We continue with our column "Investor/Publisher Wanted," where indie teams share about themselves and their projects. Up next is once again KORO GAMES, which, apart from developing the puzzle game Greeded, which we have already mentioned, is working on the noir puzzle game Death Sketchbook.
If you are an indie developer ready to talk about your project and are also looking for investments, a publisher, or someone to join your team, be sure to contact us on our Telegram column at https://t.me/overwordly.
CEO of KORO GAMES, Vladimir Korobeinikov, talked about Death Sketchbook.
Vladimir Korobeinikov
About the Team
KORO GAMES is an independent studio founded in 2019 by the Korobeinikov brothers. The team currently has 13 full-time members. The studio is self-sustaining, funded by profits from its projects. Among its games are Abodtion, Alveole, Necroking, Garage: Bad Trip, and mobile hits War of Rafts and Countryballs, which have collectively generated over 150 million downloads.
About the Project
Death Sketchbook is a noir puzzle game where players take on the role of a detective with a cursed notebook, solving cases through drawings.
The project started with the idea of replacing all game interfaces with a pencil. Currently, we have:
- completed a vertical slice;
- a demo available on Itch.io;
- implemented a drawing recognition system;
- a clear plan for the entire game (6 episodes, 45+ scenes with choices, replays, and alternative outcomes).
Gameplay and Mechanics
Each episode is a short, intense puzzle with an emotional conclusion.
The key feature is the game's interpretation of drawings made by the player. Drawing a knife, for instance, might trigger a memory of violence, possibly leading to a murder later. The situation might resolve if a key is drawn. If the player leaves an empty space, something or someone may not appear at all.
The core mechanic is our proprietary sketch recognition system, making the game not about "choosing from options" but "drawing your truth" based on previously discovered in-game clues.
Target Audience
For those who have played Return of the Obra Dinn, Chants of Sennaar, The Case of the Golden Idol, and Edith Finch, and who desire "something fresh with a unique twist," we are crafting an experience on par with these titles.
Our players are streamers and their viewers, screenshot enthusiasts, Reddit debaters, and those who review saying "I dreamt about this."
Bloggers like Kubz Scouts (6.1 million followers) have played and shared positive impressions of the game, highlighting UGC and the integration of creative tools into the gameplay.
Business Model
Death Sketchbook is a premium game, with a planned release on Steam, followed by consoles.
We are aiming for a price between $13-18. DLCs or add-ons are a possibility if the game performs well. Expected sales are between 50,000 and 100,000 copies, based on similar game metrics.
Metrics
On the demo's Itch.io page:
- 50,000 page views;
- 25,000 game launches;
- 3,000 downloads;
- 141 reviews, 81 comments;
- 31% of players reached the end;
- average full playthrough time — 15.6 minutes;
- median playtime per user — 14.9 minutes.
Players engage quickly (better on PC than in the browser), express a desire for more content, and some (9%) even replay the demo.
Who We Are Looking For
To bring the project to release with the highest quality, we need a publisher or an investor.
We seek investments of $85,000 to $130,000, which will be allocated to:
- content, art, code (45%);
- marketing, promotion (35%);
- QA, translation, support (20%).
We are not just looking for money; we are looking for a partner to help us launch many more games.
A detailed P&L is available upon request.
How to Contact Us?
- Email: business@koro.games
- Website: koro.games
- Itch.io Page: korogames.itch.io
- Steam Page: store.steampowered.com/developer/korogames
- YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@korogames
- Social Network X Page: x.com/_korogames
- Discord Channel: discord.gg/awn5asbSTW
- Telegram Channel: t.me/korogames