From graduation to game studio: Northampton duo launch narrative-led indie games company

Two University of Northampton graduates have launched a new indie games studio, with ambitions to put their local town on the map for narrative-led game development.

Alumni Elisa Pojaga (Games Design) and Samuel Waite (Games Programming) have teamed-up to break into the UK games industry from Northampton with their newly-launched games studio, Dystopia Games.

Dystopia Games specialises in story-driven indie games, with a strong focus on mystery, horror and noir-inspired storytelling.

Both founders worked together previously on a Goblin Games project which delivered a purpose-built arcade machine – accompanied by four mini games – as part of their build-up to the Women’s Rugby World Cup in August 2025.

It was through this project which helped confirm their compatibility as a development team.

Despite launching only a few months ago, Dystopia Games is already deep into development on its flagship project – a sci-fi, cyberpunk, fashion-noir detective game. The title centres on investigation, character relationships and branching narratives, and is designed as a portfolio-defining showcase of the studio’s creative and technical skills for publishers and industry professionals.

Alongside this, the studio is working with Northamptonshire Council and local heritage organisations on a mobile augmented reality (AR) game set in 1800s Northampton. The project blends real-world locations with interactive storytelling, allowing players to explore the town through their phone camera and uncover clues layered onto modern-day environments.

While inspired by titles such as ‘Pokémon Go’, the experience places a strong emphasis on narrative and local history.

“This AR project is about letting people experience Northampton in a completely new way, blending real locations with a fictional story set in the past,” explains Elisa. “It’s a great opportunity to combine games with history and bring something new to the town.”

Samuel adds: “With Dystopia Games, we’re hoping to help grow the local scene and raise the town’s profile as a vibrant place for game development.”

“Alongside attending national industry events including Brighton Develop and EGX-style networking sessions, we’ve been prioritising making contacts with publishers and professionals to get the word out there.”

Elisa and Samuel will be representing Dystopia Games at Northampton Film Festival’s networking night on Tuesday 3 March 2026, where they will join local artists, creatives and designers to connect, collaborate and help strengthen Northampton’s growing creative community.

Find out more about studying Games Design and Games Programming at the University of Northampton.