iam8bit Presents teams up with Nano Park Studios to bring the Game Boy Color era back with Petal Runner

iam8bit :

LOS ANGELES – June 7, 2024 – iam8bit Presents and developer Nano Park Studios – a Canadian indie studio founded by popular pixel artist Brandon James Greer (also known as BJGpixel on YouTube) and programmer Danny Guo – are thrilled to announce Petal Runner during today's Day of the Devs 2024: Summer Game Fest Edition. The all-new slice-of-life RPG weaves an imaginative tale about virtual life elevated by meticulously crafted visuals that hearken back to the best of the Game Boy Color era.

Petal Runner Announcement Trailer: https://youtu.be/R9N46EjlNDQ

Petal Runner is a coming-of-age story set in a cyberpunk-inspired, pixel-art-powered open world. Players join Cali and Kira as they explore the sun-soaked city of Sapphire Valley and train to become specialized motorcycle couriers known as Petal Runners. Once they're certified, they'll make deliveries, meet new friends, play minigames, and discover a wholesome slice-of-life story about growing up and letting go.

"Companionship with our pets is a special thing we want to capture in Petal Runner," says Nano Park Studios programmer Danny Guo and pixel artist Brandon James Greer. "Our design philosophy is to modernize the feel of retro classics that inspire us, while incorporating mechanics and minigames that feel fresh within the RPG structure.

"We've been working on this secretly for the past few years; we're putting a lot of ourselves into this project, and we're excited for people to experience this first major release from our new studio."

"We immediately fell in love with Petal Runner's look and vibe, and we knew we had to help Nano Park bring their vision to life," says Jon M. Gibson and Amanda White, co-owners and creative directors at iam8bit. "We started iam8bit Presents to help nurture cool indie projects, and we're thrilled to be a part of Petal Runner's journey."

Wishlist Petal Runner now on Steam. For more information on Petal Runner, visit PetalRunner.com and follow Nano Park on Discord, Instagram, and X.

About Nano Park Studios

Nano Park Studios, Inc. is a Canadian indie game studio founded by pixel artist and graphic designer Brandon James Greer and programmer Danny Guo. Brandon runs a wildly popular pixel art YouTube channel, BJGpixel, punctuating his retro gaming expertise. The duo released OutWing GX in August 2021, and have been developing their ambitious flagship project Petal Runner since the studio’s inception in January 2021. They're a fully remote studio, and Brandon and Danny plan to meet in person one of these days. 

About iam8bit Presents

iam8bit Presents is an indie publishing label from the Los Angeles-based creative emporium, iam8bit. They are attracted to gaming experiences that celebrate uniquely human things – relationships with tangible objects, places, and dreamstates, and the emotional attachment to nostalgia. This may sound esoteric, but the proof is in their games – including the smash hit Escape Academy, which boasts an ever-growing 1.6 million players globally; NES-tinged throwback Garbage Pail Kids: Mad Mike and the Quest for Stale Gum; and the upcoming chill-vibes simulator, Simpler Times. iam8bit Presents offers a soup-to-nuts approach from financing to publishing, fostering friendships with developers who share their keen attention to nuance, cheerful obsession with aesthetics, and unwavering dedication to absolute quality. Follow iam8bit on Instagram, TikTok, and X.

Media Contact

Lizzie Killian

[email protected] 

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