Leveling up and Looking Back

From Idea to Showcase

Hi, Tough Cookies!

On the 7th of April, we had the opportunity to showcase My Friend Barrington at the Level Up Showcase in Toronto, and honestly, we’re still taking it all in.

What started back in September as a group of students coming together with an idea has now become something real. Standing there, watching people pick up the controller, explore Barrington’s world, and experience moments we spent months building… It’s something we won’t forget.

For many of us, this was the first time seeing players interact with the game in person. Seeing reactions in real time, watching people pause, smile, focus, and feel something while playing reminded us why we started this in the first place.

It wasn’t just about finishing a project. It was about creating an experience.

Level Up also gave us the chance to connect with other developers, industry professionals, and fellow students who are all building amazing things they care about. Being surrounded by that kind of energy was both inspiring and grounding. It reminded us that we’re part of something bigger.

Over the past 7 months, we’ve shared pieces of this journey with you. From character design and environment work to FMV, sound, and the challenges of student development, each dev blog has been a small window into how My Friend Barrington came together.

But behind all of that is the team.

Tough Cookie Productions is made up of 20 students who brought their ideas, creativity, and time into this project. Late nights, early mornings, constant iteration, and a lot of learning along the way. This game exists because of every single person who contributed to it. We are very grateful to our professors, department and everyone who has helped bring the Barrington magic to life.

To everyone who supported us, played the game at Level Up, or has been following along through these dev blogs, thank you. My Friend Barrington is available on Steam now! We hope you love it as much as we do!

And to our team, thank you for building something meaningful together.

This journey started with an idea, and somehow, it became a world.

And this is only the beginning.

Stay tough, Tough Cookies.

— Tough Cookie Productions

CREDITS Producers

• Ryan Bokla

• Andre Montrichard (QA Lead)

Game Design

• Tyler De Las Llagas (Lead/Creative Director)

• Sadie Nguyen

• Daniel Vidberg

• Alexander Grajales

Programming

• Eric Huang (Lead)

• Hitel Patel

• Noah Parfett

Art

• Amelia Leppek (2D Art Lead)

• Sadie Nguyen (3D Art Lead)

• Gerald Ananaba

• Tanisha Bhayani

• Fahd Gebi

• Eric Huang

• Brando Patel (UI)

• Garrett Wager

Narrative

• Leah Harvey (Lead)

• Daniel Vidberg

• Donna Marie Phelps

Audio

• Donna Marie Phelps (Lead)

• Leah Harvey (Music)

• Kieran Cassar

Video

• Garrett Wager (Lead)

• Kieran Cassar

Marketing

• Uzo Ifemenam (Lead)

• Summer Tibando

• Brandon Patel

Supervisors

• Aaron Mauro

• Agusia Krzywinska