After clinching both the Grand Prix and Best Narrative honors at the Indie Game Awards 2025 held by Taipei Game Show, BearBone Studio is charging ahead without hesitation. The creators of the acclaimed Minds Beneath Us have confirmed they’re fully investing in a brand-new title that expands upon the same universe. You can watch the Minds Beneath Us trailer here or on their official Steam page.

The following quotes are taken from Taipei Game Show’s Indie Game Award 2025 Winner’s Interview with BearBone Studio. In the interview, they shared insights on their journey, challenges, and future plans. You can watch the full interview here.

Ted, the game producer and lead scriptwriter at BearBone, expressed gratitude for the recognition.

“We’re incredibly flattered, really. It feels like, ‘Wow, it’s actually us.’ As for the Best Narrative award, we feel it was well-earned. We really put a lot of effort into that aspect, so achieving this success is very gratifying.”

When pressed about their next move, Ted made it clear the studio isn’t slowing down:

“We are already fully committed to developing a new project. And, well, it won’t be called a sequel, but the story is directly related to the previous game.”

Though specifics are under wraps, the team aims to deliver the new adventure within three years, drawing on hard-won insights about balancing development time with budget constraints.

A Studio Forged by Necessity and Creativity

Minds Beneath Us captivated players with its cyberpunk vibe and bold portrayal of a futuristic Taiwan where human brains power computing. Praised for its deep storytelling and immersive atmosphere, it became a Steam favorite nearly overnight.

Ted revealed that opting for a text-driven narrative stemmed from necessity: with limited engineering resources, ambitious game mechanics posed too great a risk. Leaning into their strengths proved wise:

“We thought, why not keep it simple with text-based options?”

Their choice paid dividends, gathering a passionate fan base and industry acclaim. Visually, the game’s fusion of modern Taipei and sci-fi tropes stood out—an authentic lens reflecting Ted’s own urban upbringing:

“Being a city kid from Taipei, I’m not very familiar with traditional culture, so it felt somewhat forced and inauthentic. However, I love sci-fi, which often represents a futuristic version of the modern world. So, I thought, why not set it in a modern, sci-fi version of Taiwan?”

Tackling Challenges & Honoring Player Feedback

Even after launch, resource hurdles and performance optimization remained significant obstacles. Balancing stunning art direction with smooth gameplay required constant negotiation between teams:

“For our game, visuals are very important to us. So, our art team puts a lot of effort into it. But the person responsible for managing the game’s performance—the one who ensures it runs smoothly—thinks it’s too much. So, everyone’s work seems to counteract each other. Finding a balance is a major challenge.”

Post-release, BearBone quickly addressed a community request by adding a proposed marriage scene that had been initially omitted—demonstrating their commitment to player feedback:

“Many people were wondering why this part was missing. And we thought, yeah, that makes sense. So we quickly added that segment.”

Looking Ahead

Securing two prestigious awards has elevated BearBone’s profile, paving the way for new partnerships and potential publisher deals. Ted notes that while trophies don’t guarantee higher sales, they serve as crucial industry validation:

“In business negotiations, a lot of it hinges on the other party’s initial interest in you. But if you have awards, they tend to think of it like comparing two resumes—they’re likely to choose you first. So, the help from having an award is significant.”

As BearBone Studio embarks on this next chapter, fans of Minds Beneath Us can anticipate another thought-provoking journey. With the team fully invested, the upcoming project promises to further expand the boundaries of indie storytelling.

Stay tuned by following BearBone Studio on social media for all the latest updates.