In short
We interviewed Kemonia Games, the Palermo-based software house that combines development, training and publishing with the goal of growing the Sicilian video game industry. The conversation covers the studio’s origins, its relationship with UniPa, the difficulty of securing funding in southern Italy, and its current projects: LambDawn, a murder mystery blending horror, thriller and visual novel elements built with Ren’Py and slated for 2027 with a free demo on itch.io, and Skirmish, a collectible card game inspired by traditional Sicilian playing cards.
From education to game development, with publishing in between: we met with Kemonia Games to explore the philosophy of the Palermo-based studio and learn about the projects currently in development, including LambDawn.
When discussing the Italian video game industry, it is often forgotten that a thriving undergrowth exists, teeming with interesting studios. New and small projects trying to carve out a space for themselves within the independent scene. And yet, it is precisely by looking at these studios that we can better understand the ambitions and prospects of a constantly evolving sector.
Among them is Kemonia Games, a software house based in Palermo that aims to follow several stages of the video game production chain, from training new talent to developing and publishing games. A project focused on the Sicilian territory and on the possibility of creating a connection between education, production, and professional opportunities.
Currently, the team is working on LambDawn, an adventure blending horror, thriller, and visual novel elements, slated for 2027, and on Skirmish, a collectible card game that reinterprets the tradition of Sicilian playing cards through modern game structures.
Speaking specifically of LambDawn, we tried the free demo available on itch.io and, armed with this experience and full of questions, we reached out to the team for an interview.
We therefore met with Kemonia Games to delve into the origins of the software house, the philosophy guiding its work, and the projects currently in development, trying to understand the challenges and prospects of a studio aiming to contribute to the growth of the Sicilian video game industry.
The Interview
This interview is published in full, preserving the natural flow of the conversation. At Indie Games Devel we believe developers deserve space to express themselves freely, without cuts or reinterpretations.
Kemonia was founded in Palermo with the goal of covering the entire production chain, from education to publishing. How did the idea of bringing such different activities under a single company come about, and which of the five areas did you start with first?
Well, in fact the original intent was to create exclusively a video game development software house. After several opportunities arose thanks to our collaboration with UniPa, we decided to expand the business to offer anyone wanting to enter this field a public education opportunity that we never had, and that we would have really wished for back in the day. As for publishing, we simply want to be a bridge between small independent developers from southern Italy and beyond, and the major game launch platforms, which would otherwise be inaccessible to them.
Who works at Kemonia today, and how are the roles divided between development, education, and publishing? Are the five people credited in LambDawn part of the studio?
We are divided into two teams. One is made up of the founding partners, half of whom handle administration and bureaucracy, while the other half actively takes part in game development. The second team consists of the five people you are referring to, and it also includes the technical half of the software house’s founders! We are currently divided into: game designer/director, programmer, 2d artist, photo/video editor, and composer.
You talk about a know-how that Sicily has lacked so far. What concrete obstacles have you encountered in running a game development business on the island, for instance in finding skills and funding?
Now you are touching a sore point. Unfortunately, like many other southern Italian studios, we are often discouraged from pursuing projects like this, mainly due to the already scarce attention and care that Italy gives to art as entertainment. The hardest part is still finding suitable funding and grants, since ignorance on the subject is common in our country. As for technical skills, however, we were pleasantly surprised by the brilliant minds our island has produced! On that front we really cannot complain. Ideas are not lacking, and the drive to build things is there, in spades, and it shows.
On September 10 and in the first days of October you had the opportunity to talk about yourselves and your game at several events. Which ones? What response did you get from the audience and from the other developers present?
We presented our game and other projects at Trapani Comix as our very first stop back in May. Then came the Palermo Comic Convention in September and, most recently, Perla Comix. We will also be at the Sicilian Game Expo soon!
The response at these events has always been very positive. More and more people are interested in the project, especially the university master’s program, but there was no shortage of talks about collaborations and more. They are certainly stimulating environments, full of interesting conversation starters. Among developers we always lend each other a hand, and there too ideas about possible partnerships, or even the birth of projects to be explored together in the future, are never in short supply.
How did the idea of a murder mystery set in a school, with four teenagers like Jamie, Serena, Dustin, and Mara, come about, and who created the story and characters?
The idea for a murder mystery was born in 2023, when we were still just classmates in a master’s program, aspiring developers. Partly for fun and to test ourselves, being great fans of horror and thriller, we decided to try this experiment. Only after finishing the master’s and a few years’ pause did it become a more serious and ambitious project. As for the crazy school and its bizarre characters, we drew inspiration from the stories of a former classmate of ours, since she attended this institute full of crazy people where chaos was the order of the day. About the story and characters: they are my own work, and I assure you it is, alas, one of the toughest and most complicated parts, one for which I often need the support of the rest of the team. (Marco AKA “Skeel”, Game Designer/Director)
On the website the game is presented as horror and thriller, while the demo leans heavily on dark humor and crude language. How did you balance these registers?
In fact, it is kind of the whole package. We wanted to create an experience that mixed the mood of Goosebumps and Scooby Doo, but with a much more absurd and dark tone.
The content warnings mention suicide, violence, and death. How did you decide to handle these themes in a game centered on teenagers?
Exactly like every other similar work. As a big fan of Stephen King and, in general, of horror stories aimed at teenage readers, I could not help but make my debut in video games this way. In fact, the contrast between the 2000s cartoon style and the heavy themes is the cornerstone of our work, without forgetting its true nature as a game, of course.
You chose Ren’Py, pixel art, and a point & click setup. What reasons lie behind these choices, and what did they allow you to do with a small team?
The choice fell immediately on Ren’Py for reasons of convenience and simplicity: that engine was created precisely to help those who, like us, decide to try their hand at visual novels. Since we are few people managing it, we have never had particular problems. We tried to leverage a distinctive style that would also work in our favor thanks to its simplicity.
Among the credits there is a figure dedicated to photo and video editing. How do photos and videos come into the game?
Well, all the editing work consists of crafting the backgrounds, which are made from real photos and then heavily edited. The same goes for the objects in the investigative sections, and for teasers, trailers, and any montage that is needed!
Why explicitly state that you have not used generative AI, and what is the studio’s position on the matter?
Considering that the team is made up mostly of artists, it goes without saying that our aversion to AI in the artistic field is a given. The world now makes excessive and unethical use of it, including in terms of environmental impact. We oppose it with all our strength, and if we really must use it, it is limited exclusively to the technical side and NEVER to the artistic one. Art is human expression, and that is how it must remain.
The full version is planned to include four endings plus a secret one, over twenty thousand words, one hundred sprites, and fifty illustrations. How do you build the branching of the endings, and how much longer will the full version be compared to the demo? Will exploration mechanics or activities and minigames (always consistent with the genre) be implemented in the final version?
Basically, through dedicated code on Ren’Py it is possible to easily switch from one path to another following certain choices. As for the full game, yes, the final version will feature much more content, especially interactive, thanks also to a map system and many other unique minigames. Overall, the game should last around 3-4 hours on average, though it will depend on how fast players are.
You released the demo on itch.io as a free download. What feedback came in during the first week, and what will you change based on it? For the 2027 release on Steam and Epic Games Store, do you have other platforms planned, and in which languages will it be available?
During the first week the demo did quite well, we received thousands of interactions, several downloads, and hundreds of views. Some feedback has already come in, always useful for improving the experience, and we are already taking it into consideration. For the release, we hope to launch it on as many platforms as possible, so as not to leave out any of the major stores and to reach as many players as possible. As for languages, we plan to include localizations in Japanese, Chinese, and Spanish, in addition to the already present Italian and English.
Do you have already-created projects you would like to tell us about? Anything from which the idea of LambDawn originated?
We hope to pick up sooner or later a couple of projects left on the shelf, born in the same period as LambDawn; as for the rest, our lips are sealed due to NDAs… We can tell you that the collaborations with UniPa and with Bonnie Studio (PSoXide) are going great.
Before saying goodbye, we would like to thank the entire Kemonia Games team and Marco Romoaldi for the availability and kindness with which they answered our questions and our curiosities. It was a pleasure for us to share with you, our readers, the story, the philosophy, and the demo of an emerging Italian team.
As you will have read in the interview, LambDawn is planned for a yet-to-be-determined 2027 and the demo is already available for free on itch.io and soon also on STEAM. We invite you to try it yourself and to stay updated through the official channels at kemoniagames.com
If you want to try a preview of LambDawn, you can find it on itchio.io
