Indies on Solana · IOS2
Forest Quest
Network School · Forest City, Malaysia
a 30 day game residency. bring a game in progress, leave having shipped it on Solana Mobile, in front of thousands of real players. housing and food covered — you just bring the game.
coliving. coworking.
make friends. make games.
the platform you'll ship to
Solana Mobile — an app store in every pocket.
every Seeker phone ships with a wallet built in, and the dApp Store takes 0% of your sales. for a small studio, that quietly changes what's possible.
- 0% store fees — you keep every sale (Apple & Google take 15 to 30%)
- 100K+ Seeker owners — a wallet already in every hand
- a niche audience that actually wants to test new games
already live
317 games on the dApp Store, with real ratings
why indie games, why Solana
we're BK and Zang, and we run a small indie game studio ourselves (under 10 people). we love games, we love making them, and we believe blockchain can play a real, valuable role in games when it's done with respect for the player.
building a game is hard. building one the right way while figuring out web3 is harder. we've been doing both for four years now. we've seen the cycles, the highs and the lows, and we're still here. making games can be lonely, too: it's a long road, it costs money, it takes time, and there's always more to learn.
Solana is the healthiest, most vibrant space in crypto right now, and for both the tech and the distribution it's genuinely one of the best places to build a web3 game the right way. there should be more games here. Indies on Solana is our small effort to change that. it's a place for indies to share what we know, learn from each other, and spark the next game.
our principles
four principles, carried over from season 1, behind every decision we make.
excellent without web3
games must be fun and play beautifully with zero blockchain dependencies. Solana adds to the experience. it's never the reason to play.
players first, always
the player's experience comes before everything else. if it's not fun, nothing else matters.
in it for the long run
teams building something real and sustainable, not short term extraction, and not a weekend side project.
open and supportive
build in the open and share freely: connections, lessons learned, and what actually works, between fellow indies.
what you walk out with in 30 days
- a shipped milestone: an MVP, a working demo or prototype, alpha, beta, or a full launch
- hundreds to thousands of real players on Solana Mobile (Seeker) as your early testers. test anything you want. we bring the players, your job is to ship
- new friends, and a soft landing into the healthiest space in crypto
questions
what makes this different from an accelerator?
no equity taken, no token mandate, no pressure to bolt blockchain onto a game that doesn't need it. we select on passion over pedigree, we care about shipping over pitching, and we treat Solana as a tool in service of the game, not the point of it. you also leave with a Solana Seeker phone for easy distribution to real players.
what happens at the end?
a game fest. you put your game on stage and the residents at Network School play it in person, live, with a livestream. no slide decks, just an actual play session.
do I have to launch on Solana Mobile?
that's the goal, and most teams ship to mobile. Solana Mobile (the Seeker phone) is a real distribution channel with 100K+ engaged players, and we'll help you get there.
why Solana Mobile, and what about platform fees?
Solana's dApp Store takes 0%, with no cut of your sales or in app purchases, versus the 15 to 30% that Apple and Google charge. and the audience is niche, focused on games, and genuinely willing to test early builds and give feedback.
do I need a finished game?
no, but you should be in active development, not starting from a blank page.
can solo builders apply?
yes. solo devs and small teams are equally welcome.
is it really free?
housing, food, and the program are fully covered, and there's no participation fee. the only things on you are getting yourself there and a refundable deposit (below).
is there a deposit?
yes, a $250 deposit to hold your spot. it's fully refundable: you get it back at the end of the program once you meet the milestones you set at the start. it's just there to keep everyone committed to showing up and shipping.
do I need to be there the whole time?
yes, the full 4 weeks, in person. that's the whole point.
where exactly is it?
Network School, Forest City, Malaysia.
how many spots are there?
10. that's it.
for mentors
shipped a game? help one ship.
guide a team for a session or two, remote or in person. share what you know about games, Solana, or running a studio. we'll match you with teams that fit.
10 spots. 30 days.
one shot.