Ojiro ‘Moppin’ Fumoto: Downwell and Beyond

Join Ojiro Fumoto AKA ‘Moppin’, creator of award-winning indie game Downwell as he shares his creative journey from no experience in game development to releasing a hit in a year and 7 months.

Moppin will discuss his approach to game design, the process of indie development and thoughts for the future, followed by a 15 min Q&A session

About Ojiro Fumoto:

Ojiro Fumoto aka ‘Moppin’ is an independent game developer based in Tokyo Japan, known for his work on the critically-acclaimed Downwell (2015) for iOS, Windows, Android, Playstation 4 and Playstation Vita.

Between the age of 10 to 15 Fumoto lived and studied in New Zealand, before returning to Japan to complete his tertiary degree at the Tokyo University of the Arts in Opera Singing.

After graduation, Fumoto decided instead to pursue his passion for games development through the practice of developing multiple “game-a-week” projects. His thirteenth project Downwell would attract the attention of Cara Ellison from The Guardian and prolific indie publisher Devolver Digital.
Launched in late 2015, Fumoto’s first commercial title, Downwell became a critical and financial success – profitable just three days after release. Over the past year, the game received many awards and accolades from international ceremonies and media including Independent Games Festival, BitSummit, TouchArcade, GameSpot, The Game Awards, Destructoid, Game Developers Choice Awards and SXSW Gaming Awards including many Game of the Year recognitions.