What the business is
Seattle indie game studio building a top-down action-RPG about running a family restaurant in a magical alternate 1960s Italy.
The bet
That a cooking and action-roguelike game, funded by personal-network angels, can reach a self-published Steam launch in 2026.
Starting capital
$2.15M from 38 angel investors, almost all personally known to the founders
How it started
Rand Fishkin and his wife Geraldine DeRuiter took up gaming as a hobby in the COVID winter. He studied games like software products, and after two years of false starts they formally founded the studio in 2023 with designer Nicolas Kraj, programmer Miriam Cabrera and art director Francesco Mazza.
What happened
Fishkin's analysis of the indie market showed cooking and action roguelike tag combinations beating a statistical average, and 2023's Dave the Diver reinforced his confidence. The studio built The Snackbar at the End of the World in Unity.
How it ended up
On 25 November 2024 Fishkin announced the $2.15M raise, open-sourced the pitch deck and incorporation and funding documents, and said he would not leave SparkToro.
What has to be true
Fishkin's market analysis found that cooking and action roguelike combinations consistently outperformed the average indie game.
The 2023 success of Dave the Diver, which combines those genres, made him more confident in the target market.
Funding from people the founders know follows the SparkToro model and avoids VC money.
What can be applied
A founder with a following can fund a risky creative venture from his own network and keep control, then publish the paperwork so others can copy the model.
Aftermath
As of 25 November 2024, Snackbar Studio had $2.15M, a five-person founding team and a game in development targeting a second-half 2026 Steam release, with Fishkin staying at SparkToro. The market analysis and plans are Fishkin's own.
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