As Halloween approaches, it’s the perfect time to shine a light on Malta’s highly praised horror-focused indie studio, Steelkrill Studio. Based in Malta, Steelkrill Studio is an independent game developer founded in 2020 by local game developer Ryan Portelli. The studio specialises in creating intense and atmospheric psychological horror and survival games, delivering chilling experiences across multiple platforms. Its breakout hit, Trenches, released in 2021, established Steelkrill’s reputation for immersive and nerve-racking horror adventures.
The Success of Steelkrill Studio
It was during the challenging period of the COVID-19 quarantine in 2020 that he officially founded Steelkrill Studio. After releasing a few smaller projects, the major breakthrough came in 2022 with the successful launch of Trenches. The game’s positive reception enabled Portelli to dedicate himself fully to game development, transforming what began as a solo endeavour into a globally recognised Maltese indie studio.
Steelkrill’s acclaimed title The Backrooms 1998, also released in 2022, received the Gold Award in the PC Game – Horror category at the international NYX Game Awards. This achievement marked a significant milestone for Malta’s gaming industry and highlighted the island as home to talented and passionate creators within the field.
Steelkrill made its first appearance at the PLAYCON expo just recently this year, and we were honoured to have Ryan showcase his work. His presence added greater variety to the event, representing the horror indie development scene within Malta’s growing gaming community.
Flagship Games: Innovation in Indie Horror
Steelkrill Studio is known for injecting innovative mechanics into familiar horror subgenres, often utilizing player input in unique ways to heighten tension.
Trenches: A World War I psychological horror survival game where the player is trapped behind enemy lines. The core tension is built around a key mechanic: using a trench whistle helps navigate the war-torn environment, but the sound may attract the relentless enemy.
The Backrooms 1998: This first-person, found-footage psychological horror survival game is inspired by the viral Backrooms lore. It features a terrifying instruction: “Don’t scream.” The game utilizes microphone input, meaning real-life noises, shouts, or even heavy breathing can alert the lurking entity.
The studio’s diverse portfolio also includes titles like The Voidness (a horror game where the only way to see enemies is by using a LIDAR-scanning range finder) and The Stairway 7 (an anomaly hunt and observation game inspired by P.T.).
Upcoming Projects
Steelkrill continues to drive the local industry forward with a steady pipeline of projects, including the following titles:
The 18th Attic: This is a paranormal anomaly-hunting game where the player is armed with a vintage instant camera to capture hostile entities. The unique mechanic involves detecting and photographing the anomalies to uncover hidden memories and unravel the haunting secrets of the attic. A demo is already available, allowing players to sample this unique style of ghost-hunting horror.
Trenches VR: This highly anticipated title is the full virtual reality version of the breakout World War I horror game. It is set to amplify the original tension with deep VR immersion, retaining the signature mechanic where enemies can hear your real-life actions (like breathing or shouting) through the headset’s microphone.
Conclusion
Steelkrill Studio continues to deliver inventive horror experiences that blend experimental gameplay with unsettling atmosphere. With a growing portfolio and VR projects on the horizon, the studio proves that one dedicated developer can achieve powerful storytelling and immersive design. Fans of indie horror and psychological tension should keep an eye on upcoming releases like The 18th Attic and Trenches VR for what’s next.