SparkToro co-founder Rand Fishkin has ventured into the video game industry, securing $2.15 million in funding for his new Seattle-based gaming studio. The entrepreneur announced the launch of Snackbar Studio on Monday through SparkToro’s blog, introducing a team that includes his wife Geraldine DeRuiter as head writer, alongside Nicolas Kraj handling game design, Miriam Cabrera leading programming, and Francesco Mazza directing art.
The studio’s inaugural project, currently titled “The Snackbar at the End of the World,” is being developed as a relaxed action role-playing game with a top-down perspective. Set in an alternative 1960s Italy with magical elements, the game is being created using Unity engine and is scheduled for a Steam release in late 2026.
The funding round attracted 38 individual angel investors, including notable figures such as SearchPilot CEO Will Critchlow, UX designer Christine Ryu, and BigBox VR co-founder Gabe Brown. Following the same funding approach used for SparkToro, Fishkin deliberately avoided venture capital funding, instead raising money through personal connections and networks.
In a move to support other independent game developers, Fishkin has made Snackbar’s pitch deck and legal documentation publicly available as open-source materials. This decision allows other indie studios to potentially replicate their funding model.
The inspiration for entering game development emerged during the COVID-19 lockdown period when Fishkin and DeRuiter discovered gaming as a shared hobby. Fishkin became particularly impressed with indie titles like Disco Elysium, which led him to analyze video games from a software product perspective, examining their mechanics and success factors.
After two years of preliminary work and various attempts, the team officially established the studio in 2023. Fishkin’s market research revealed particularly strong performance in games combining cooking and action roguelike elements. The success of “Dave the Diver” in 2023 further validated their chosen direction for their debut title.
“The Snackbar at the End of the World” puts players in charge of a family restaurant after their aunt’s imprisonment. The gameplay loop involves gathering ingredients through wilderness exploration during daylight hours, followed by evening restaurant operations where players cook meals to generate income. These earnings can be invested in equipment upgrades as players work toward saving their family.
The game’s concept emerged from Fishkin’s analysis of successful gaming genres and market trends. His research indicated that certain genre combinations, particularly those involving cooking and action roguelike elements, consistently exceeded average performance metrics in the gaming market.
The project represents a significant expansion of Fishkin’s
entrepreneurial portfolio, though he plans to maintain his involvement with SparkToro while pursuing this new gaming venture. The studio’s approach to both game development and funding reflects Fishkin’s experience in building successful startups, combining market analysis with personal networking to create a foundation for the new
enterprise.
Through this venture, Fishkin and his team are attempting to merge their personal interests in gaming and cooking with identified market opportunities, while maintaining an independent development approach that prioritizes creative control and sustainable growth over rapid expansion through traditional venture capital funding.