Here we are now on the 7th part of our ever-expanding list of developers we’d love to see on Panic’s Playdate. Along the way, we’ve suggested the likes of SWERY65, Twinbeard Studios, thatgamecompany, and Scott Cawthon. We’re back on the indie devs again, though these two and their work almost couldn’t be more different.

Hello Games

It’s well known by now that Hello Games has spent years turning No Man’s Sky around and working hard to regain the trust of those who felt burnt by its state at launch. But I’d ask you to cast your mind back further to when Hello Games was known simply as the up-and-coming indie studio behind the delightful Joe Danger.

Those games were great: Focused, inventive, and polished, they were perfect examples of what a small and charming team could accomplish. For their hypothetical Playdate game, I’d very much like them to go back to that – to give us something sharp and mechanically sound from the get-go.

Whether it be another racer or something completely new, there was a cosiness to its earlier games that I’m sure could once again shine through in a smaller-scale release.

Toby Fox

Netting someone like Toby Fox, the mind behind 2015 indie sensation Undertale, would obviously be a huge win for the Playdate. He comes bundled with an incredibly engaged fan base, all ravenous for any tidbits of info surrounding his output.

And while Fox is still likely hard at work on his next major release, the Deltarune series, a smaller side project for Panic’s handheld could be a lovely, and no doubt mysterious, treat.