E3 2021 gave developers and publishers the space to showcase some of the biggest AAA games with the biggest scopes currently in development, for instance 343 Industries' Halo Infinite got an "epic" campaign and multiplayer trailer. However, the reverse is also true, with much smaller games getting the spotlight. One such title was Splashteam's Tinykin, an indie 3D platformer published by tinyBuild that debuted during the PC Gaming Show on Sunday, June 13 with a trailer that introduced its penny-sized protagonist Milo exploring comparatively huge real-world locales.
Tinykin caught the attention of many due to its surface-level similarities with Nintendo's Pikmin franchise. Milo is shown to be accompanied by the titular Tinykin throughout its E3 trailer, with the protagonist able to throw members of his miniscule army at objects and make use of their special abilities; from blowing up walls to stacking into a ladder. This comparison was intended, according to the developers, who said they were inspired to make "our own interpretation of what a game like this would look like, if it had been made by Splashteam." Game Rant spoke with creative directors Romain Claude and Marie Marquet about how Tinykin came to be, and what it was like taking the stage at E3.
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Claude received an Advanced Degree in Game Design and Production Management from Superinfogame between 2006 and 2008, also working internships on projects like Eden Games' Alone in the Dark reboot. After graduating he became a designer at Ubisoft on games like Rabbids Go Home and Rayman Legends until 2012, attempting to "turn personal projects into real ones" on the side. Once he left the French developer, Claude started work on his first independent project Splasher alongside 2D artist and animator Richard Vatinel; whom he met at school in 2006.
Splasher was inspired by a prototype Claude developed to test blood properties as well as the student project "Power of Paint" that earned its creators a spot on Valve's Portal 2, but instead turning the ideas into a 2D linear arcade game. Originally Claude said he and Vatinel were going to use a game engine Claude developed using Microsoft's XNA Framework while at Ubisoft, until his former colleagues turned him onto Unity. Using "not my homemade, clanky thing" allowed the duo to focus more on design and concepts.
A number of prototypes for Splasher can be found on Claude's itch.io page, but the full game officially released on PC in February 2017. He said it "wasn't a big commercial success" despite its positive critical reception; currently hosting a 79 on Metacritic; but it was enough to make a living off of at the time. He said going from big studio projects like Rayman to more personal indies was "very exciting, but also very difficult."
"When you're on your own with a very small team, you have to do so many jobs at once that you need to work your ass off, learn a lot, and accept some sacrifices like having less free time and potentially running out of money... Fortunately, if you survive your first game and if it’s not a complete failure, you can start to see things a bit differently."
After developing his own metroidvania-style shooter/platformer onEye and then Splasher, Vatinel moved away from game development to focus on drawing and teaching, according to Claude. It "took a little while to get my motivation back" after Splasher's release, and Claude hoped to "explore new horizons" rather than develop a sequel. After scrapping a project that was "too ambitious" in 2018, he created Bubble Town in two days as part of the Global Game Jam 2019.
Based on the game jam's theme, "What home means to you," Claude and Marquet said Bubble Town centered around a kid living in a bright, warm bubble who had to venture into a procedurally generated "dark and creepy" forest to bring other children back to the safe home-bubble without dying. The small team working on Bubble Town became interested in the feeling of exploration with a tiny group of followers, and decided "we should try to make a real game out of it." During the interim between then and E3 it was known as "Sbirz," but now fans know the project to be Tinykin.
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The Splashteam directors collectively said the only common thread between Splasher and Tinykin is that Claude serves as a director. The latter project has a "much larger team" than Splasher's two people, it is a 3D platformer rather than a 2D arcade game, and tinyBuild became involved with the production process almost immediately. By comparison, Splasher's publisher Dear Villagers only signed on at the end.
Publisher tinyBuild, including its co-founder Tom Brien, jumped on during pre-production with "precious advice," and helps regularly review content to provide feedback "every week," according to the Splashteam directors. Having that help also encouraged the team to seek out 2D animators to create part of its announcement trailer, as it hoped to emphasize the "90s TV cartoon vibe" of the game. Splashteam worked with Andrea Asperges and Federico Bressan on the animation, and while the directors said the results were all they wanted for the first reveal, it is "just the beginning."
"Tinykin’s first trailer got a very good reception, we’ve read a lot of encouraging feedback on social media, so we are more determined than ever to make the best game possible. The production will keep going and more gameplay will be shown in the next months until release next year."
Splashteam said if it was alone, it probably would not have been at E3, or it would have been at something smaller than the PC Gaming Show, "certainly not with a trailer that good." The team was happy both to appear alongside "the blockbusters," such as Ubisoft's own Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, and to discover what other big games are on the way as players. It hopes Tinykin will be a big hit, and the directors even express interest in potentially creating a franchise with the "rich universe" it is developing to say more about Milo, the Tinykin, and "Earth's biggest mystery." In the meantime, Splashteam asks fans to stay tuned, and to wishlist the game on Steam to show support.
Tinykin is scheduled to release on PC in 2022, with additional platforms to be confirmed.