One month of Zyl: revenue, bundles, and a new game announcement
One month after Zyl's release, I look at proceeds, pricing benchmarks, bundle sales, and share a first look at my next premium game, Phantom Words.
Fleon Labs Blog
Studio notes from Fleon Labs on game design, playtesting, releases, and independent game development.
Latest posts
Zyl is out now on iOS
Zyl released on June 18. Two days later, I look back at its App Store feature, early chart position, revenue, and the path to launch.
Learnings from an 8-week App Store feature
A transparent look at downloads, proceeds, and player behavior after an App Store feature. The post turns eight weeks of data into lessons for small indie games.
🐑 Sheeping Around is back + A brand new game
A double update announcing Sheeping Around's return to iOS and the release of Hue Rings. The post points players to both games and what makes each worth revisiting.
GRAVEFIRE: The Story in Chapters
A chapter-by-chapter outline of the GRAVEFIRE storyline, told as an alternating timeline that cuts between the burned present and the world before the grave fire.
Notepad Games
An early look at a side project idea I have been tinkering with: a series of procedurally generated games you can play on a plain paper notepad, complete with a few hand-drawn prototypes.
GRAVEFIRE: Art and Mockups Archive
A visual archive of project-owned GRAVEFIRE images: key art, map, cutscene sketches, dungeon mockups, battle UI, characters, elites, monsters, and card concepts.
GRAVEFIRE: The Opening Scene
A walkthrough of GRAVEFIRE's opening sequence: Crow waking in the forest, meeting the Messenger, the road to the Carnival, and the horrors waiting inside its gates.
Curse of the Cards at Game Access 2022
A short travelogue from taking Curse of the Cards to the Indie Showcase at Game Access 2022 in Brno, with a playable iPad build, last minute fixes, and some conference memories.
GRAVEFIRE: Timeline of Events
The full canonical timeline for GRAVEFIRE, from the ancient ossuary beneath Mt. Bleed to the year the grave fire devours Ekothis.
GRAVEFIRE: Monsters and Remnants
A monster post for GRAVEFIRE's reanimated dead, minions, remnants, card lineup, and creature concept art.
The Monsters of Curse of the Cards
A showcase of the animated monsters from Curse of the Cards, my roguelike card game. Each creature has its own personality and a quirky ability, brought to life with animation by Mehul Sharma.
Curse of the Cards gameplay, beta, and website
A Curse of the Cards update covering early gameplay, monster abilities, TestFlight and Google Play beta invites, and the new website.
Curse of the Cards dungeon map progress
A devlog about procedural dungeon paths, deck selection animation, and map presentation in Curse of the Cards.
GRAVEFIRE: The Messenger and the Eye of the Raven
A post about the Messenger, the Eye of the Raven, the first mission, Ziena's role, Necros, and the endgame turn toward Mt. Bleed.
Curse of the Cards early access alpha notes
A devlog on Curse of the Cards early access, alpha, gameplay, automation, and map-generation progress.
GRAVEFIRE: Regions and Elites
A guide to GRAVEFIRE's regions, elite encounters, and the major haunted places left across Ekothis.
Prototyping Monster Lanes
An early look at Monster Lanes, a deck-based roguelike dungeon crawler with an infinite number of floors where you kill monsters, pick up loot and ascend. The post covers two browser prototypes, their rules, and where to play them.
Sheeping Around is free on the App Store
A short update making Sheeping Around free on the App Store for players who had not tried it yet.
GRAVEFIRE: The Realm of Ekothis
A worldbuilding post for Ekothis, the burned realm at the center of GRAVEFIRE, including Motonia, Zebathen, the wilderness, and No Man's Land.
GRAVEFIRE WIP Concept Art
A visual progress note connecting the early GRAVEFIRE prototype screenshots to the canonical design: map events, isometric dungeons, card battles, and elite encounters.
Moving from Cocos2d-x to Unity for GRAVEFIRE
A production note on making Unity the engine for GRAVEFIRE, so the isometric dungeon crawl, card battles, map events, and multi-platform plan can share one codebase.
[GRAVEFIRE] Morana, the Alchemist
Morana's complete backstory: the alchemist who cured Cycilosis, was condemned for Queen Vaella's death, and survived the Grave Fire inside the palace.
[GRAVEFIRE] Blade, the Rogue
Blade's complete backstory: a thief who defended the poor of the Chasm, survived a trap and the Grave Fire, and found purpose in the ashes.
[GRAVEFIRE] Crow, the Necromancer
Crow's complete backstory: a carnival fortune-teller who foresaw the Grave Fire and walked from the ashes with a scythe and the whispers of the dead.
One Month of Sheeping Around: Thoughts and Numbers
A one-month follow-up on Sheeping Around's launch performance and player response. The post shares numbers, lessons, and thoughts on what comes after release.
[GRAVEFIRE] Skull, the Knight
Skull's backstory: Motonia's greatest warrior, retired from war, reborn from the Grave Fire as a skeletal knight.
Before the Grave Fire
The state of Ekothis before GRAVEFIRE: Motonia, Zebathen, the wilderness, the lighthouse, and the events that made the realm ready to burn.
GRAVEFIRE Gameplay Systems
A detailed breakdown of GRAVEFIRE's event progression, isometric dungeon crawl, card battles, deck-building, rewards, stats, effects, and inspirations.
The Ashes of the Grave Fire
An overview of GRAVEFIRE: a dark deck-building roguelike set in the burned Realm of Ekothis.
Sheeping Around Retrospective: By The Numbers
A detailed postmortem on Sheeping Around's development, launch, and early App Store results. The post pairs production lessons with transparent sales numbers.
Sheeping Around is now available for pre-order
A launch milestone announcing Sheeping Around's App Store pre-order. The post captures the end-of-year push toward release for the strategy card game.
Sheeping Around: A Development Case Study
A case study of how I built Sheeping Around — a solo multiplayer card game — from a printed paper prototype to a live title on iOS and Android, walking through design, art, architecture, and analytics.
Sheeping Around Is Now In Closed Beta On Android
A beta announcement for Sheeping Around on Android and iOS. The post invites early players to sign up and help test the multiplayer card game.
Sheeping Around UI Design For The Gallery
A quick look at Sheeping Around's Gallery UI and character collection presentation. The design frames locked and unlocked characters in a Pokédex-style view.
Character Introduction
An introduction to Sheeping Around's central rivalry between Hazel Woof and Alex Fox. The post sets up the playful sheep-stealing duel at the heart of the game.
Inspired by Card Thief and More
A design diary on how Sheeping Around shifted from turn-based tactics into a tighter card strategy game. The post traces the influence of Card Thief and other ideas.
Sheeping Around: Inception
The origin story of Sheeping Around, from a college game design exercise to a playable card strategy concept. The post explains the idea's earliest shape.
Looking Back At The Future
A New Year reflection that looks back at past resolutions and the shape of future plans. The post mixes personal goals, creative momentum, and a few candid detours.
A Gust Of Wind Is All It Takes
A practical note on making international travel feel less intimidating and more affordable. Fleon shares seven ways to turn a first step into a real trip.
Lil' Birdie
An early game concept for Lil' Birdie, a slingshot platformer about a chubby bird hopping from cloud to cloud. The post walks through the core idea, the story, and the different kinds of clouds.
Singapore: Visit 2: Travelogue
A day-by-day travelogue from a second Singapore visit for Casual Connect Asia and business meetings. The post mixes conference work with food, shopping, and city walks.
Achievement Unlocked: Speak at an Event
A short reflection on speaking at Casual Connect Asia and facing stage fright. The post marks one personal resolution completed and links to the recorded talk.
Showcasing Two Games at Casual Connect Asia
An update on bringing Spellbound and Huerons to the IndiePrize showcase at Casual Connect Asia. The post reflects on progress, collaboration, and renewed momentum.
Project Huerings
A first look at HueRings through early screenshots and UI artwork. The post marks my shift into an artist and UI designer role on the project.
Little Steps To The Horizon
A personal reflection on goals, passion, and the uncertainty of choosing a direction. The post argues for small, steady steps instead of waiting for perfect clarity.
On Working From Home
A candid note on the good and difficult parts of working from home. Fleon reflects on routine, isolation, focus, and the small changes that make remote work healthier.
Rebooting Dabble with Words
A reboot note for Dabble with Words, revisiting an older word game prototype. The post explains why the idea still matters and how the project might return.
Singapore Travelogue: Casual Connect And More
A travelogue from my first international trip to Singapore for Casual Connect Asia. The post covers airport chaos, conference moments, food, and city discoveries.
The Purgatory: Game Concept
An early game design document for The Purgatory, a soul-collecting platformer where a stick figure trapped between life and death must open the Gates of Heaven.