Glasgow-based indie developer Silviu Soare, the founder of Ludus Pax Studios, has launched a crowdfunding campaign for his upcoming title, Tiny Fishing Villages.
Following the release of three commercial titles built almost entirely single-handedly, Silviu’s new project aims to celebrate the culture, resilience, and history of Scotland’s coastal fishing communities through a cosy, accessible building game.
Honouring Scotland’s Maritime Communities
Scotland’s fishing industry remains one of the country’s most physically demanding and hazardous traditions, yet its impact, culture and heritage are rarely explored in digital media.
Tiny Fishing Villages is designed as a warm, mechanics-driven builder that highlights the daily realities, architecture, and tight-knit community bonds of historic coastal harbours. Building directly on the custom engine and codebase developed for his previous Scottish island title Tiny Terra Spaces, Silviu is expanding the gameplay to focus on land-based coastal settlement management.
In line with the studio’s social-impact ethos, Silviu has also committed to donating a portion of the game’s future proceeds directly to charities supporting working fishing communities.
The Stay-at-Home Dad Building Games After Hours
The campaign offers an inspiring glimpse into the realities of modern independent game development. A 2024 First-Class graduate and double Court Medallist from the University of the West of Scotland (UWS), Silviu operates as a full-time stay-at-home dad, caring for his young daughter and son during the day before coding, designing, and managing his studio in the evenings and across weekends.
Despite working without external publisher investment or public grant backing, Silviu has built an enviable solo track record:
- Rise of the Village Hero (2025): An original RPG developed from a university project into a full commercial Steam release.
- Path to Serenity (2025): A mindful walking experience exploring mental health, reflection, and balance, created in collaboration with the UWS Psychology department and contributing ongoing charitable donations to Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH).
- Tiny Terra Spaces (2026): A sandbox builder celebrating Scottish island heritage and history, which gained international recognition including IGN showcases and an 80 Level ‘Game of the Week’ award.
Why Social-Impact Games Matter
Operating under the studio name Ludus Pax – Latin for peaceful games – Soare’s development philosophy centres on non-violent, culturally grounded titles that focus on community well-being and local identity.
Speaking on the motivation behind the new project, Silviu said:
Funding has been extremely competitive, and creating ‘more-than-games’ – projects with community, wellbeing, or cultural impact – can be difficult to pitch as commercially strong. But this is the work I believe in. I want to make games that help people, celebrate communities, and shine a light on stories that are often overlooked.
This project is close to my heart. Fishing communities in Scotland are incredibly resilient, hardworking, and often overlooked. Many of us enjoy the food they provide without realising the danger, skill, and dedication behind it. My goal is to celebrate these communities through a warm, cosy game that honours their locations, culture, and spirit.
Support the Crowdfunding Campaign
The funds raised from the campaign will go directly towards hiring freelance artists and audio designers to help bring the unique atmosphere of Scotland’s coastal harbours to life, alongside supporting dedicated development time.
The campaign offers tiered reward packages for supporters, ranging from shoreline digital badges through to village founder naming tiers.
- Crowdfunding Hub: Back the project directly and get regular updates on the game’s development via Ludus Pax Studios Crowdfunder.
- Developer Portfolio: Support the studio and explore previous releases on Steam.