in the future.

Read More
Adding Horses to your Game: Tips, Resources, Do’s and Don’ts

This article is aimed at game developers who want to include horses in their games without making the same couple of basic mistakes that make equestrians cry. 

I’m trying to keep this text as accessible as possible for people without prior knowledge of horses and equestrianism. The intention is to give game creators a starting point for further research and some ideas for how to add a bit of depth, variety and authenticity to their portrayal of horses. 

Read More
“We expect to support the game for years to come” – Insights on Rival Stars Horse Racing from PikPok CEO Mario Wynands

Rival Stars Horse Racing is something of a rarity in our niche: it’s a polished game aimed at adult players, that’s generally well received and getting regular content updates. For the game’s five year anniversary, I sat down for a call with PikPok CEO Mario Wynands in order to talk about the game’s history, its position in the horse game market and why it takes different approaches to different platforms.

Read More
Recommended: Australia’s Equestrian Games – An Interview with Riding Star creator Andrew Niere

“By the 1990s, games were predominately designed with young male players in mind, featuring macho-adrenaline themes like violence, guns, and military simulations. Having never made a video game before, childhood friends Craig Laughton and Andrew Niere decided to do something different from other Australian studios by developing a horse riding game for girls.”

Read More
“We wanted to build a horse game that people could be passionate about” – The Inspirations, Research and Future Plans behind Star Equestrian

Foxie Ventures’ Founder and Director Dineth Abeynayake and Product Manager Steven Ready took some time before the release to show me a preview of what their newest game would offer, and to answer a few questions about Star Equestrian’s development and its future.

Read More
Korion Interactive – How New Creative Minds bring Fresh Wind into Kids' Horse Games

Gamescom 2022 in Cologne was an exciting event and meeting the team of Korion Interactive was one of my highlights: I turned to find about five people in matching Moorhuhn T-shirts standing behind me basically going “Hi, we’re so excited that we found you, we love The Mane Quest and we’re making horse games now.”

Read More
The Ranch of Rivershine: Demo Announcement, Impressions and Interview with Éloise Laroche on her Strategy for Gamedev Success

I’ve been eagerly following the development of The Ranch of Rivershine ever since solo game creator and TMQ community member Éloïse Laroche first announced she’d be tackling the horse game genre. Today, Éloïse releases a playable Demo for The Ranch of Rivershine on Steam. Let’s dive deeper into how she’s been building the Cozy Bee Games brand and business, and what new challenges she’s facing with her newest project. 

Read More
New Animated Horse Asset: Does Horse Herd by 3D Bear beat Horse Animset Pro in Anatomical Accuracy?

Popular Animated Horse Asset Pack Horse Animset Pro by Malbers Animations has become a bit of a thorn in my side, as someone who always keeps an eye out for new games that include horses. From its initially completely wrong walk animation to its current issues with wobbly bendy forelegs, the suboptimal asset pack is the direct cause for many game horses looking sort of wrong. With the release of Horse Herd by 3D Bear last month, it looks like HAP is getting some much-needed competition in the animated horse asset market.

Read More
5 Crucial Games Industry Tips for Horse Game Creators

This article is an add-on to my recent post about upcoming Indie Horse Games: These tips were compiled while gathering info on upcoming games and noticing a few common areas of improvement. They don’t necessarily only apply to horse games but I do see it in almost every new horse game project launched by new creators without industry experience.

Read More
“This is only the beginning” – Equestrian The Game: Global Release Announcement and Developer Interview

Equestrian the Game was just released in Europe will be out worldwide in May 2022. I thought this was a fantastic opportunity to catch up with Molly Ericson and share some insights with you all about what the work on ETG has been like and what is next in store for the team at Kavalri Games.

Read More
"Astride" Kickstarter Announcement & Developer Interview – A Scandinavian Horse Game with Big Ambitions

Astride is a horse game inspired by Scandinavian environments and horse breeds currently on Kickstarter. I’ve been watching the project with both excitement and a bit of scepticism throughout, so the crowdfunding launch is the perfect opportunity to take a closer look – and to have a chat with Raidho’s Co-Founder and Lead 3D-Artist Mathilde Kvernland.

Read More
“We want to keep Star Stable Online relevant for the next 10 years” — Interviews with Game Director Stacy Place and CEO Johan Sjöberg

It’s been over two years since I talked to former Product Owner Nika Bender about the making of SSO – I’m thrilled to give you all some delicious new insights. This time, I had two absolutely wonderful calls with two of the core people behind developing and managing Star Stable Online: Game Director Stacy Place and CEO Johan Sjöberg.

Read More
Game Announcement and Developer Q&A: The Ranch of Rivershine looks like the horse farm buildup game I’ve been waiting for

Solo game creator and TMQ Community member Éloise Laroche is officially announcing her newest project today: The Ranch of Rivershine is a horse ranch management game headed for a Steam release.

Anyone who follows Éloise’s Twitter or the gamedev channel on our community discord has already seen glimpses of the work in progress, but here is our first official trailer:

Read More
"Most horse games lack visual polish" – Behind the Scenes of Rival Stars Horse Racing with Art Lead Victoria Smith

I’ve been meaning to give you all a look into the creation of Rival Stars Horse Racing ever since I first got in touch with the team for a review key in June 2020. I’m more than happy to finally present you all with some insight – just in time for the game’s much-anticipated Jumping features being released on mobile.

Read More
“You have to achieve a certain level of quality within your resources” – Michael Hengst Talks about the Development of Horse Club Adventures

Lead Designer and Prodcuer Michael Hengst contacted me right after I first announced the relaase of Horse Club Adventures. Now that I’ve played the game myself, I’m thrilled to give all of you some additional insight into how Horse Club Adventures was made, what we already know about its upcoming sequel, and what Michael thinks of the horse game genre in general.

Read More
“It’s like planning a vacation: you dream of the Maldives, but your ticket will only get you to the Netherlands” — Publisher Interview with Katrin Haase

I sat down for a chat with Katrin Haase, has long years of experience making games for children at Markt + Technik. After the many frustrations that this company’s games has let me feel, I finally wanted to know: why do these games get made and how are they produced? And perhaps more importantly: how can they ever become better?

Join me for a fascinating insight into the world of low budget horse game production.

Read More