Dazed Games Secures Project Investment and Sets Sights on 2026 Launch

In 2017, Carl-Vilhelm Johansson and Melvin Olsson began studying programming at LBS Kreativa Gymnasium in Gothenburg. When the University of Skövde later visited their school, their interest in continuing their studies was sparked, and the friends chose to enroll together in the Game Development and Programming program.

During their studies, they created a game prototype called Out of Hand: Deluxe. In 2023, they applied to Sweden Game Startup to take the project further.

Out of Hand was soon released as a free game on Steam, and in 2024 they founded Dazed Games. After further development, a paid version of the game launched in summer 2025.

“We released the game in the summer, but sales were very low. One of the reasons was that we weren’t good at marketing. We updated the game, but quickly realized it wasn’t worth continuing development. So in August last year, we started working on a new game instead, which we call How to Fish,” says Melvin Olsson, Co-Founder of Dazed Games.

Learning from their first launch, they approached marketing differently this time. Early on, they began publishing weekly videos on social media showcasing new features in the game. Before long, a dedicated community started forming around How to Fish. With several million views on TikTok and Instagram and a Discord server with 1,300 members, they pitched the game at Sweden Game Conference in October 2025 in hopes of finding investors.

The following week, they reached out to potential investors. About a month later, while attending the Games Ground trade fair in Berlin, things truly gained momentum. The established game studio Landfall got in touch.

“Landfall has been a huge inspiration to us, and we felt it would be incredible to have them on board. We connected with them through Science Park Skövde, and just a week after the Berlin event, we had signed an agreement for a project investment to complete How to Fish,” says Melvin Olsson.

Landfall is an established Stockholm-based game studio with roots in Skövde’s game development community. They saw strong potential in Dazed Games’ new concept and have made a project-based investment to enable the release of How to Fish in 2026. The investment applies solely to the game and does not include any ownership stake in Dazed Games.

“How to Fish is silly, chaotic, and incredibly fun to watch. It feels like a Landfall-type game, and the developers are deeply passionate about their work. We simply had to help them bring it to life,” says Kirsten-Lee Naidoo, Head of Publishing at Landfall.

Based in Gothenburg, Dazed Games is still part of the startup program at Science Park Skövde but hopes to soon stand fully on its own.

“We’re incredibly grateful for all the support and connections we’ve received through the startup program. Without Sweden Game Startup, we wouldn’t have come this far. The game development community in Skövde is an amazing support system for anyone who wants to create games. We’re just two programmers, and as newcomers to the industry, we receive a lot of support from professionals in other disciplines within game development,” says Carl-Vilhelm Johansson, Co-Founder of Dazed Games.

He continues:

“We knew how to make a game, but we had no idea how to start a company or make money from it. The incubator, the coaches, and the community have taught us that. Without Science Park Skövde, we also wouldn’t have connected with companies like Landfall. The startup program is an incredible opportunity for new game creators.”

The adventure game How to Fish is planned for release on Steam for PC in summer 2026. It is a multiplayer game for one to four players, where participants travel together by boat and crash onto a small island. To progress, they must fish — using everything from traditional fishing rods to more unexpected tools. The catch can be sold to earn money, which can then be invested in better equipment. Over time, players can defeat so-called “boss fish” and unlock new islands. The ultimate goal is to eventually find their way home.