Indie dev behind beloved horror-comedy mashup My Friendly Neighborhood says he’s had to release some short games to get by while waiting “for funds to come in”
“I’m hoping that these small games will give me a bit more of a fair fight”
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
It’s a busy week for John Szymanski as he debuts not one but two new games, but as the developer explains in a post on Twitter, this is “not all for fun reasons.”
“These games are to help me make ends meet while I wait for funds to come in from My Friendly Neighborhood,” Szymanski writes. “To be frank, I’m kinda' barely scraping by right now, and things have been getting tighter and tighter every month. I’m hoping that these small games will give me a bit more of a fair fight.”
I released two games today. Unfortunately, this is not all for fun reasons. pic.twitter.com/WNYC3DcZsuJanuary 18, 2024
For those unaware, My Friendly Neighborhood is a comedy scarefest released in 2023 in which you, as a repairman sent to investigate an abandoned broadcast station, must face off against a bunch of TV puppets gone bad. Alongside Five Nights at Freddy’s (mainly for the animatronics) it was compared to the likes of BioShock and Resident Evil, which is no small praise. So it’s no surprise it’s sitting at “overwhelmingly positive"reviews on Steam.
Szymanski didn’t go into detail regarding the financial situation with the game or when it’s likely to be sorted, but in replies, he does say that it’s down to “a very complicated businessy thing” and “not Steam payout stuff”.
Instead, he asks those who enjoy the games he makes to consider purchasingExiledorThe Pony Factory. The former takes its inspiration from intricate puzzle games such as Myst, whilst the latter is a horror FPS that sees you explore a facility full of – you guessed it – twisted and terrifying ponies.
“Winston thought he could use heavy machinery and power from the depths of hell to transform sinful men into magic ponies. Winston was wrong,” The Pony Factory blurb reads. A classic blunder; silly Winston.
“Exiled is my own project, so after Steam and taxes, I take the rest myself,” Szymanski says, “and David [Szymanski, The Pony Factory co-developer,] has graciously agreed to give half of the royalties of The Pony Factory to me as well even though I only am responsible for the backend work for its release.”
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
He ends the tweet by saying: “I truly appreciate the support you’ve given me throughout the last several years, and I hope to continue to produce entertainment worthy of your time!”
As it happens, The Pony Factory is off to an impressive start on Steam, only losing out on the top spot of the New and Trending chart thanks toa cute Zelda-like about a turnip on a crime spree.
Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I’ve freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.
Why Silent Hill 2 Remake’s Toluca Prison is even more terrifying than the original
Silent Hill 2’s Masahiro Ito says he’d “never have come up with the background of Pyramid Head” without one cult classic horror from 1990
10 years later, Dragon Age: The Veilguard’s release marks the return of an RPG series that made a lasting impact on my life
