ChillyRoom

ChillyRoom is an independent game development studio based in Shenzhen, China, founded in April 2015 by Li Zeyang and Cao Kan. Li, an alumnus of Carnegie Mellon and Stanford University, along with his co-founder, established the company after previous entrepreneurial attempts. The company is known for creating mobile, PC, and console games, with a particular focus on the roguelike genre.

The developer gained significant recognition for its title "Soul Knight," a pixel-art, top-down shooter that achieved 4 million downloads within a week of its launch and has since garnered a global user base. Other notable games in their portfolio include "Otherworld Legends," "We Happy Restaurant," and "Soul Knight Prequel." ChillyRoom's games are typically free-to-play, generating revenue through a combination of in-app purchases for cosmetic items or characters and advertising. Their development philosophy centers on allowing individual developers to prototype their own ideas and then lead small teams to bring the games to release.

ChillyRoom fosters a collaborative environment, holding bi-weekly showcases for teams to present project progress. The company has received multiple accolades, including App Store's Best Chinese Indie Game of 2017 for "Soul Knight." They have also engaged with the broader game development community by co-organizing the Global Game Jam in Shenzhen since 2020. To support its community, ChillyRoom launched a Creator Program for "Soul Knight Prequel," allowing content creators to earn a share of in-game revenue.

Keywords: Indie game developer, mobile games, PC games, roguelike, dungeon crawler, Soul Knight, Otherworld Legends, pixel art, free-to-play, in-app purchases, Li Zeyang, Cao Kan, Shenzhen, action RPG, bullet hell