When Passion Meets Pixels – The Key to Dice Gambit’s Success

Nine years ago, Danish friends Joshua Christiansen and Nina Sas met while studying in Malmö. Their shared dream of creating something of their own and showcasing Nina’s distinctive art style eventually led them, together with former co-founder Anton Pilmark, to Sweden Game Startup.

Today, the duo runs their studio Chromatic Ink from a game collective outside of Växjö, Sweden. In mid-August this year, they launched their title Dice Gambit, which quickly captured attention across the world.

“We sold 24,000 copies during the first month and received over 700 reviews on Steam. Our biggest player bases are in the US, China, Japan, and Korea. It’s incredible, and we had no idea what to expect when we hit launch,” says Joshua Christiansen, Co-founder and Creative Director.

Sweden Game Startup gave them the push they needed

Chromatic Ink is one of many Swedish studios that got its start through the Sweden Game Startup program at Science Park Skövde. The company was officially founded in 2023, but the idea began much earlier during the pandemic, when Joshua and Nina worked on their dream project alongside full time jobs. Around the same time, they relocated to Gothenburg.

In 2022, they joined the startup program, and by December that year, a demo of Dice Gambit was released online. While Anton Pilmark has since moved on, Nicolas Gustafsson has joined the team as Tech Director.

“The startup program has been a huge help. We didn’t receive financial support, but we got everything else – guidance, industry contacts, business advice, access to conferences, and most importantly, confidence. Science Park and the incubator gave us the kick in the butt we needed to go all in. Thanks to that, Dice Gambit exists today,” Joshua says.

A strategic journey through the city of Neo Talis

The PC title Dice Gambit is a strategic role playing game inspired by the Italian Renaissance, taking players on an atmospheric journey to the fictional city of Neo Talis.

Here, players shape and lead their fully customizable (and heavily indebted) Inquisitor family, tasked with hunting chromatic monsters. As players build their own family tree, they cleanse the city, unlock unique abilities, and rise in power until their character retires or dies.

More ideas are already in the works

Chromatic Ink’s Co-founder and Art Director Nina Sas brings a remarkable sense of detail and a keen eye for distinctive visual design, something that shines through every frame of Dice Gambit. Players are drawn into the beautifully crafted environments and cleverly illustrated characters.

While the game targets a younger teen audience and up, most players today are between 20 and 30 years old. The plan now is to continue developing and supporting Dice Gambit, with a strong focus on nurturing the player community.

And as for what’s next?

“We’ll see what happens in the next couple of years,” Joshua smiles. “But we’re here to stay.”

About Sweden Game Arena

Sweden Game Arena has put Sweden, region Västra Götaland and the city of Skövde on the world map when it comes to games. By appearing at international game conferences, participating in international academic collaborations and creating Sweden’s leading game conference, Sweden Game Conference, the brand has reached far beyond the country’s borders.

In the growing community within Sweden Game Arena, there are several successful game companies whose games top the global bestseller lists. Most of them have made a similar journey – from game students at the University of Skövde to starting their own companies through the startup program Sweden Game Startup, which is powered by Science Park Skövde. Together, the companies form a strong community and the next big success is just around the corner.

Read more at www.swedengamearena.com.