Maddy Makes Games

Maddy Makes Games was the independent video-game studio established by Canadian developer Maddy Thorson, initially operating under the name Matt Makes Games. The brand grew out of Thorson's teenage and university-era experiments with GameMaker, a development tool that connected her with a wider online community of independent creators. Before the studio became known for commercial releases, Thorson published small, difficult, often pay-what-you-want games including Jumper, FLaiL, and An Untitled Story. These projects helped define an approach centered on precise controls, demanding challenges, and design that encouraged players to improve rather than simply punish failure. The studio identity was introduced in April 2008, when Thorson rebranded her earlier Helix Games work as Matt Makes Games. After graduating from college, she moved to Vancouver and collaborated with developers including Chevy Ray Johnston and Alec Holowka. Some of the group's browser projects were published through Adult Swim Games, but the studio's breakthrough came from TowerFall. The game originated during a local game jam as a single-player archery platformer, then developed into a multiplayer arena game in which players used bows and arrows while navigating a tower. The project was built collaboratively in an informal Vancouver development environment that later became known as the Indie House. Matt Makes Games was incorporated in November 2012, shortly after the team acquired a Vancouver house to support more concentrated collaboration. TowerFall first appeared as an Ouya exclusive in 2013. A substantially expanded edition, TowerFall: Ascension, followed in 2014 for other platforms. It received strong critical attention and established the studio as a prominent independent developer. The game was particularly associated with local multiplayer, accessible rules, and a high skill ceiling. The studio's second major project, Celeste, began with a four-day PICO-8 game jam held by Thorson and Noel Berry in August 2015. Their prototype about climbing a mountain through difficult jumps became the foundation for a larger narrative platformer. Full production began around January 2016, and Celeste launched across multiple platforms in January 2018. Its combination of demanding platforming, forgiving retry systems, pixel-art presentation, and a story about anxiety and self-acceptance earned extensive critical recognition and numerous awards. The game had sold more than 500,000 copies by the end of 2018, according to the supplied reference material. In 2019, the brand was effectively retired and the team was reorganized as Extremely OK Games, commonly abbreviated EXOK. The change was intended to acknowledge the broader creative contribution of the team rather than present its work as the product of one individual. It also accompanied the consolidation of previously distributed developers into offices in Vancouver. TowerFall and Celeste continued to be published under the Maddy Makes Games name, while EXOK began exploratory work on a new project. Maddy Thorson subsequently served as Director of R&D at Extremely OK Games. The Maddy Makes Games brand therefore remains historically important as the label associated with two influential independent games, but it is no longer the active studio identity.

Maddy Makes Games developed from Maddy Thorson's early independent work with GameMaker. Thorson began making small games as a teenager and became involved in online communities of hobbyist developers, including Chevy Ray Johnston. Her early releases included the Jumper series, FLaiL, and An Untitled Story. Many of these games emphasized severe but learnable difficulty, an approach later reflected in her commercial work. The projects were initially associated with Helix Games; in April 2008, Thorson changed the label to Matt Makes Games as her principal creative identity. After studying computer science at Grande Prairie Regional College and working for a period at HermitWorks Entertainment, Thorson chose to pursue independent development rather than join a large studio. She moved to Vancouver and collaborated with Johnston and other developers on browser games, several of which were published through Adult Swim Games. A major turning point came when Thorson and Alec Holowka created a prototype during a game jam. The concept, initially about an archer climbing a tower, evolved into TowerFall, a competitive local multiplayer game built around bow combat, movement, and repeated short matches. Johnston joined the project, and feedback from the developers' growing network of collaborators helped shape its party-game structure. The collaborators established a shared Vancouver house known as the Indie House in 2012, and Matt Makes Games Inc. was incorporated in November of that year. TowerFall was released for Ouya in 2013. The following year's TowerFall: Ascension added content and brought the game to a broader range of platforms. Its critical reception and reported commercial performance made the studio a recognized force in independent games. Celeste began as a much smaller experiment. In August 2015, Thorson and Noel Berry used a four-day PICO-8 game jam to make a prototype about climbing a mountain through demanding jumps. The idea was expanded into a full game beginning in early 2016. Celeste released in January 2018 and combined precision platforming with a narrative about Madeline's physical and emotional struggle to climb the mountain. Its design supported repeated failure and rapid retries, making its difficulty demanding without being inaccessible. The title won numerous awards and had sold over 500,000 copies by the end of 2018 according to the supplied reference. The brand's final major transition came in 2019. Thorson announced that Maddy Makes Games was effectively shutting down and that the team would continue as Extremely OK Games. The reorganization reflected the contributions of the wider team and coincided with the effort to bring internationally distributed developers together in Vancouver. TowerFall and Celeste remained associated with the former label, while the reorganized team began prototyping its next project. Maddy Makes Games is consequently best understood as a concluded studio brand whose principal legacy is its contribution to modern independent platform and multiplayer game design.

• 2019

  The team transitions to Extremely OK Games

  [1]Maddy Thorsonen.wikipedia.org

  Maddy Makes Games was effectively retired as the team adopted a new collective studio identity.

• 2018

  Celeste launches

  [1]Maddy Thorsonen.wikipedia.org

  Celeste released across multiple platforms and received major critical and industry recognition.

• 2015

  Celeste prototype is created

  [1]Maddy Thorsonen.wikipedia.org

  A four-day PICO-8 game jam by Thorson and Noel Berry produced the prototype that became Celeste.

• 2014

  TowerFall: Ascension is released

  [1]Maddy Thorsonen.wikipedia.org

  The expanded edition brought TowerFall to most other major gaming platforms.

• 2013

  TowerFall debuts on Ouya

  [1]Maddy Thorsonen.wikipedia.org

  The studio released its first major commercial title as an Ouya-exclusive game.

• 2012

  Matt Makes Games Inc. is incorporated

  [1]Maddy Thorsonen.wikipedia.org

  The studio incorporated after Thorson and collaborators established a shared Vancouver development house.

• 2008

  Helix Games is rebranded as Matt Makes Games

  [1]Maddy Thorsonen.wikipedia.org

  Thorson changed the name associated with her independent game work to Matt Makes Games, the predecessor of Maddy Makes Games.

Independent, creator-led game development focused on precise controls, expressive pixel-art presentation, challenging but learnable gameplay, and experimentation with small teams.

• Local multiplayer action game · 2013

  TowerFall

  TowerFall is a competitive arena game built around archery, movement, and short local multiplayer matches. Players fire limited arrows, recover ammunition, avoid hazards, and attempt to defeat opponents while navigating compact tower-like stages. It began as a single-player climbing concept before becoming a party-oriented multiplayer game. The original version launched on Ouya in 2013, while TowerFall: Ascension expanded the content and platform availability in 2014.

• Local multiplayer action game · 2014

  TowerFall: Ascension

  TowerFall: Ascension is the expanded edition of TowerFall. It retained the original's emphasis on precise archery and couch multiplayer while adding content and making the game available beyond its initial Ouya home. The release was critically praised and became the studio's commercial breakthrough, helping establish Maddy Makes Games as a significant independent developer.

• Precision platform game · 2018

  Celeste

  Celeste is a narrative precision-platformer about Madeline's attempt to climb a dangerous mountain. Its design combines demanding movement challenges with immediate retries, generous checkpoints, optional collectibles, and a story concerned with anxiety, self-acceptance, and perseverance. The game grew from a PICO-8 prototype and was released across multiple platforms in January 2018. It became the studio's most widely recognized work and received numerous awards.

• 2019

  Retire the Maddy Makes Games identity and form Extremely OK GamesStrategy

  Background

  The team had grown beyond a single creator and was distributed internationally. Thorson said the new identity would better recognize the collective nature of the work and support a consolidated Vancouver-based development operation.

  Action taken

  Maddy Makes Games was effectively shut down as an active studio identity, while TowerFall and Celeste continued to be published under the existing label. The team continued under the name Extremely OK Games.

  Aftermath

  The reorganization made Extremely OK Games the team's active development entity and left Maddy Makes Games as the historical brand associated with its earlier releases.

  Source

1. 1Maddy Thorsonen.wikipedia.org