From Sleepless Nights to AnimeCon

Tiny Brain Studios has had quite a run.

At the beginning of February, we were approached by J-Pop, the organization behind AnimeCon. One of the other developers had dropped out, and after seeing our trailer, they asked if we wanted to bring Trapped Together to the convention.

With full confidence, we said yes.

There was only one small problem. We did not have a demo yet.

Two Months, One Demo, No Sleep

After slowly realizing what we had agreed to, Joe and I sat down and made a plan. We had two months to build one playable level that could show what we believe Trapped Together can become.

So we got to work.

For the next two months, we spent nearly every spare hour building the demo, testing puzzles, preparing the stand, and creating the physical components we wanted to bring with us. It was intense, exhausting, and honestly a little chaotic.

We owe a lot to the family and friends who helped us during those months. Whether it was feedback, support, practical help, or simply keeping us going, it made a real difference.

The Team Behind the Stand

One important thing became clear very quickly. Three full convention days of around fourteen hours each would have completely destroyed Joe and me if we tried to do everything alone.

So we asked for help.

Anouk and Youp, coworkers from our day jobs, came to the rescue. With their help, the Tiny Brain Studios team was ready for AnimeCon.

Our First Time Showing Trapped Together

For the first time ever, we brought Trapped Together out into the world with our own stand at AnimeCon.

Until that moment, the game had mostly existed on our screens, in our heads, and in countless late-night discussions. Seeing it played by real people, strangers, friends, couples, and curious passersby, was something else entirely.

We went in not really knowing what to expect. Would people understand the game? Would they get the cooperation? Would it even work outside of our own controlled environment?

The answer turned out to be chaotic in the best possible way.

Thank You

To everyone who stopped by our stand, whether you played, watched, laughed, struggled, broke the game, or simply came to say hello, thank you.

To everyone we spoke with before, during, or after the event, your support, curiosity, and enthusiasm meant a lot.

And a quick thank you to Anouk and Youp for helping us run the stand. Your support made a bigger difference than you might think.

This weekend helped two developers rediscover, in a very real way, why they started making games in the first place.

We are going to keep building.

Ricky and Joe
Tiny Brain Studios