Black Salt Games, the studio behind the hit fishing‑survival title Dredge, has taken a bold step by founding a fresh development house called Team Trifold. The new studio will operate under a recently created white‑label publishing arm named Saltworks Entertainment, which will also extend its services to another Kiwi indie developer, Disc 2 Games. Saltworks is positioned as a collaborative hub that pools expertise across a range of disciplines—production, marketing, quality assurance, localisation, audio design, business operations and publishing—so that each partner studio can focus on its creative vision while benefiting from shared resources.
All three companies share a single headquarters in Christchurch, New Zealand, yet each retains full artistic independence. According to Nadia Thorne, executive producer at Black Salt Games, the launch of Team Trifold and the backing of Saltworks are direct outcomes of the commercial triumph of Dredge. "We are funding the development and publishing of Team Trifold’s first title, Nothing Lost, riding the wave of Dredge’s success," Thorne told GamesIndustry.biz. She added that the venture is further bolstered by New Zealand’s Game Development Sector Rebate, a government incentive that provides financial stability for emerging studios.
Over the past summer, companies that qualified for the rebate collectively saw revenue rise by 17 percent, reaching $829 million, underscoring the program’s impact on the local industry. Sustainability sits at the heart of Saltworks Entertainment’s multi‑studio strategy, according to Thorne.
"We believe that small, ambitious indie teams that design games which don’t demand cutting‑edge hardware can build a resilient model for the next five years and beyond. By linking these studios, we can share knowledge, infrastructure and support without forcing any one studio to outgrow its natural scale," she explained.
This philosophy aims to create a network where each team can thrive on its own terms while still enjoying the advantages of collective strength. Team Trifold itself is a compact three‑person operation. Jed Uy handles art and narrative direction, Wilson Teo oversees production and quality assurance, and Carl Johnson focuses on programming. Despite their modest size, each member brings a wealth of experience from various tiers of the gaming industry, ranging from original IP work to contract‑based projects.
"Our biggest takeaway from years in the business is the critical role of iteration and rigorous playtesting, as well as staying attuned to the player’s perspective," Uy remarked. He emphasized the importance of establishing clear design pillars that serve as a compass for every creative and technical decision. While details may shift during development, the core vision remains immutable.
Teo echoed this sentiment, noting that validating the core gameplay loop through intensive playtesting and internal debate is essential. "Sticking to our design pillars is non‑negotiable," he said, adding that the team’s discipline in this area helps them navigate the crowded roguelike landscape. The creative spark behind Nothing Lost draws heavily from the 2001 anime Shaman King. The team aims to "turn the roguelike loop on its head" by making death not just a setback but a central mechanic for progression.
"We’ve built a multiplicative, death‑based crafting system that actually rewards players for one of the genre’s most dreaded moments," Uy explained. This approach reframes the typical frustration of dying into a meaningful, strategic opportunity, encouraging players to experiment with risk and reward. Shaman King’s portrayal of life after death, coupled with the supernatural abilities it bestows, resonated strongly with Uy. He cited the series, along with a variety of cultural mythologies represented by the team’s diverse backgrounds, as key inspirations for the game’s premise.
"These influences helped us craft a concept that feels both sensational and wholesome, and we’re thrilled to bring it to life," he added. Teo highlighted that while the roguelike market is saturated, success hinges on clear communication of the game’s core loop and design philosophy.
"Players naturally resist losing, so we must articulate that death is an intentional, rewarding part of the experience," he said. By framing death as a purposeful tool rather than a punitive obstacle, the team hopes to differentiate Nothing Lost from other titles in the genre.
Beyond the immediate mechanics, Nothing Lost promises a rich, atmospheric world that blends procedural generation with handcrafted storytelling. The developers plan to weave narrative threads that evolve based on the player’s mortality choices, creating a dynamic tapestry where each run feels unique yet meaningful. The death‑driven crafting system will allow players to salvage remnants of previous attempts, forging new items, abilities, or environmental changes that persist across runs. This persistent progression model aims to soften the sting of failure while still preserving the tension that defines roguelikes.
In terms of technical execution, Carl Johnson is leveraging a lightweight engine optimized for rapid iteration and cross‑platform compatibility. By avoiding reliance on cutting‑edge hardware, the team hopes to reach a broader audience, including players on older consoles and PCs.
This aligns with Saltworks’ broader vision of fostering indie projects that are accessible, sustainable, and resilient in a rapidly shifting market. The partnership with Saltworks also means that Team Trifold will benefit from dedicated marketing support, localisation expertise for multiple regions, and rigorous QA processes to ensure a polished launch. The shared infrastructure reduces overhead costs, allowing the three developers to allocate more resources to creative experimentation and content depth. Overall, the formation of Team Trifold under the Saltworks Entertainment umbrella illustrates a growing trend in the New Zealand game sector: small, tightly knit teams leveraging government incentives and collaborative publishing models to produce innovative experiences.
With Nothing Lost, the trio aims to challenge conventional roguelike design, turning the inevitable moment of death into a catalyst for growth, creativity, and player empowerment. If successful, their approach could inspire a new wave of indie titles that reimagine failure as a rewarding mechanic, reshaping player expectations across the genre.