...as part of the massive exhibition “IIlustroteka: Ukrainian Illustration Across the Twenties” at Mystetskyi Arsenal.
It's on from April 2 to May 10, so don't miss it if you're in town! ;)
Kyiv friends, we got awesome news:
You have a rare opportunity to look behind the scenes of Hedenite. At the invitation of Pictoric, we are sharing sketches and insights into the process of developing visual concepts for the game...
We already miss all of you and wait for a reunion!
Our well-being and necessary level of fun were also carefully supervised by the amazing rabbit crew of Javi, Julianne, and Ruth. You’ve created a gem of a residency. And it wouldn’t be possible without a team of volunteers who made our stay comfortable and delicious.
And Kassandra and Johannes (Neonature), whose journey from the art world to the gaming industry speaks to us on so many levels.
Pia, Fabian, Leo, and Hannes (@sentimentgames.com), who could easily, between the four of them, produce a musical, with both the singers and the corps de ballet covered.
Yasmine (@yukimisoft.moe), who is secretly a genius stand-up comedian.
@zetsuboupiranha.bsky.social, @sambainbooleans.bsky.social, Pat, and @therandomart.bsky.social (@remullagames.bsky.social), who effortlessly turned any setting into the coziest and sunniest place on Earth.
This reconnection wouldn’t have been nearly as warm and fun without the beautiful people who were with us during those chilly November days in Brandenburg. Martin @sharkbombs.bsky.social, who was the true wizard of the fluffle with his ever-on-point advice and no-bullshit attitude.
Beyond working on Hedenite, we just got to hang out like we used to before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, to have longer conversations, goof around, rediscover each other as we got a little older, occasionally quarrel and argue, play games, sing karaoke together, and feel reconnected.
For us, i.e., Anna Ivanenko, @polosunya.bsky.social, @lesvynogradov.bsky.social, and Mona the Dog, this was the first occasion since 2021 (!!!) to spend extended time together. And while we were missing our programmer, @nazarmazur.bsky.social, it was still a true blessing.
We’ve posted about the prize we won, and that certainly means a lot, but in this post, we’d like to dedicate a few lines to the people, and non-humans, who made this residency such a magical experience.
As we approach the end of the year and look back at its highlights for HS, one event clearly stands out. An event that lasted a month but felt like it was just one day—it was that intense and exciting. We are talking about @therabbitgames.bsky.social residency at @coconatworkation.bsky.social.
We are extremely excited to share the news:
Hedenite is the winner of @therabbitgames.bsky.social Indie Game Residency pitch event at @gamesground.bsky.social!
Thank you, @coconatworkation.bsky.social and all of our dear rabbits ♥️♥️♥️
photo: @therandomart.bsky.social
🎮 then first playtests to try out ;)
🔮 and weekly predictions from Pani flutterBy
Of course, you’re all welcome to flood the chat with praise and memes for our dear Kyiv, coffee, trams, games — and whatever else you feel like smuggling into our channel 😎 #discord #indiedev #art #ukraine
Psst 😉
How come you‘re not yet following Heden Smugglers on Discord? discord.gg/cBWWXfNx
That’s where we’re sharing all the important announcements, updates, and behind-the-scenes moments, plus:
🐰 soon all the news from our November Workation at The Rabbit 2025 by @coconatworkation.bsky.social
Folks in Berlin: come to Talk & Play tomorrow (Sep 17, 18:30) to try out Hedenite's latest build and chat with our very own Les Vynogradov! ;)
Thanks @berlingamescene.bsky.social and @lorenzopilia.bsky.social for this wonderful opportunity!
www.meetup.com/berlingamesc...
Part of the residency is that we are to pitch Hedenite during @gamesground.bsky.social, so for all of you planning to attend — let's catch up! 😉
We'll be sharing this space with other amazing indie devs: @yukimisoft.moe (USA), @sentimentgames.com (Berlin), @remullagames.bsky.social (Spain), @sharkbombs.bsky.social (Germany), and 🎮 Neonature (Brandenburg) 🔥
We have truly bunbelievable news: Heden Smugglers will have our first-ever gamedev residency this November!
Yes, we are part of The Rabbit 2025 by @coconatworkation.bsky.social and will spend the entire month of November in Coconat's ridiculously cozy space in the Brandenburg region 🐰🐰🐰
#indiedev
Graduated EVA yesterday at Düsseldorf!
Thank you @spielfabrique.bsky.social for this amazing time and knowledge! This time the team was represented by Anna Ivanenko, @lesvynogradov.bsky.social and @polosunya.bsky.social.
We even had a graduation party!
Next ---> Gamescom ♥️
*Talents for Ukraine is a grant support program for bright, creative, and talented Ukrainians, initiated by the Kyiv School of Economics with the support of international philanthropists in 2022.
We are extremely proud to announce that both our art director, Anna Ivanenko, and lead artist @polosunya.bsky.social have become grantees of the Kyiv School of Economics Foundation's program #TalentsForUkraine! 😍 😍 😍
🤝 Special thanks to Oleksandr Peremot and the entire organizing team for their titanic work in this difficult time. You are doing an incredible job for the development of Ukrainian indie gaming!
#DOUDay2025 #gamedev #indiegames #ukrainiangamedev #wildery
✨ @tailgateadventure.bsky.social unfortunately was not present, but we are excited about Tailgate's trailer
✨ @hauntedddude.bsky.social and The Demons Told Me to Make This Game
(We have already wishlisted everyone on Steam and advise you to do the same)
Hedenite was part of the Game Scene — a cozy corner for indie developers. Our game was in a great company of talented people:
✨ Andriy Bychkovskyi with his @superlocoworld.bsky.social (publisher @curvegames.com)
✨ Wildery and Asura Cycles...
Sharing @polosunya.bsky.social and @nazarmazur.bsky.social 's impressions of DOU Day—a large-scale event in Kyiv that once again proved that Ukrainian IT is a powerful ecosystem of talent, creativity, and mutual support. 🧵
Who are Heden Smugglers? An innovative studio focused on transmedia storytelling. We are award-winning illustrators Anna Ivanenko and Jenya Polosina of studio Seri/graph; cultural producer, writer, and musician Les Vynogradov; and research physicist and programmer Nazar Mazur.
#hedenite #indiegame
Aesthetic is extremely nice! 😍