When players discover BloomKeeper for the first time, they often see a colorful world, adorable creatures and green landscapes. But behind this soft appearance hides the story of a studio that does its best to release its first game.
Today, we wanted to tell you how BloomKeeper was born, what inspired the studio and how the project has evolved over the years.
BloomKeeper did not always have this name. The first roots of the project go back to a prototype called Pathfarer. At the time, we were working on an idea centered around transmission. A mentor guided the player, who then passed on his knowledge to curious little creatures.
This idea of passing the baton between generations was already at the heart of the project. The world was there. So were the creatures. But something was missing.
As Valentin Livi, the game’s creative director, put it : "We realized that the world was beautiful, but the gameplay lacked depth and originality."
Rather than being stubborn, we made a difficult decision: to start from scratch.
What has remained, however, is the original intention : to take care of life. To help nature flourish. To protect something fragile.
It is this idea that has become the heart of BloomKeeper.
From the beginning, we wanted to create a comforting universe. Not just a game about nature but a place where players could slow down, breathe and take time to observe their surroundings.
This philosophy has influenced every creative decision.
The grass was thought of as a soft texture in which we would like to roll ourselves.
The interface has been reduced to a strict minimum to preserve immersion.
Each visual element was designed to invite players into the world rather than constantly remind them that they are playing a game.
Much of BloomKeeper’s inspiration doesn’t come from the video game.
Japanese animated films have had a significant influence on the emotional identity of the project, notably through their sense of wonder, simplicity and gentle magic. More recent cartoons have also greatly influenced the team thanks to their warmth, kindness and way of telling stories focused on sharing and family ties.
Throughout the development, we often asked ourselves a question : "How to create a world that seems alive?"
This question is still with us today. And it is she who helped shape Hedera as you will discover in BloomKeeper.
The project has evolved a lot since its beginning, but one thing has never changed: our desire to create a world that players will want to take care of.
Thank you to all those who follow the development, try the demo and take the time to share their feedback with us.
In our next news, we’ll tell you about a topic that comes up often when players discover BloomKeeper : Why it’s so much more than just a cozy game 🌱