Our Vision at Starving Lama Games
Starving Lama Games is more than a game studio—it's a creative experiment, a philosophy in motion, and a home for stories that don't fit the mold.
Founded by solo developer and storyteller William McCain, Starving Lama is the birthplace of worlds like Maid of Venia, a whimsical RPG inspired by legends and myth, and Path of the Ory, a narrative-rich fantasy journey. We also dive deep into the psychological and the strange with games like Jaws of Hell and The Hive Pandemic, where storytelling meets survival horror and social commentary.
We call our development style
Champloo—a Japanese word meaning “stir-fry” or “mixed up.” It perfectly captures our approach: mash up genres, blend tools, experiment freely, and let the game evolve as it’s made. Whether working in Unreal, Unity, Blender, GIMP, or using AI tools like ChatGPT, Suno, or Eleven Labs, our goal is always the same: to build rich, immersive worlds with emotional resonance and creative freedom.
Though currently a solo operation, Starving Lama Games collaborates with other artists, musicians, and developers whenever possible—valuing shared creativity over strict hierarchies. We believe in paying fairly, crediting openly, and building a space where everyone’s voice matters.
But our long-term vision goes beyond just making great games. We dream of evolving into a
democratic game studio—a company where:
- Pay structures are transparent
- Employees vote on decisions that shape the company
- Information flows freely, not vertically
- Power is distributed, not consolidated
As a former philosophy student, William built this studio on the belief that
creativity thrives when power is shared. In an industry often shaped by crunch culture and top-down control, we want to build something radically different: a game studio that plays by its own rules—fair, open, imaginative, and human-centered.
Whether you’re a player, a fellow developer, or a dreamer like us, we welcome you to join our journey.
Starving Lama Games — Where imagination takes the lead, and everyone has a say.
