The creators of the psychedelic escape room Dark Trip are looking for an investor willing to invest up to $150,000 in development and marketing

We continue our section "Looking for a Developer/Publisher," where indie teams share their projects. Up next is iWorlds, developing the psychedelic game Dark Trip, where solving puzzles involves taking medication. The creators are also inspired by fetish franchises.

If you're an indie developer eager to share your project and are seeking investments, a publisher, or team members, be sure to reach out to us on Telegram at https://t.me/overwordly.

Dark Trip

Dark Trip was introduced by the founder of iWorlds, Alexander Nasonov.

Alexander Nasonov

About the Team

iWorlds is a Bulgarian game studio creating immersive and engaging multiplatform games that blend innovative storytelling with expressive art direction. Our mission is to release niche, arthouse games with strong narratives and unique mechanics, akin to what it would be if David Lynch or Terry Gilliam opened a game studio.

Founders:

Alexander Nasonov — 19 years in game development, former Saber and Snapshot Games employee, "iPad App of the Year" awardee, Ph.D.;
Andrey Klenin — Unity developer and artist, with over 20 years in the industry, author of several projects that topped the App Store and Google Play charts.

Some of our previous projects include:

Gloomhaven;
Phoenix Point;
Green Riding Hood;
"Smeshariki" (Kikoriki).

Previous employers and clients include: Saber, Snapshot Games, Disney, Wargaming, Riki.

Our pilot project Dark Trip has been available in early access on Meta Store since February 2025. To date, the game has generated $20,000 in revenue and has an active player base of 3,700. Monthly sales are around $4,500.

We are currently seeking pre-seed investments to develop the project and studio further:

We are preparing a flat version of the game for Steam and consoles (development will soon start in collaboration with partners);
A contract with a console publisher has been signed;
Release is planned for fall-winter 2026;
A full multiplatform release (Meta + Steam + consoles) will also take place during this period;
We accomplish 95% of the work between the two of us: Andrey handles development, Alexander oversees all other aspects;
We are looking for $150,000 to hire three full-time employees and prepare the project for its multiplatform release (wish list growth, marketing campaigns);
A friend angel investor with substantial game development experience showed preliminary interest in funding $50,000; we are actively seeking the remaining $100,000.

About the Project

Dark Trip is a psychedelic escape room game where players take pills to solve puzzles and rely on hallucinations to investigate a grim crime.

Genre: Escape Room / Adventure / Horror

Features:

The gameplay is in the escape room style;
Mechanics for psychedelic "trips";
Evidence collection and analysis.

Technology: Unity

Platforms:

Meta Quest (early access);
Steam (coming soon);
PS4/5, XBS, Switch (coming soon with an indie publisher).

Dark Trip

About Gameplay/Mechanics

Dark Trip is a psychedelic escape room where the protagonist takes pills to solve puzzles and must rely on hallucinations as clues in the case of a missing girl. Each room can be completed either sober or under the influence of psychedelics, affecting how to solve the puzzles and what clues can be found to reveal the story.

USP

SOLVE PUZZLES IN DIRE SETTINGS. Immerse yourself in an eerie world filled with grotesque biotech machinery and sinister remnants of dark experiments.
EXPERIENCE PSYCHEDELIC TRIPS. Go through mind-bending experiences that distort perception and transform your surroundings.
USE HALLUCINATIONS TO UNCOVER HIDDEN CLUES. Search for clues, artifacts, and diary fragments to unravel the sinister mystery at play.

About the Target Audience

Our audience lies at the intersection of horror and escape room genres in the psychedelic niche (Layers of Fear, Superliminal, partially Psychonauts 2) and fetish franchises (Hellraiser, Lust from Beyond).

We draw inspiration from films by David Lynch and Terry Gilliam, the Hellraiser franchise, and works by H.R. Giger. Players have compared Dark Trip to films by David Cronenberg.

Key reference games:

As key references for marketing and sales, we consider:

Escape Academy — total revenue on Steam $1.6 million*, released in 2022;
Lust from Beyond — total revenue on Steam $2.4 million, released in 2021;
The Room VR — total revenue on Steam $1.9 million, released in 2020.

* According to gamalytics.com

Since its early access debut, the game has gradually built a community on Reddit. The core community resides on our Discord channel. The average rating on Meta Store is 4.7 (90 reviews). Around 4,000 players have participated in the paid early access.

About the Business Model

The game is distributed under a premium model: the early access price is €9.99, with plans to double it for the full release.

During early access, we will experiment with adding paid IAP consumables to gauge audience response.

Current sales: about $4,500 per month.

Release: fall-winter 2026 (Meta + Steam + consoles).

Financial forecasts for the first month of full release:

Pessimistic scenario: $300,000 (with $100,000 each from Meta Score, Steam, and consoles);
Optimistic scenario: $3 million.

Dark Trip

About the Metrics

Meta Store, VR version, Early Access:

wishlists — 2,900;
copies sold — 3,600;
revenue — €20,000;
active users — 3,700;
average rating — 4.7;
average session time — 20 minutes.

We will soon release a demo on Steam and begin actively gathering wishlists. We are currently securing funds for enhancing and promoting the Steam version.

Whom We Seek?

$150,000 in exchange for a 15% stake (studio valuation — $1 million post-money);
We already have preliminary interest for $50,000 from an angel investor with a background in game development.

Funds will be directed towards:

expanding the team to five members, including the founders;
a 12-month runway;
creating and polishing the flat version;
marketing campaigns for wishlist acquisition and preparing for release on Steam and consoles by November 2026.

Long-term goal: an exit in four to five years with a valuation of over $50 million.

How to Contact?

Email: nasonov.alexander@itales.mobi
Telegram: @alexnasonov
Phone: +359 87 9685227
Website: https://iworlds.studio