MetStudios joined by Torpor Games co-founder Ata Sergey Nowak for exclusive conversation
The independent games industry thrives when creative people, bold ideas, and diverse communities intersect. At MetStudios, we’re proud to be part of that world.
One of the studios shaping today’s narrative games is Torpor Games, creators of the political RPG Suzerain. In June, Torpor’s Managing Director and Co-Founder, Ata Sergey Nowak, joined us for a conversation about storytelling, world-building, and what it really takes to make independent games.
Since then, the studio has announced that it’s expanding the Suzerain universe with The Conformist, a narrative prequel.
Why Torpor matters to our community
Torpor is known for exploring politics, society, and human behaviour through fictional worlds that give players space to think freely. As Ata explained:
“It is very nice mentally to be in a completely different character… That gives players a mental space to leave their prejudices behind and take subjects from a new perspective.”
That approach helped Suzerain grow into a multi-platform success supported by an unusually engaged community, something Torpor intentionally prioritises over paid advertising.
Their new investment, as Ata put it, gives them “the capacity to deliver larger and more ambitious political experiences while retaining the creative and operational independence that defines our studio.”
What our students took from the conversation
Ata spoke candidly about his journey: growing up playing games on MS-DOS, discovering the storytelling potential of interactive worlds, and taking risks – including releasing Suzerain just days before Cyberpunk 2077 because the team had run out of time and money.
The session offered our students three clear lessons:
Creative courage pays off.
Torpor pursued themes publishers once found “too serious”, and that distinctiveness became their strength.
Community isn’t an afterthought.
Their audience actively shapes the game through feedback, roleplay events, and discussion, proving how powerful genuine engagement can be.
Fiction helps us confront real ideas.
By stepping away from literal history, Torpor creates space for players to explore deeper human truths without the weight of expectation.
MetStudios will continue forging connections across the indie games community, opening doors for our students and championing the kind of imaginative storytelling that moves people and sparks new creative journeys.
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