We’ve shared a lot on our social media about the art, characters, environments, basically the entire creative process behind Tidespawn. But this article is something else entirely.

This isn’t just about what we’ve made. It’s about why we made it, and how we got here. The challenges, the journey, and the story of how we became a studio building our debut game, Tidespawn. We’re also sharing this now as part of our effort to be more open with all of you, especially as we’ve pre-launched our Kickstarter page.

Fair warning: this is going to be a long read. If you’re short on time, here’s what to remember:

• We’ve pre-launched our Kickstarter! Follow us, so you’ll get notified when it goes live.
• We’re hard at work on the very first Tidespawn trailer, and it’s coming very soon.
• We’re also developing our demo, which is planned to release later this year (hint: not during the Christmas season!)

Alright, let’s dive in!

So… What pushed us to start?

Our studio, Long Lost, officially started in August 2025. At the time, it was really just the two of us, Richard and me, Edlynne. Honestly, more like a couple trying to figure things out as we go.

But the truth is, wanting to pursue game development didn’t really start in 2025. It goes way further back than that.

Richard has loved games for as long as he can remember. He started playing when he was around five, classics like Zelda and Super Mario Bros. And pretty quickly, it became more than just playing. He got really into more games and started wondering how they were even made. That curiosity stuck with him.

He began learning basic programming, just experimenting at first, then slowly getting deeper into it over the years. He made small games here and there, all just for fun. But those small projects started to grow. One language led to another, one project to the next, and somehow, it turned into his career.

Now, he works full-time as a software engineer, while also putting in a ton of time into Tidespawn.

How far have we come already?

I’d say Long Lost is still a baby company. We’re not even a year old, but somehow we’ve already built something we never imagined. We’ve grown our socials to around 16k followers combined, set up our own HQ, connected with local partners, and even received grants to support our prototype and demo.

I think we really found our direction when we started looking for local funding opportunities. Applying for grants required us to be a registered business, and that’s what pushed us to officially establish Long Lost.

Since then, we’ve applied to more grants than we can count. That is also how we’ve learned how to handle rejection and keep going anyway.

Right now, we’re proud to have four local partners who trust what we’re building: Sørnorsk Filmsenter, Listerfondet, Zefyr, and our home municipality, Kvinesdal Kommune – which also helped us secure a space for our HQ. Because of it, we’ve been able to bring two artists and a composer onto the team, and take a real step toward fully bringing our game to life.

We’ve also worked closely with some of our grantors, who’ve given us valuable guidance on how to actually run a business. And we realized this isn’t just about the creative and programming side. There’s also constant marketing, documentation, planning, and accounting – areas we’re learning more and more about every day. I can firmly argue that we’ve grown into a team capable of managing and sustaining a project from concept to release.

It also goes to show we’re truly serious about this journey.

How do we plan to fund the full production of Tidespawn?

Even with the support of local grantors, funding the full production of the game is still a major challenge and wouldn’t get us closer to our goal of sustaining Tidespawn. This is especially true since we’re building an interconnected world with a strong focus on story and a heavy amount of handcrafted art.

That means every part of the game takes time – lots of it. From environments and characters to narrative details and worldbuilding, there’s a huge amount of work still ahead of us.

We’ve been working hard to explore different funding options to make this game possible.

We’ve (regrettably) considered bringing in an investor, but that’s something we’d rather avoid unless absolutely necessary… like, end-of-the-world, no-coffee-left-in-the-office kind of necessary. As much as possible, we want to maintain creative control over the vision we have for Tidespawn. This project means a lot to us, and we believe it will reach its best version if we’re able to continue shaping it ourselves.

We’re also planning to apply for the largest grants available to us in Norway – Innovation Norway and the Norwegian Film Institute (NFI). We’ve applied before, but at that time, we weren’t fully ready to compete with the incredible projects out there. That’s also why we’re now putting so much focus into building a strong trailer and demo, so we can present Tidespawn in the best possible light!

On paper, this sounds like a perfect plan forward, but there’s a catch too.

These public grants in Norway typically only cover up to 50% of a project’s full production budget. That means we would need to secure the remaining 50% ourselves through our own – can be through a bank loan or private funding, and not from another grant.

And to be completely honest, that’s the difficult part. Outside of Long Lost, we still have everyday bills to pay… and even a dog to sustain, just to say.

And so the question is simple: do you want to see Tidespawn fully realized, at the scale and quality we know it can reach?

If your answer is yes, then we’ll be endlessly grateful!

By the time we go live on Kickstarter, you’ll have the chance to help us cover at least 50% of the development costs, while we work to secure the remaining through the grants we’re applying for. This balance allows us to move forward in a sustainable way without compromising the vision and quality of the game. It also allows us to be fully transparent about how the project is being funded and developed, since part of it is tied to institutional grants, which come with their own requirements, expectations, and responsibility on our end to justify that support. At the same time, it keeps us accountable to you, so you can follow the process openly as both community supporters and part of the journey itself!

What is up now?

Our next big goal is the demo. We’re working hard to get it into your hands so you can finally experience the world we’ve been building, and to show that Tidespawn is more than ready for crowd funding. Hopefully, this will also bring more people into our Kickstarter. If you haven’t followed yet, now’s a really good time 👀

We’re also getting close to finishing our trailer. Like, really close! We’re not giving exact dates, but we can promise you this: we’re putting everything we have into making it as high-quality and impactful as possible. It’s the first real chance to show the tone, the world, and the feeling of Tidespawn in motion. So we’re taking our time to make sure it represents the game the way we’ve always envisioned it.

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Now that you’ve seen a more personal, and at times challenging side of how this game is being made, we hope you’ll continue sticking with us as we move forward. Game development isn’t always smooth or predictable, but it’s something we’re deeply committed to, even on the hard days.

If you’ve made it all the way here, genuinely - thank you. It means a lot that you’ve taken the time to read through our journey of running a studio and building Tidespawn. It’s not just our story anymore; it’s something we’re building together.

The admin, marketing, finance "team" of Long Lost,

- Edlynne :)