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It would be fair to say you probably don’t know who I am🤔In the spirit Jordan speaks of, and that of the yap zeitgeist, so begins my yap:
I’m Mike from Australia ✌️ I design and make experiences in games and fiction. I’m a writer, I’m a game dev / programmer and a musician die game developer and writer I started my studio TKFY (The Kids From Yesterday) 2 and a bit years ago at the end of 2023. It’s purposefully a creative studio that makes both games and fiction.
I had runway for about 6-9 months.
I’d never worked in games before.
📆In late 2023 / 2024,
- First paid work in game dev
- First grant submission rejected for a game I called ‘LOVE X LOVE’.
- Showcased at an event for the first time with Dolven at TGX with our comrades at Covyne.
- Received my first successful grant to attend an industry event in Australia called GCAP thanks to Screen NSW.
- Began writing ‘Bitterwind’ our pirate adventure series.
- Started talking to people about making a physical games magazine.
- Showcased at PAX24 for the first time with Dolven!
📆Last year in 2025,
- Invited for the first time to a private industry panel engaging with Screen to discuss strategy and provide feedback.
- Did my first narrative design and writing work for games.
- Formed a partnership with Covyne to finish development of Dolven.
- Started 'LOVE ADVICE OUTTA TIME' on X, building the fiction of our in game radio show in public.
- Began recording and producing the audio production of Bitterwind (we've banked 5 episode but not yet released it!).
- Secured grant funding! We applied and were successful in getting seed funding of our next game LOVE X LOVE.
- Composed my first music for a video game.
- Shipped Dolven, our first full game with our partners Covyne.
- We shipped our games and fiction magazine! Technically the zero issue of ‘Adventure Calls’.
- Started shipping Bitterwind our short-story series, on Royal Road. Tale 10 ships soon!
📆In 2026,
- Completed our first public playtests of LOVE X LOVE at expos here in Australia.
- First ever podcast appearance talking TKFY and LXL on PBS GameJams with Matt Schenkel.
- Developed a major hardware partner relationship.
- First ever expo panel / interview at Supanova talking LOVE X LOVE and game development.
- Working on some cool games in the background 🤫
- The year continues with us shipping the audio production of Bitterwind (finally!) and the second issue of Adventure Calls magazine.
On the way I've met and been enriched by so many friends and makers in so many places that I had never expected. Man, I couldn't even list them all but you know who you are.
And so that 6 months of runway has turned into almost 3 years into the now and I'm as fired up as ever.
"I can't promise it'll be easy, but it'll be worth it."
Has it been easy? No way. But the choice to keep going for me has always been simple.
I f&@king love video games and fiction.
My goal when I started this journey was to live on purpose and spend my time here authentically making what I love with people I love, and do that forever. Too many people spend their time lying and justifying the lie that is their existence. It's not a criticism, just an observation. I couldn't do that any more. When we have a beer oneway, I'll tell you why.
The one question that has driven me since that moment: What if?
Have you done the math on your life? (see @waitbutwhy article) I have. If I’m healthy + lucky I get maybe 10-15 projects done before I leave this little rock in space. No one gets out of here alive, so they say.
The Kids From Yesterday is one of those projects.
If I build it and do it well it will allow me to magnify any impact I might have by enabling makers who are far better than me to make work that they and our players, readers and customers love. While I hope to create work myself that people love, the greatest things this adventure produces might not be made by me and that is as it should be. And to that end: a sustainable studio that has a clear vision for why it exists.
Games and fiction have given me so much and that’s why my dream is to one day make your new favourite thing. And, with TKFY, our mission is to do that forever.
If that resonates with you today, or when you read this, I will forever be looking for you: the people who don’t just want to be in the band, but know what it takes to make something great. Hit me up anytime from whatever place you are coming from (contribute and make, invest, support etc). I’m looking for makers in any medium of any size to build with. Indie devs, illustrators and mangaka, animators, sound wizards, musicians, writers... People who want to make experiences for people across games and fiction. What if?
If you want to support me, us, the journey and TKFY, follow, engage with us and checkout what we’ve made for you. We hope you love it.
(I’ll post links below for the curious and I'll eventually do posts about the things we're making)
Be excellent to each other,
—Mike✌️
#tkfy #indiedev #indiewriter #Founders
I’m Mike from Australia ✌️ I design and make experiences in games and fiction. I’m a writer, I’m a game dev / programmer and a musician die game developer and writer I started my studio TKFY (The Kids From Yesterday) 2 and a bit years ago at the end of 2023. It’s purposefully a creative studio that makes both games and fiction.
I had runway for about 6-9 months.
I’d never worked in games before.
📆In late 2023 / 2024,
- First paid work in game dev
- First grant submission rejected for a game I called ‘LOVE X LOVE’.
- Showcased at an event for the first time with Dolven at TGX with our comrades at Covyne.
- Received my first successful grant to attend an industry event in Australia called GCAP thanks to Screen NSW.
- Began writing ‘Bitterwind’ our pirate adventure series.
- Started talking to people about making a physical games magazine.
- Showcased at PAX24 for the first time with Dolven!
📆Last year in 2025,
- Invited for the first time to a private industry panel engaging with Screen to discuss strategy and provide feedback.
- Did my first narrative design and writing work for games.
- Formed a partnership with Covyne to finish development of Dolven.
- Started 'LOVE ADVICE OUTTA TIME' on X, building the fiction of our in game radio show in public.
- Began recording and producing the audio production of Bitterwind (we've banked 5 episode but not yet released it!).
- Secured grant funding! We applied and were successful in getting seed funding of our next game LOVE X LOVE.
- Composed my first music for a video game.
- Shipped Dolven, our first full game with our partners Covyne.
- We shipped our games and fiction magazine! Technically the zero issue of ‘Adventure Calls’.
- Started shipping Bitterwind our short-story series, on Royal Road. Tale 10 ships soon!
📆In 2026,
- Completed our first public playtests of LOVE X LOVE at expos here in Australia.
- First ever podcast appearance talking TKFY and LXL on PBS GameJams with Matt Schenkel.
- Developed a major hardware partner relationship.
- First ever expo panel / interview at Supanova talking LOVE X LOVE and game development.
- Working on some cool games in the background 🤫
- The year continues with us shipping the audio production of Bitterwind (finally!) and the second issue of Adventure Calls magazine.
On the way I've met and been enriched by so many friends and makers in so many places that I had never expected. Man, I couldn't even list them all but you know who you are.
And so that 6 months of runway has turned into almost 3 years into the now and I'm as fired up as ever.
"I can't promise it'll be easy, but it'll be worth it."
Has it been easy? No way. But the choice to keep going for me has always been simple.
I f&@king love video games and fiction.
My goal when I started this journey was to live on purpose and spend my time here authentically making what I love with people I love, and do that forever. Too many people spend their time lying and justifying the lie that is their existence. It's not a criticism, just an observation. I couldn't do that any more. When we have a beer oneway, I'll tell you why.
The one question that has driven me since that moment: What if?
Have you done the math on your life? (see @waitbutwhy article) I have. If I’m healthy + lucky I get maybe 10-15 projects done before I leave this little rock in space. No one gets out of here alive, so they say.
The Kids From Yesterday is one of those projects.
If I build it and do it well it will allow me to magnify any impact I might have by enabling makers who are far better than me to make work that they and our players, readers and customers love. While I hope to create work myself that people love, the greatest things this adventure produces might not be made by me and that is as it should be. And to that end: a sustainable studio that has a clear vision for why it exists.
Games and fiction have given me so much and that’s why my dream is to one day make your new favourite thing. And, with TKFY, our mission is to do that forever.
If that resonates with you today, or when you read this, I will forever be looking for you: the people who don’t just want to be in the band, but know what it takes to make something great. Hit me up anytime from whatever place you are coming from (contribute and make, invest, support etc). I’m looking for makers in any medium of any size to build with. Indie devs, illustrators and mangaka, animators, sound wizards, musicians, writers... People who want to make experiences for people across games and fiction. What if?
If you want to support me, us, the journey and TKFY, follow, engage with us and checkout what we’ve made for you. We hope you love it.
(I’ll post links below for the curious and I'll eventually do posts about the things we're making)
Be excellent to each other,
—Mike✌️
#tkfy #indiedev #indiewriter #Founders
This is good advice, and something I struggle to internalize:
➡️"No one knows about your book/game"
I always feel like I'm bombarding my feed with posts about my latest release, to the point that my followers must be sick of hearing about it...
Yet time and again, real life reminds me that very few people--even those who follow me or are fans of my games--have heard about my new graphic novel. (Or the one before that)
I suspect I'm like many indie developers and authors, in that I feel much more in my comfort zone making stuff than trying to sell and promote it. @kappische's advice is spot on. I will continue to try to persuade myself to take it.
In that spirit, here's what I've been up to lately: jordanmechner.com
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MIKE ROBERTS retweeted
An all new calamity continues to haunt the Shikishima family! Godzilla Minus Zero is stomping into Australian cinemas 5 November, and to celebrate, we are giving away FIVE double passes to see the film in cinemas!
All you have to do to enter:
🏢 Share this post
📝 Comment power + Tag a Friend
#GodzillaMinusZero
All you have to do to enter:
🏢 Share this post
📝 Comment power + Tag a Friend
#GodzillaMinusZero
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Ayyyyyyy thanks for covering LOVE X LOVE, Legends! Appreciate you @scree06 and @Qualbert1 !
Still feeling the post-PAX blues? Here's ten upcoming indie games hand-picked by @scree06 to look forward to!
Brew potions, restore retro games, and maybe even find love in this unique set of indies to add to your wishlist. 👇
qualbert.com/top-10-indie-g…
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Support our indie game by wishlisting here:
store.steampowered.com/app/3810900/LO…
store.steampowered.com/app/3810900/LO…
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MIKE ROBERTS retweeted
Any tech companies want to help us fill it and complete our first build?
We aren't a "big fish" but we are just a couple that loves to stream and play games ans create content.
instagram.com/reel/Del13m7gl…
We aren't a "big fish" but we are just a couple that loves to stream and play games ans create content.
instagram.com/reel/Del13m7gl…
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MIKE ROBERTS retweeted
Physical media is resurgent! Get your copy of our indie game + fiction magazine, Adventure Calls at the link below and absolutely pick up a copy of the most excellent Continue magazine. ✌️ #loveindies
🥹
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MIKE ROBERTS retweeted
Couldn't make it to @PAXAus over the weekend to check out all the incredible indies on display?
Then @scree06 has you covered! With a comprehensive resource of every single PAX AUS 2026 indie game demo you can play from the comfort of your own PC: qualbert.com/pax-aus-indie-…
Then @scree06 has you covered! With a comprehensive resource of every single PAX AUS 2026 indie game demo you can play from the comfort of your own PC: qualbert.com/pax-aus-indie-…
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It’s so true! And, if you’re in Sydney tonight the adventure continues thanks to @WaypointEvents and Constellations at the Sydney Opera House. I hear there’s some great merch and even some of that ‘physical media’ getting around… Wink. Adventure? Wink. Continue? 😘
PAX Aus 2026 you were beautiful! We were blown away by the response to showing LOVE X LOVE for the first time and the feedback our players gave. Wait until to you see what’s coming next!
Wishlist now and follow @lovexloveshow
Thank you also to @AustraliaMSI and @ScreenNSW - not have happened!
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MIKE ROBERTS retweeted
Love indie games with interesting mechanics! Here are some picks 😁🎮.
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MIKE ROBERTS retweeted
Hey, I’m Mike 👋 I’m an indie game developer and writer from the Central Coast. My next game LOVE X LOVE is showing at PAX for the first time this weekend!
#paxaus #loveindies #indiedev
#paxaus #loveindies #indiedev
Our next video game is called LOVE X LOVE and I've been writing the story and the fictional radio show for the game here on X. If you dig video games, anime, lofi and love: follow along.
The radio show is called Love Advice Outta Time, hosted by DJs Mr Love and DLove. The show ce from X with lofi hiphop and ambient electronic music. Mixed in is the creative soup is the games evolving score / soundtrack and story. The dialogue from the show will become the script for that aspect of the game.
The game is a first person atmospheric narrative puzzle mystery that unfolds over many nights. We call it an 'Urban slice-of-life RPG' where you play a gig-economy driver searching for love in a city that is forever in night. For game updates, follow us here on X and join our DJs from 9pm somewhere @lovexloveshow ✌️
Lovers, we can't wait to meet you.
—Mike, Creative Director & Writer
#lovexlove #loveadviceouttatime #tkfy #urbanrpg #rpg
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I grew up playing Sega and Nintendo games. It's wild to be showing @tkfyco 's next video game LOVE X LOVE right next door to them!
It also marks 3 years since I started this journey to build an indie studio that makes games and fiction starting over from zero.
Thank you to part of the journey. Thank you to all of the Kids From Yesterday and our collaborators (Richard, Greg, Julian, Tahnee, Dylan) and our many friends and supporters.
One day, we'll make your new favourite thing ✌️
#indiedev #loveindies
It also marks 3 years since I started this journey to build an indie studio that makes games and fiction starting over from zero.
Thank you to part of the journey. Thank you to all of the Kids From Yesterday and our collaborators (Richard, Greg, Julian, Tahnee, Dylan) and our many friends and supporters.
One day, we'll make your new favourite thing ✌️
#indiedev #loveindies
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MIKE ROBERTS retweeted
Always so nice bumping into people you know and meeting lots of new faces.
Great chatting as always @wordofmichael 🙌
Great chatting as always @wordofmichael 🙌
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Hey, I’m Mike 👋 I’m an indie game developer and writer from the Central Coast. My next game LOVE X LOVE is showing at PAX for the first time this weekend!
#paxaus #loveindies #indiedev
#paxaus #loveindies #indiedev
Our next video game is called LOVE X LOVE and I've been writing the story and the fictional radio show for the game here on X. If you dig video games, anime, lofi and love: follow along.
The radio show is called Love Advice Outta Time, hosted by DJs Mr Love and DLove. The show ce from X with lofi hiphop and ambient electronic music. Mixed in is the creative soup is the games evolving score / soundtrack and story. The dialogue from the show will become the script for that aspect of the game.
The game is a first person atmospheric narrative puzzle mystery that unfolds over many nights. We call it an 'Urban slice-of-life RPG' where you play a gig-economy driver searching for love in a city that is forever in night. For game updates, follow us here on X and join our DJs from 9pm somewhere @lovexloveshow ✌️
Lovers, we can't wait to meet you.
—Mike, Creative Director & Writer
#lovexlove #loveadviceouttatime #tkfy #urbanrpg #rpg
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Who knew @Anusha_Composer was not only talented at composition but can also oneshot voice acting as a love advice seeker? Appreciate you, A!
Session 01 done at GCAP / MCEC!
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