Black Salt Games has officially launched Team Trifold, a new game studio, along with a white-label publisher, Saltworks Entertainment, aimed at supporting both Team Trifold and fellow indie studio Disc 2 Games in Christchurch, New Zealand. Saltworks will provide services in production, marketing, QA, localization, audio, and business operations while allowing each studio to maintain creative independence.
Team Trifold’s debut game, Nothing Lost, is being funded by Black Salt Games, benefiting from New Zealand’s Game Development Sector Rebate, which has helped the industry grow significantly. The team consists of three seasoned developers: artist and writer Jed Uy, production and QA specialist Wilson Teo, and programmer Carl Johnson. They emphasize the importance of playtesting and iteration in game design.
Nothing Lost aims to innovate within the roguelike genre by introducing a death-based crafting system that turns the concept of death into a core progression mechanic. Inspired by the anime Shaman King, the team seeks to explore themes of life after death while reinforcing the idea that dying can be a rewarding aspect of gameplay.
The studio recognizes the competitive nature of the roguelike market but is committed to communicating its unique design pillars and gameplay loop clearly to players, ensuring that the experience of dying enhances rather than detracts from the game.
