Kodsmide · Game & software studio Sweden

Put something
on the anvil.

Kodsmide is an independent Swedish game studio developing an original title in Unreal Engine 5. Alongside production, it takes on selected consulting work in game design, level design, UX and technical design.

Current project Consulting
Fields
Game · Level · UX · Technical design
Engine
Unreal Engine 5
Base
Sweden · Remote EU
Status
Open to collaborate

In development

KDS/02 · Project
Working title · In development

Project Hellshift is a stylized first-person roguelite shooter. Players assemble a loadout in the hub, then push through fast, run-based missions, stacking weapon and ability upgrades as they go.

Design, engineering, UI and animation are handled in-house, which keeps the vision coherent and the burn rate low.

Request build & deck

Playable build and pitch material available to investors and publishers.

Engine
Unreal Engine 5
Genre
FPS · Roguelite
Platform
PC
Status
Pre-production · Playable prototype
Production
In-house

Roadmap

Where the project stands
  1. 2026 · H1Done

    Systems foundation

    Core gameplay loops, progression and economy systems designed, built and playable. A modular GAS framework on GameFeature plugins, with AI optimized to 200 simultaneous agents.

  2. 2026 · H2Now

    Pre-production close-out

    Locking the 3Cs — character, camera, controls — settling art direction, and beginning the move off placeholder assets. Internal playtests already run on a regular cadence throughout.

  3. 2026 · Q3–Q4Target

    First reveal

    A teaser trailer and the investor deck, finalized together. Presentable, not shippable — the first public look at the project and the start of its visibility.

  4. 2027 · H1Target

    Funding & team

    With the reveal public, structured talks with investors and publishers begin. Funding at this stage buys speed above all: additional hands shorten every phase that follows.

  5. 2027 · H2Target

    Vertical slice

    One polished, representative slice — the full loop at final quality. A gameplay trailer and public Steam page launch alongside it, opening wishlists once there is real gameplay to show.

  6. 2028 · H1Target

    Public playtest

    Testing opens beyond the studio's network: a free public test on Steam or itch.io puts the build in front of the target audience at scale, turning wishlists into an active community.

  7. 2028 · H2Target

    Full production

    Content built out at full pace, shaped by public-test data. The Early Access versus direct-launch decision is made here, with the monetization model settled well ahead of release.

  8. 2029Target

    Polish, QA & release

    The final stretch: feature-complete, then hardened through QA, optimization and localization before launch. On current solo resources this is a multi-year road — funding and hires are what compress it.

A realistic solo-pace roadmap — targets, not promises. Funding and hires compress it.

Consulting

KDS/01 · Consulting

Senior, hands-on help for studios and product teams. Engagements range from a focused design review to embedded work inside a team over several months. One consultant, four connected disciplines.

GD — Game design

Game design

Systems and progression design, with the numbers to back it up.

  • Progression, reward and upgrade loops
  • Economy balancing and tuning
  • Design documentation teams can build from
  • Playtest planning and analysis
LD — Level design

Level design

Spaces that read clearly and pace themselves.

  • Blockouts and greyboxing
  • Encounter design and pacing
  • Readability and player guidance
UX — UX & UI design

UX & UI design

Interfaces players understand on the first try. Backed by formal education in UX and interaction design.

  • HUDs, menus and player-facing flows
  • Prototyping and usability testing
  • Design systems and UI documentation
TD — Technical design

Technical design

Design decisions implemented directly in engine, not handed over as slides.

  • Unreal Engine 5 and Blueprint systems
  • Rapid prototyping and vertical slices
  • Performance-minded implementation
Request availability

Rates and availability on request

How engagements run

KDS/03 · Method
01

Scope

Goals, deliverables and constraints agreed in writing before work starts.

02

Build

Short cycles with working results early. Progress stays visible throughout.

03

Harden

Testing, edge cases and polish before anything is called finished.

04

Hand over

Documented delivery with source files included, and support afterwards.

KDS/04 · Studio

About Kodsmide

Kodsmide is Swedish for code smithing. The name sets the standard for the work: measure first, build deliberately, and test until it holds.

The studio is run by a single technical designer with several years bridging design and engineering in Unreal Engine 5, on top of formal education in UX and interaction design. Clients work directly with the person doing the work, from first call to final delivery.

KDS/05 · Contact

Start a project.

contact@kodsmide.com
Consulting inquiries, build requests and collaboration. Answered as soon as possible.