Multi-Million Investment for Horror Game: "Things are really moving for us now"

The team behind Housefire Games met while studying game development at Yrgo in Gothenburg. After a game jam where they created a short game called Rooted in Darkness, they knew they had something special. The feedback they received, both on-site and online, was overwhelmingly positive and sparked a new idea.

"We saw the potential and decided to go all in. When you get a good feeling and the idea clicks, you just have to go for it," says Sandén.

And they did. During their studies, the three founders devoted their long-term project, thesis work, and internship to developing their game and establishing their studio.

After an intense period of development, they submitted their project to the Swedish Game Awards, a competition for students and indie developers. The game received nominations in three categories and ended up winning two of them: Best Audio and the prestigious Game of the Year.

"Having industry professionals judge and recognize our game with awards was incredible. At first, it felt like just a fun side project, but winning those awards made us realize this was something bigger than just luck — it was something we needed to take seriously."

The project continued into the internship phase, and the team grew to five members. They were mentored by Kristina Björkman, a business coach at Science Park Skövde, who guided them early on in how to approach investors and publishers.

During the Sweden Game Conference in Skövde in the fall of 2024, where they both pitched and exhibited their game, they made key connections — one of them being Semih Parlayan, co-founder of Redbeet Interactive, the studio behind Raft.

"We’re huge fans of Raft and had played it long before. Meeting Semih was inspiring, and hearing that he liked our concept really motivated us," says Sandén.

What started as a casual conversation at the conference quickly evolved. After several meetings, Semih and the Housefire Games team agreed on an investment of around three million SEK — a game-changer for the young studio.

"It was an incredible feeling and a huge relief. Up until then, we had self-funded everything without any external capital. Even though it was tough, we never doubted the project. We always believed in ourselves and in the strength of our idea."

Housefire Games' upcoming title, Eclipsium, isn't your typical horror game. It builds an intense, oppressive atmosphere where sound design and environments are central. The world is designed to feel alive, and players must uncover what has happened — and why they’re there.

"We're now working full-speed on the game, and thanks to the investment, we can fully focus on development. We have a whole new momentum now, and our goal is to deliver the best game we possibly can," says Sandén.

He adds:

"There’s only one way to go from here — and that’s forward. Time to turn it up to 11!"