Hey Guardians,
Let’s briefly go back in time… *time machine fires up, screen gets swirly*
Scene: The year is 2020. It’s been three months since the start of the COVID pandemic. At this point, we’re not sure how long it’s going to last. We’re figuring out ways to pass the time – binge-watching Game of Thrones for the fifth time, making our way through our Steam library backlog, and dusting off board games we’d been meaning to play. And even in the uncertainty of it all, we confirmed at least one thing: the magic of game night.
It’s from that revelation that we began exploring this idea of a “TV D&D.” Jackbox meets RPG. Channeling the many elements of tabletop that we love, while making sure it’s approachable for those who aren’t as familiar with TTRPGs.
Fast forward to April 23, 2025, our first game as a studio, Sunderfolk, was finally out in the world. It’s almost unreal (but definitely humbling) that we’re celebrating its first anniversary.
So what did year one of Sunderfolk look like?
- Released three major patches 1.4, 1.5, and 2.0, including One Shot Mode.
- Shipped a mission made by you, the community.
- Delivered a free trial that makes it easier for new Guardians to try the game.
- Our friends at Good Time Society assembled THE adventuring party of all time: Becca Scott, Matt Mercer, Jasmine Bhullar, and Persephone Valentine.
- Traveled to Seattle for PAX West to meet our community irl.
- Added a small, but ferocious, new adventurer to the party, the Vanguard.
- Visited Dice Tower West introducing Sunderfolk in person.
- Fan art. So much fan art. Seriously.
- And Sunderfolk’s first child, Shadowstone, is already taking its first baby steps in open playtest with the Sunderfolk community
During that time, you’ve gotten into your fair share of shenanigans!
Our community has been there from the beginning, from when we first announced all the way to celebrating the reveal of our second game. With each step we take, you’re right there with us, helping us make our games and communities a space of joy, humor, and belonging. You’ve made an indelible mark into Sunderfolk’s foundation and we can’t wait to see how much more it grows.
Concision has never been our strong suit (our narrative string count proves it), so all of this is to say——THANK YOU.
Thank you for joining us on Discord and giving us your feedback (both positive and critical), thoughts, and kudos. Seeing your fan art, touching comments, stories from game nights, and moments that brought you and loved ones together, that’s exactly what Sunderfolk was designed to do, and it fills us with so much warmth to see that this little game of ours has brought as much joy to you as it has to us.
In fact, we loved the world of Sunderfolk so much, we have brought it over into our next project, Shadowstone. Thanks to your insights, we can take all those learnings and lessons as we continue to expand this universe we’ve created. We hope you’re there to grace us with even more wisdom to make this as special as Sunderfolk is.
Thank you for everything, dear adventurers. See you in Arden!
– Secret Door
