{"id":75313,"date":"2026-09-17T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.xtremeservers.com\/blog\/five-years-of-solo-development-interview-with-fountains-creator-john-pywell\/"},"modified":"2026-09-17T18:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T17:00:00","slug":"five-years-of-solo-development-interview-with-fountains-creator-john-pywell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.xtremeservers.com\/blog\/five-years-of-solo-development-interview-with-fountains-creator-john-pywell\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Years of Solo Development \u2013 Interview with Fountains Creator John Pywell"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-xbox-summary\">\n<h3>Summary<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Launching today on XBOX.<\/li>\n<li>John\u2019s game design and creation process.<\/li>\n<li>Sources of inspiration and teamwork during development.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.xbox.com\/en-US\/games\/store\/fountains\/9PB5NCPHBBD7\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.xbox.com\/en-US\/games\/store\/fountains\/9PB5NCPHBBD7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fountains <\/a><\/em>is a solo-developed Metroidvania inspired by <em>Dark Souls<\/em> and <em>Hollow Knight<\/em>, built over five years by creator John Pywell. With the game now launching on XBOX, we spoke with Pywell about its development, influences, and unexpected international success.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Sam<\/strong>: So firstly, tell us a bit about yourself \u2013 a brief introduction of anything you\u2019d like to say or not say.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John: <\/strong>I\u2019m John Pywell, a computer science graduate from Canada. Halfway through high school, I took my first computer programming course, and when I realized I was good at it, I never stopped. I work full time in the field, plus a ton of my free time as you can see.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sam<\/strong>: What was your earliest memory of video games?<\/p>\n<p><strong>John: <\/strong>I think my earliest memory of video games was seeing my older brother play a racing game on our Windows XP desktop. The first video game I remember owning is <em>Wii Sports<\/em>, around 2006. I was around six years old, and my parents brought me to some kind of technology exhibition at our local university. There was a display of the newly-released Wii, which I remember being fascinated with. A few months later, we had one of our own, and <em>Wii Sports<\/em> is the game that comes with the system.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sam<\/strong>: Could you tell us some of your favourite games? Do you see anything of those games in <em>Fountains<\/em>?<\/p>\n<p><strong>John: <\/strong>Well, it might be obvious from the content of <em>Fountains<\/em>, but <em>Dark Souls 1<\/em> is my favourite single-player game of all time. The twisting, interlocking world design of the first game in the series is so mysterious to me. After playing it, I wished there were more games with world designs like that, and unfortunately the sequels are more linear. That\u2019s one of the main reasons I made <em>Fountains<\/em>. Another favourite game of mine is <em>Satisfactory<\/em>. If you don\u2019t know of it, it\u2019s a first-person factory-building game. It\u2019s obviously nothing like <em>Fountains<\/em>, but I love optimizing and solving problems, so I think it appeals to the programmer part of my brain.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" data-xwr-full-src=\"https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/4-8831ec6abad1fefe4831-scaled.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/4-8831ec6abad1fefe4831-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"FOUNTAINS screenshot\" class=\"wp-image-226242\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/4-8831ec6abad1fefe4831-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/4-8831ec6abad1fefe4831-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/4-8831ec6abad1fefe4831-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/4-8831ec6abad1fefe4831-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/4-8831ec6abad1fefe4831-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/4-8831ec6abad1fefe4831-960x540.jpg 960w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/4-8831ec6abad1fefe4831-1600x900.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Sam<\/strong>: What was your main motivation for making <em>Fountains<\/em>? Seeing a video game through to the end is not an easy task.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Like I touched on earlier, I love when games are mysterious. When you find a secret in an RPG, it sometimes feels like you\u2019re the first person to ever see that part of the game. My goal in making <em>Fountains<\/em> was to create a world with a real feeling of mystery. If you play the game, you\u2019ll notice this; there is practically nothing telling you what your goal is or where to go. Your only option is to explore the world and uncover the story for yourself. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" data-xwr-full-src=\"https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/Asset-1-Squid-Concept-Art-a9809d4e16d8ce439152.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/Asset-1-Squid-Concept-Art-a9809d4e16d8ce439152-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"FOUNTAINS screenshot\" class=\"wp-image-226247\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/Asset-1-Squid-Concept-Art-a9809d4e16d8ce439152.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/Asset-1-Squid-Concept-Art-a9809d4e16d8ce439152-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/Asset-1-Squid-Concept-Art-a9809d4e16d8ce439152-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/Asset-1-Squid-Concept-Art-a9809d4e16d8ce439152-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/Asset-1-Squid-Concept-Art-a9809d4e16d8ce439152-960x540.jpg 960w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/Asset-1-Squid-Concept-Art-a9809d4e16d8ce439152-1600x900.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>\u201cMost \u2018concept art\u2019 I made is mostly gameplay focused and looks like a five-year-old drew it\u201d<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sam<\/strong>: How did you choose the mechanisms for battle and exploration in the game?<\/p>\n<p><strong>John<\/strong>: The mechanisms for exploration are very inspired by the Metroidvania genre. The main idea is that the entire world is technically open to you at all times, but there are certain tools and skills you need to acquire to progress. This creates a satisfying loop where players encounter a barrier, make a mental note of it, and later return with the right skill or item to push forward. It\u2019s about rewarding curiosity and giving players those \u201caha!\u201d moments as they gradually learn the world\u2019s layout and secrets. The main battle mechanic of hitting enemies to regain your magic resource was shamelessly stolen from <em>Hollow Knight<\/em>, although I\u2019m not sure who first invented it. <em>Hollow Knight<\/em> is my favourite game in the Metroidvania genre, so it was also a big inspiration for the exploration-focused gameplay in <em>Fountains<\/em>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" data-xwr-full-src=\"https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/7-e97466267af794825a3b-scaled.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/7-e97466267af794825a3b-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"FOUNTAINS screenshot\" class=\"wp-image-226245\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/7-e97466267af794825a3b-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/7-e97466267af794825a3b-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/7-e97466267af794825a3b-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/7-e97466267af794825a3b-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/7-e97466267af794825a3b-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/7-e97466267af794825a3b-960x540.jpg 960w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/7-e97466267af794825a3b-1600x900.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Sam<\/strong>: What was the most challenging thing about creating the game? Or which part took the longest to get right?<\/p>\n<p><strong>John<\/strong>: Since I already had a background in programming, the most difficult part for me was learning to create pixel art. If you look at early builds of the game, the art was a lot more rudimentary and had a \u201cMS Paint\u201d vibe. As my skills improved over the approximately five years of development, I went back and replaced my terrible early art with slightly less terrible art. You might also notice that the later you progress into the game, the characters and enemies are progressively more well-animated. At the start of development, I wasn\u2019t using the proper software to have a good preview of what character animations would look like before fully adding them to the game. So, lots of the early animations are still there, and look a bit more \u201cstiff\u201d.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" data-xwr-full-src=\"https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/1-fadf8237c05c44e7ed25-scaled.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/1-fadf8237c05c44e7ed25-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"FOUNTAINS screenshot\" class=\"wp-image-226239\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/1-fadf8237c05c44e7ed25-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/1-fadf8237c05c44e7ed25-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/1-fadf8237c05c44e7ed25-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/1-fadf8237c05c44e7ed25-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/1-fadf8237c05c44e7ed25-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/1-fadf8237c05c44e7ed25-960x540.jpg 960w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/1-fadf8237c05c44e7ed25-1600x900.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>\u201cI\u2019m sure the ominous entity imprisoned in the crystal is capable of reason and our talk will proceed smoothly\u201d<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sam<\/strong>: Did you feel any restrictions when making the game, or was it a smooth process? Is there something you\u2019d like to explore in the future that you would have liked to explore in <em>Fountains<\/em> but didn\u2019t get the chance?<\/p>\n<p><strong>John<\/strong>: The release version of <em>Fountains<\/em> is the final product I always imagined when I started work on it. It\u2019s also a considerably longer game than I thought I was capable of making myself. However, I do wish I had more time to include a few more *really* secret bosses. There are secret bosses, of course, but if there were one that only one percent of players could find, I think that would be really cool. Unfortunately, spending that much time on something so few people would see wasn\u2019t in the cards, since the last boss in the final game was added only a few months before release.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" data-xwr-full-src=\"https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/5-81370dcf1d0c11b32c56-scaled.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/5-81370dcf1d0c11b32c56-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"FOUNTAINS screenshot\" class=\"wp-image-226243\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/5-81370dcf1d0c11b32c56-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/5-81370dcf1d0c11b32c56-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/5-81370dcf1d0c11b32c56-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/5-81370dcf1d0c11b32c56-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/5-81370dcf1d0c11b32c56-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/5-81370dcf1d0c11b32c56-960x540.jpg 960w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/5-81370dcf1d0c11b32c56-1600x900.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\"><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Sam<\/strong>: How did you approach the programming and systems of the game?<\/p>\n<p><strong>John<\/strong>: The game is written in Godot engine. I chose this engine because it\u2019s a free and open source project, and (in my opinion) the best engine all-around for 2D games. If anyone is reading this and is interested in game development, I recommend they start with Godot. Of course, the engine isn\u2019t quite ready for AAA graphics, but solo devs don\u2019t need to worry about that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sam<\/strong>: How did you approach the music of the game?<\/p>\n<p><strong>John<\/strong>: The music for the game was entirely composed by Travis Moberg, and honestly, he absolutely nailed it. I\u2019d explain the atmosphere I was going for \u2013 whether it was eerie, tense, or calm, and somehow he\u2019d come back with a track that perfectly captured that mood. His ability to translate vague descriptions into music that feels spot-on is kind of unreal. The soundtrack really helps set the tone throughout the game, and his work brought a whole new layer of depth to the experience.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sam<\/strong>: Other than games, what kind of media influenced this game? Be it music or films\u2026 etc.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John<\/strong>: The 1986 fantasy movie \u201cLabyrinth\u201d gives off really similar vibes to what I was going for in <em>Fountains<\/em>. It\u2019s a bit corny, but it has similar themes: exploring a strange world, characters speaking in riddles, and a sense of mystery throughout.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sam<\/strong>: Could you speak about the 3D modelling in the game, how did you achieve them?<\/p>\n<p><strong>John<\/strong>: There\u2019s actually no 3D modelling in <em>Fountains<\/em> at all. It may seem that way in some parts, but everything is made of flat 2D sprites. There\u2019s some forced perspective to make it seem like they have depth, but in reality everything\u2019s 2D. The only time I used 3D modelling in development was to help me visualize the perspective of one of the \u201cspiral staircase\u201d sprites I drew. However, the original prototype I made for <em>Fountains<\/em> was a top-down 3D game, as opposed to the fully 2D game that was released.<\/p>\n<p>If anyone\u2019s interested in this, there\u2019s a short video showing the original 3D prototype on the <em>Fountains<\/em> YouTube channel.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" data-xwr-full-src=\"https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/Asset-3-Spritesheet-bb295de2d1300216dc53.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/Asset-3-Spritesheet-bb295de2d1300216dc53-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"FOUNTAINS screenshot\" class=\"wp-image-226249\" srcset=\"https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/Asset-3-Spritesheet-bb295de2d1300216dc53.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/Asset-3-Spritesheet-bb295de2d1300216dc53-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/Asset-3-Spritesheet-bb295de2d1300216dc53-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/Asset-3-Spritesheet-bb295de2d1300216dc53-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/Asset-3-Spritesheet-bb295de2d1300216dc53-960x540.jpg 960w, https:\/\/xboxwire.thesourcemediaassets.com\/sites\/2\/2026\/09\/Asset-3-Spritesheet-bb295de2d1300216dc53-1600x900.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Spritesheet for the main character\u2019s movements in one of the armor sets<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sam<\/strong>: Your game got a lot of attention, could you speak about your feelings towards doing so well in your first commercial endeavour?<\/p>\n<p><strong>John<\/strong>: When I started this project, I imagined only my friends would play it. I had no idea it would become popular, no less that people would be playing it all the way over in Japan. If I could, I would personally thank anyone who played the game.<\/p>\n<p>Want to see <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.xbox.com\/en-US\/games\/store\/fountains\/9PB5NCPHBBD7\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.xbox.com\/en-US\/games\/store\/fountains\/9PB5NCPHBBD7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fountains<\/a><\/em> in action for yourself? The game and DLC are available now!<\/p>\n<div id=\"msp1789601363081\" class=\"\">\n<div class=\"ms-product-badge mspb-large\" data-product-id=\"9PB5NCPHBBD7\">\n<div class=\"mspb-primary-image\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/store\/apps\/9PB5NCPHBBD7\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/store-images.s-microsoft.com\/image\/apps.17314.14129754896175152.b9fce087-acf0-4f90-85ff-3bebec91f639.d6e536f4-576e-4717-871e-530a42f5cc07?w=400&amp;h=600\" alt=\"FOUNTAINS\" class=\"skip-lazy\"><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"mspb-details\">\n<div class=\"mspb-feature-badges\">\n<div class=\"mspb-feature-badge xbox-play-anywhere\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.onestore.ms\/cdnfiles\/sfw-service-web-onestore-onerf-2017-11-8-12\/store\/common\/images\/xpalogo_black.png\" alt=\"Xbox Play Anywhere\" class=\"skip-lazy\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>FOUNTAINS<\/h2>\n<div class=\"mspb-secondary-details\">\n<div class=\"mspb-left-container\">\n<p>Crunching Koalas<\/p>\n<div class=\"mspb-rating\">\n<div>\n\t\t\t<span>\u2606<\/span><span>\u2606<\/span><span>\u2606<\/span><span>\u2606<\/span><span>\u2606<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"mspb-total-ratings\">1<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"mspb-full-stars\" style=\"width: 75px\">\n\t\t\t<span>\u2605<\/span><span>\u2605<\/span><span>\u2605<\/span><span>\u2605<\/span><span>\u2605<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mspb-price\">\n\t\t\t\t<span>$14.99<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"mspb-buttons\">\n\t<a class=\"mspb-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/store\/apps\/9PB5NCPHBBD7\" target=\"_blank\">Get it now<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"mspb-bottom-badges\">\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mspb-right-container\">\n<div class=\"mspb-description\">\n\t\tThe Fountain of Youth was hidden away. Nonetheless, it is fated that a Usurper will slay the Ageless and unearth it once more.<\/p>\n<p>FOUNTAINS is a soulslike action-RPG built around fighting your way through a maze-like interconnected, seamless world. You&#8217;ll take the role of a hooded stranger, recently imprisoned by a tyrannical regime. Will you escape and uncover the mysteries of this war-torn empire? <\/p>\n<p>Demanding, but fair combat<br \/>\nTight, responsive combat puts every tool and tactic in your arsenal to the test, rewarding precision and quick thinking. Your enemies will hit hard and punish hesitation, turning each fight into an intense back-and-forth where the tide of battle can shift in an instant. Adjustable difficulty settings let you feel that thrill at exactly the intensity you crave, no matter your experience.<\/p>\n<p>Exploration that rewards curiosity<br \/>\nThe world of FOUNTAINS is one, seamless, giant dungeon. It is a tightly packed labyrinth which twists and loops back on itself. You&#8217;ll always discover something new:  items, powers and upgrades to unlock new parts of the world.<\/p>\n<p>Leave Your Mark<br \/>\nFOUNTAINS features an online message system. Leave hints throughout the world to help out your fellow players, or trick them into doing something foolish!<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Souls-like action combat set in a metroidvania-style interconnected world.<br \/>\n\u2013 Find new abilities and tools to help you to defend yourself and to traverse the world.<br \/>\n\u2013 Rich dark fantasy lore told through exploration and environmental storytelling.<br \/>\n\u2013 Online message system for community interaction.<br \/>\n\u2013 Secrets are everywhere, so always keep an eye out!\t<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/news.xbox.com\/en-us\/2026\/09\/17\/five-years-of-solo-development-interview\/\">Five Years of Solo Development \u2013 Interview with Fountains Creator John Pywell<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/news.xbox.com\/en-us\">XBOX Wire<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.xbox.com\/en-us\/2026\/09\/17\/five-years-of-solo-development-interview\/\">Go to Source (xbox.com)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summary Launching today on XBOX. John\u2019s game design and creation process. Sources of inspiration and teamwork during development. Fountains is a solo-developed Metroidvania inspired by Dark Souls and Hollow Knight, built over five years by creator John Pywell. With the game now launching on XBOX, we spoke with Pywell about its development, influences, and unexpected<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":75314,"comment_status":"registered_only","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,4,31,9,10],"tags":[15,14694,18],"class_list":["post-75313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-featured","category-new-releases","category-popular","category-reviews","category-xbox","tag-playstation","tag-playstation-games","tag-xbox"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Five Years of Solo Development \u2013 Interview with Fountains Creator John Pywell | Xtreme Servers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"View Five Years of Solo Development \u2013 Interview with Fountains Creator John Pywell for free, here on XtremeServers. 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