A-Game Studios

A-Game Studios is an independent Canadian game developer and publisher founded in 2020 by writer, director and interactive game designer Jonathan Williams. Based in Ottawa, the studio was formed as Williams shifted from film and television work during the COVID-19 shutdown of Toronto’s production sector, bringing storytelling experience and computer-science training into interactive development.

The studio creates original games that combine vintage arcade sensibilities with emergent gameplay and narrative design. Its work focuses on retro-inspired action-puzzle experiences, including roguelike systems, falling-block mechanics, top-down combat, synthwave-influenced audio and cross-platform releases for PC and Xbox consoles.

Flagship release

A-Game Studios developed and published Star Salvager, an action-puzzle roguelike that combines elements of Tetris and Galaga. Players navigate a spacecraft through asteroid fields, connect falling coloured blocks to power shields and weapons, and confront alien forces. The game entered early access on itch.io in 2022, launched on Steam for Windows PC on May 9, 2024, and reached Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S through ID@Xbox on January 10, 2025.

The project was an Ontario finalist in the 2022 Ubisoft Indie Series, received an innovation gold medal at the NYX International Gaming Awards, and was nominated for the Games Connection and ChinaJoy Indie Awards. Its development received support from Ontario Creates and the Government of Canada, and the studio presented the game at PAX Rising Online, Devcom NRW and PAX East 2023.

Development and research

Alongside commercial game production, A-Game Studios works on interactive research collaborations. With Dr. Sara Grimes and McGill University’s Kids Play Tech Lab, it developed D'Orcs, an eco-conscious supply-chain colony-simulator prototype for young players, supported by the Canada Media Fund and Ontario Creates. The studio also worked with the University of Toronto on a Mitacs-funded initiative to develop remote games user-research toolkits for small independent teams.

Its credits also include Balloon, a mobile puzzle game published by A-Game Studios, Inc. for the Samsung Galaxy Store in 2025.