Q-Games and Chuhai Labs Team Up to Create New Indie Game Studio

In a new collaboration, Q-Games and Chuhai Labs developers have joined forces to establish a fresh indie game studio based in Kyoto.

The recently formed Denkiworks is the brainchild of co-founders Liam Edwards, Taki Arioka, and Jan de Graaf. Having previously worked on Apple Arcade titles like Pixeljunk Scrappers and Cursed to Golf, which are also available on Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and PC, this experienced team is bringing their expertise to their latest venture.

Jan de Graaf, a programmer and one of the co-founders, reminisced about the team’s past collaboration on Pixeljunk Scrappers, saying, “Our experience working together on Pixeljunk Scrappers was a really special collaboration. We joked back then that one day we’d reunite to make a game again. I don’t think we actually thought it would happen, but here we are.”

While Denkiworks is a young studio, it is steeped in philosophy and set on developing innovative games that embrace a unique “East meets West” perspective. The studio is based in Kyoto, where the three developers first crossed paths while working at their previous companies.

Inspired by this perspective, Denkiworks is currently working on its debut title, code-named Project Tanuki. Although details about the game are scarce, it aims to encompass the beauty of the Japanese countryside and its rural culture.

Liam Edwards, a designer and co-founder of Denkiworks, described the upcoming game in a press release, saying, “We’ve been hard at work on our first title, inspired by our experiences of life in Japan, coming from an expat and native perspective. It’s essentially a love letter to this country and its beautiful culture. We all have an idealized vision of what Japan is, especially its stunning countryside, popularized in art and media over centuries. Project Tanuki will be our take on that!”

If you’re curious to learn more about this up-and-coming indie studio, be sure to check out our detailed profile, which not only covers their debut game, code-named Project Tanuki, but also provides additional information about Denkiworks’ vision and background.

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