Creative direction
Every visual, mechanic, and story beat is built to reinforce the identity of the world.
Independent worlds. Forged with intent.
We build worlds worth surviving.
Cryptid Forge Studios is the independent team behind Shadows of Beginnings, a dark-fantasy action RPG where a ruined civilization must become the light—or be swallowed by the void.
Demo arrives October 19, 2026The studio
A small team taking on a world-sized challenge.
Cryptid Forge Studios is an independent development studio built around ambitious worldbuilding, deliberate systems, constant testing, and direct collaboration across disciplines.
We are creating the kind of dark, atmospheric games we want to play: experiences with meaningful progression, dangerous worlds, and reasons for players to invest in what they rebuild.
Player-first iteration
Testing, balance, feedback, and clear reporting are part of development—not an afterthought.
Hands-on production
Our team works across design, engineering, art, animation, systems, and studio operations.
Our flagship title
The darkness is spreading. Novum must endure.
Sixty years after the Great Eclipse fractured reality, humanity clings to survival beneath the protection of the Aegis Hearth. Fight through a corrupted world, gather what remains, and restore Novum one structure at a time.
Explore Shadows of Beginnings on Steam ↗Official demo announcement
See the forge in motion.
All footage shown in the trailer is captured in-game or in-engine from a work in development.
Choose your beginning
Two classes. Two ways to endure.
The Steam Next Fest demo introduces the Warrior and Mage, each with a distinct combat identity, resource profile, and four-skill kit.
Frontline • Control • Durability
Warrior
A battle-worn melee fighter who absorbs punishment, breaks enemy formations, and controls close-range combat through force.
Elements • Range • Control
Mage
A versatile caster who commands fire, lightning, ice, and arcane power to shape the battlefield and punish clustered enemies.
Captured in-engine
Development, visible.
Current screenshots show Novum, the Verdant Rot Swamp, the evolving HUD, early quest work, and both playable demo classes. Visuals remain in active development.
The Verdant Rot
Ancient evils await.
Beyond Novum, a parasitic root-network twists the swamp into a living ecosystem of Bramblekin, corrupted beasts, and sovereign horrors.
“The forest does not hunt alone. It remembers through every root.”
Progression with purpose
Restore. Upgrade. Endure.
Resources gathered in hostile zones support both character progression and the restoration of Novum. Weapons advance through four demo tiers before branching into elemental paths.
How we work
Built on alignment, evidence, and iteration.
Our remote operating rhythm is designed to protect focused creation while keeping every discipline connected to the current playable build.
Align & unblock
Work begins with owned priorities, current build context, source alignment, and blockers stated clearly enough to resolve.
Protect deep work
Dedicated focus windows give engineering, art, design, animation, and integration the uninterrupted time they require.
Build, play & triage
Playable builds are reviewed as a team. Feedback becomes creative requests, reproducible bug reports, or explicit scope decisions.
Prove & hand off
Work closes with build evidence, documentation, ownership updates, QA status, and a clear next proof point.
Playable before pretty • One source per truth • Evidence closes work • No silent scope growth • Marketing follows proof
From the development floor
The road to the demo.
We are documenting the systems, breakthroughs, and honest production work behind the first public build.
Steam branches are live
A packaged build is now distributed through dedicated developer-debug and public beta-testing branches.
The world becomes harvestable
Procedural volumes now place trees, rocks, shrubs, resource nodes, and environmental foliage throughout the levels.
Progress survives the journey
Quest, potion, rank, transition, and persistent-state systems are moving together toward a complete playable loop.
Meet the team
The people behind the forge.
A multidisciplinary remote team combining studio leadership, game engineering, systems architecture, creative direction, QA, and technical production.
Grand / Jagger Blackburn
Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer
Creative Design Director • Head of Balance & QAA self-taught multidisciplinary creator who moved from analyzing and explaining games into building one. Grand leads studio operations, scope, documentation, recruiting, creative direction, level design, marketing, testing strategy, and final experience decisions.
Known for bringing direction to chaos.
Jacob “Squatch” Blackburn
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Co-Captain • Gameplay EngineerA Full Sail Game Development graduate working deep in C++ across core systems, combat, AI behavior, animation, SFX, VFX, and modeling. If it moves, makes a sound, or explodes on screen, Jacob probably helped make it happen.
Single father, outdoorsman, animal lover, and lifelong music fan.
George Carter
Gameplay Programmer & Systems Architect
Founding Member • Team NebulaGeorge brings more than 16 years of engineering and leadership experience plus a Full Sail Game Development degree. His work spans the Mage, skill trees, upgrades, HUD and UI/UX, gameplay mechanics, AI, and procedural generation.
Family-first builder who enjoys paddle boarding, the outdoors, live music, and game design.
Kazper Kreative
Technical QA Lead & Systems Engineer
Kazper’s Echo • Unreal & C++A Full Sail Game Development graduate focused on Unreal Engine, UI architecture, optimized workflows, efficient C++, and the technical details that make direct-control combat feel responsive and dependable.
Agency owner, tactical-game analyst, husband, and cat person.Press & creators
Tell the story with the right materials.
Official logos, key art, screenshots, trailer links, studio facts, and contact information will be available through a downloadable press kit.
Played the demo?
Two minutes can shape the next build.
Tell us where you played, how far you reached, what felt strongest, and what the team should improve first. Most questions are a single choice.
Take the Demo Survey02 minutes14 quick choices01 short improvementNo tester account required.
Need deeper testing tools?
Active testing & player feedback
Keep every test session connected.
The Playtester Hub is the working center for Shadows of Beginnings testing. Review the current testing process, document what happened in a build, and send the team information it can act on.
Testing guidelinesPC specification sheetBug reportingDemo & general feedbackBuild status & known issues
Open Playtester HubWant to join the testing pool or work with the studio?
Help shape what comes next
There is a place for you in the forge.
Apply to test the game, create content, explore a development partnership, or join the team.
Open application center