Video game created by Saskatoon roommates draws rave reviews, thousands of buys

A pair of Saskatoon roommates who created a video game in their living room have begun to reap the rewards of its success.

Fountains, a role-playing video game, "took inspiration from things like Dark Souls, Hollow Knight and Hyper Light Drifter," said John Pywell, 24, who started working on the RPG in 2019 and remains the game's sole programmer and graphic designer.

"These are all great games that I wish I had more of, so I thought, like, I don't know, I can't just wait for these guys to make a sequel."

Pywell was joined in 2022 by his friend and roommate, University of Saskatchewan student Eric Ramirez-Erosa, 24, who developed the majority of the story. 

United States-based composer Travis Moberg created the game's music and sound.

"The idea behind the story is kind of like a ruined kingdom — that it's the consequence and the fallout after the world has found the fountain of youth and then a bunch of different factions all over the world ended up causing a huge war over it, and then the world kind of went to to crap, essentially," Ramirez-Erosa said. 

The two friends grew up in Saskatoon, attended high school together, and now share the home where Fountains took shape on a messy whiteboard in their living room. 

"When I thought of an idea I wanted John to see I'd just draw it out or write something out on there, and then he'd take a look at it … If he liked it we went with it, if he didn't we would change it," Ramirez-Erosa said.

"When release was coming up, that white board looked pretty crazy," Pywell joked.

The game has now sold more 8,000 units at around $20 since its release in December 2024. Out of 251 reviews on the gaming site Steam, Fountains has 210 "very positive" reviews. 

Their top customers are gamers based in the United States, Pywell says, but he was shocked to discover the No. 2 market "is Japan, which blew me away that, like, people on the other side of the planet are playing this game. I had no idea it would have appeal there." 

The RPG comes in eight supported languages, including Japanese, increasing its international appeal.

Youtube Short posts of game footage also boosted the game's popularity, Pywell says. One of the videos garnered more than 950,000 views.

Pywell says the game's success allowed him to buy his first car, while Ramirez-Erosa says he's using the money to pay his rent and cover his student loans.

What's next for the two game creators? An expansion is in the early stages of development, and they're also gearing up to convert the computer game to console, aiming first for the Nintendo Switch.