Play Underground Games (PUG!) studio is a new studio composed entirely of up and coming LGBT+, BIPOC creators that are currently developing an unannounced game.
This past week they won first place at the 2024 Ubisoft Indie Series competition.
We believe that games are an artful, meaningful medium and self-publishing is powerful.
We fight for a world where nobody is afraid to craft and share their wonderful, weird worlds.
We tell diverse stories that center black, brown, and gender-diverse experiences; possessing a passionate hope that these tales will resonate with people like us.
We take our craft seriously, and we never stop having fun.
Jyudeh J-Max Jarrett
Music Director, UI Designer, Programmer
they/them
Jyu is a Black, African British, non-binary graphic designer and music producer with a passion for working on pop, ambient, and video game tracks.
They produce solo music as Jyu and are in a band with Funk-é called Catdog, collaborating with August, Farouk and many other artists.
They also led the design of a video game magazine with that same team (Play Underground Mag, and its myriad of projects).
Fūnk-é Joseph
Game Director, Narrative Lead, Producer, Writer.
they/them
Fūnk-é is a Black, non-binary Caribbean-Canadian creator based in Toronto who loves stories and sound.
Fūnk-é has been a creative consultant at Focus Entertainment for the past year+ and has shipped 12 games as a communications editor including Plague Tale: Requiem, Warhammer 40K: Boltgun, Aliens: Dark Descent, and Dordogne.
Fūnk-é has written, edited, produced, and hosted for: VICE, IGN, MTV, Giant Bomb, Toronto International Film Festival, Kinda Funny, GameSpot, PC Gamer, Fanbyte, Paste Games, the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Haven Daniels-Taylor
Character Artist
he/him
Haven is a Black American freelance illustrator and comics artist creating dynamic and stylish work with a focus on the Black queer experience.
Haven has worked on two previous visual novels; ValiDate: Struggling Singles in your Area (2022), and Pesterquest (2019).
Haven is currently an artist for, and one of the lead writers on the comic Homestuck: Beyond Canon.
August Polite
Animator, Background Artist
he/him
August is a mixed race Desi/South Asian/White artist working to tell meaningful stories through illustrations, animations and games.
August has worked on animating and editing films that have screened at Sundance, Rotterdam, and the Glas animation festival.
August has worked on animated music videos for indie music artists such as Orion Sun and Shamir.
He produces music as “August," often collaborating with Funk-é and Jyu on songs as well as cover art/visuals.
he/him
August is a mixed race Desi/South Asian/White artist working to tell meaningful stories through illustrations, animations and games.
August has worked on animating and editing films that have screened at Sundance, Rotterdam, and the Glas animation festival.
August has worked on animated music videos for indie music artists such as Orion Sun and Shamir.
He produces music as “August," often collaborating with Funk-é and Jyu on songs as well as cover art/visuals.