TaskBarStudio

Grow a small game studio alongside your day

TaskBarStudio is a game studio management simulation that lives in the corner of your desktop. Hire developers, build a team around their strengths, and take your games from planning through production to release.

Keep the game running and close the main window to reveal the Studio View in the bottom-right corner of your desktop. Watch your team while you get on with other tasks. Development continues, and notifications let you know when production steps are complete or a game is ready for release, so you can return when needed.

Look back at reviews and sales, then decide what to make next and who will make it. Build your studio's history one game at a time.

Find talent through resumes and past work

Look beyond skills and traits to see the games a candidate worked on, their production roles, and how those games sold.

Hire people who suit the games you want to make, and build a team around their strengths.

Take your game from planning to release

Production has eight steps: planning, prototype, implementation, art, UI, audio, QA, and polish. Assign developers to each step, with automatic assignment available to help build your team.

During production, decision memos ask you to choose a response after reviewing its effects on the schedule and quality. Complete the pre-release checks, then choose when to publish your game.

Learn from each release

After release, review ratings, sales, and each developer's contributions. Use what went well and what could improve to plan your next project and team.

The Studio View also displays your recent releases and in-game trophies alongside your employees.

Grow your studio while balancing income and costs

Earn revenue from your games while paying salaries and office rent. Keep an eye on employee fatigue, morale, and the money your company has left.

After your first release, you can send employees on outside contracts lasting one in-game month to earn a fee. New games from fictional rival studios and market trends also affect your sales outlook.

Features

Keep development running with the main window closed and watch the Studio View

Hire developers by reviewing resumes and past credits

Assign your team across eight production steps, manually or automatically

Make production decisions that affect the schedule and quality

Review ratings, sales, and individual contributions after release

Manage salaries, rent, fatigue, and morale

Send employees on outside contracts after your first release

Single-player, with Japanese, English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and Korean support. Play offline.