Sean Young has been in the gaming industry for over 10 years. He founded his indie game studio SmashGames in 2012 and has since dedicated his time to launching six titles on Steam. His first big successful game was Magicite, a multiplayer survival rougelike game. Most of his projects have been successfully funded through multiple Kickstarter campaigns. Most recently, he launched a new title on the platform called Monsterpatch.
Monsterpatch is an RPG farming and creature-collecting simulation with a touch of magic woven in. Incredibly, it was funded in just 16 minutes, far surpassing its modest $15,000 goal. Now, the number of backers is growing exponentially, with the campaign currently sitting at $140,000 and breaking records. We spoke with Sean to learn more about the game, what to expect from it, and his advice for other developers.
If you’d like to support the game on Kickstarter, you can do so via this link. Unfortunately, there’s no Steam page yet, but it’s in the works.
Can you tell us what inspired Monsterpatch and how it builds on or differs from your previous projects like Magicite and Littlewood?
Originally Monsterpatch was going to be a humorous roguelike that made fun of Pokémon. In order to find more things to make fun of, I bought an old copy of Pokémon Silver and Pokémon Emerald to play. As I was playing, I absolutely fell in love with these two games. So much so that I decided to change my entire game’s direction and aesthetic. I had to try an honest attempt at a monster-collecting RPG with my own unique spin on it. So Monsterpatch is very much a monster-collecting RPG at its core, which is very different from my previous projects.
You’ve described the game as a monster-collecting RPG with retro charm. What unique features are you planning to include to make it stand out in the crowded monster-collecting genre?
I’m taking all the best features of Littlewood, improving them even further, and integrating them into a monster-collecting RPG. I believe the monster-collecting genre is a perfect match with the cozy/farming genre. I’m super excited about my unique town-building system, which I really believe will elevate Monsterpatch in the sea of monster-collecting games.
The game clearly draws inspiration from classic Pokémon titles, with its dual Skyfarer and Aurora versions. Could you explain the key differences between them? Is there any benefit to owning both?
When you create a save file in Monsterpatch, you can choose which version of the game you’d like to play. You can also have multiple save files. So players will be able to play both Skyfarer version and Aurora version after purchasing a single copy of Monsterpatch. Each version will have a unique story with different antagonists, along with version-exclusive MoNs and items.
The creatures in the game are called MoNs, where did the idea for the name come from? Approximately how many creatures will be available to collect? Will there be rare “legendary”-tier MoNs with special catching methods?
I just really liked the simplicity of “MoNs”. Since the Kickstarter has been so successful, I’m doubling the amount of MoNs in the game from 108 to 216. Yes, there are a few legendary MoNs that can be battled and caught in the game.
The house sorting system for MoNs feels reminiscent of magical school tropes. Was this inspired by franchises like Harry Potter? What gameplay purposes does the magic system serve beyond creature classification?
While I was working on Monsterpatch, my wife was rewatching the Harry Potter movies in the background. This definitely had a huge influence on a lot of my design decisions. It’s how I decided that instead of “types”, my game would have magical Houses. Instead of “trainers”, my game will feature wizards that catch MoNs by using a spell with their wand. This led me to developing the Spellbook system, which allows the player to unlock a variety of ways to interact with the world.
Your team-based battle system allowing multiple MoNs simultaneously seems innovative. Was this always part of your core vision for combat?
Yes! I’ve played many RPGs over the years and I much prefer combat systems that have multiple party members. Having 4 MoNs in battle at once opens up a lot of exciting possibilities with multi-target moves, position-based moves, and unique MoN synergies.
With over 2,000 backers and surpassed funding goals, has this level of support matched your expectations? How has your existing fanbase contributed to this momentum?
Currently, we’re only on day 6 of the Kickstarter campaign, and yes, the overwhelming amount of support so far has definitely exceeded my expectations. I’d say it was largely due to the community I’ve built across all socials. Kickstarter does a great job too at notifying backers of your past projects.
At just $20 for base support, the campaign seems very accessible. With popular rewards like Design-a-MoN selling quickly, what additional stretch goals are you considering as funding continues to grow?
I’ve got a lot of fun and exciting Stretch Goals planned. These range from unique game mechanics to more familiar ones that can be found in popular monster-collecting games. There might even be a console port in there somewhere!
Looking back at Magicite, your first big PC game, what was the most defining moment for you as a developer, and how did its success shape your future projects?
I think it was when Magicite got featured on the front page of Steam while simultaneously getting covered by Markiplier, a popular Youtuber. That really catapulted Magicite into a level of success that my previous mobile games never achieved. This allowed me to go all in with game development.
You’ve worked on a variety of genres, from the multiplayer survival of Magicite to the cozy town-building of Littlewood and even art for Kindergarten. How do you decide which ideas to pursue next?
It always comes from me wanting to play a certain type of game. I was really into Terraria, Minecraft, and roguelikes when I created Magicite and Roguelands. A few years later I was fascinated by Animal Crossing, so I had to try making a cozy peaceful RPG, which became Littlewood. Kindergarten is a crazy, wacky game and I don’t know why we made that one. But it sure was popular.
You’ve been in the indie gaming scene for over a decade now. How do you think the industry has changed since you launched Magicite in 2014, especially for solo developers?
Steam wasn’t so crowded back then. As long as you got greenlit, it was super easy to get noticed without too much competition. Nowadays there are dozens of games being launched every day on Steam. But not just the quantity, the quality of indie games has certainly gone up, so I’d say the competition is very stiff now. If you’re a solo developer you better pick your genre carefully and start building a social media following as soon as possible.
Crowdfunding has been a big part of your career. Do you think Kickstarter is still a viable path for indie devs today, or are there new challenges that make it tougher than it was back then?
Kickstarter is great! I think it is very viable for indie devs today, as long as you run a campaign of your own BEFORE the Kickstarter campaign. Marketing is the least fun part of being an indie developer, but it’s so important. Get in the twitter/instagram/reddit trenches and build a following for your game, THEN consider launching a Kickstarter to help you get across that finish line.
As someone who’s worn every hat in game development, what advice would you give to new indie devs trying to break into the industry in 2025?
Start small. Release bad games. Be comfortable with failing. Anyone can start a project, but 99% of those that do will never click that launch button. Give yourself strict deadlines, and stick with them. Build your unique brand as an indie game developer. Authenticity goes a long way.
How do you balance the pressures of solo development with your personal life, especially with a new project like Monsterpatch on the horizon?
I’ve always struggled to maintain a healthy work-life balance. I’m trying my best to be diligent with only working during work hours, and to not work when it’s time for friends and family. Seeing the insane support for Monsterpatch is making this quite difficult, though. Despite the crushing pressure to deliver a fun game, I find comfort knowing that I have the best job in the world. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
Hrvatski 
English (UK)