GameIndustry.biz interviewed the founders of Wholesome Games, Matthew Taylor and Jenny Windom. What started as a Twitter account in 2019 has grown into a big digital event celebrating indie games. This year was the fifth Wholesome Direct, featuring over 70 cozy and creative games. Here’s what we learned from the interview.
Wholesome Games, the team behind the mentioned event, has a monthly newsletter and a lively community of fans who love indie games, which has allowed them to become recognized in this genre of games. It was Taylor and Windom who built this community, creating a safe space for players who find comfort and joy in their cozy games. This year’s Wholesome Direct showcased many exciting games from small indie studios. Highlights included new trailers for Tiny Bookshop, Dungeons of Hinterberg, and Été, which will be released in July. New games like Mythmatch, Caravan SandWitch, and Littlelands also caught the audience’s attention.
A special moment was the showcase of Optillusion’s While Waiting, a game that perfectly reflects the event’s creative and fun spirit. The event also featured culturally rich games like Niku Games’ The Palace on the Hill, set in 90s rural India, and Sticky Brain Studios’ Rooster, celebrating ancient Chinese culture.
Wholesome Direct always supports underrepresented creators, genres, and cultures. Taylor stresses the need to give a voice to marginalized groups, aiming to make a lasting positive impact. This year, they supported Gaza and donated merch sales to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. Taylor was especially proud to support Visai Games’ Venba, a narrative cooking game that has won several awards. The success of Venba shows how cozy games can make a big impact and be recognized in the gaming world.
For Windom, wholesomeness is about appreciating the details in games and the experiences of developers. This is seen in their game selection, which focuses on the emotions they create, not strict rules. Taylor and Windom trust their instincts to choose games, ensuring each showcase is diverse and exciting.
Wholesome Games also supports indie developers through Wholesome Games Presents, a publishing label that offers funding, QA, marketing, and publishing help. They’ve launched games like Doot & Blibloop’s Minami Lane and Jess Yu’s Usagi Shima. Looking forward, Taylor and Windom want to grow meaningfully. They plan to keep supporting developers and expanding the Wholesome Games community. While they will continue with digital events, they are also open to hosting physical events, inspired by their experiences at conventions like PAX East.
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