DownSouth

I'm Anthony Botsford, a creator of all different varieties. I've worked on titles for everyone from small indie studios to bigger companies. Games are a collaboration between the audience's vision and the creator's, and I'm immensely passionate about every part of creative expression and about games as an interactive art form.

On DownSouth, I'm the lead developer, sole artist, writer, sound designer, and UX and level designer. 🟣 I've also assembled a remote team for the project, collaborating with people from different cultures all across the globe.

I'm building an indie studio of my own, where I can channel all of my creative efforts into even more fun, engaging and interactive pieces of expression for everyone to explore. You can find more about me at troopsushi.com.

I've been creating experiences from a very young age. My first game was a Super Mario Bros.-inspired platformer built in Game Maker 8.1, and it established a lot of the DNA for everything I've made since. Driven by the idea of creating thought-provoking, meaningful commentary, I've dabbled in plenty of other disciplines too. In high school I dove into film: directing, producing, editing and acting in my own short film, "Dandelion Wine", which was later screened in theatres.

And long before that, as early as I can remember, I was making art as a young bean.

I've led teams from around the globe on imaginative titles that bring out the expression, humanity and care in game creation. Besides DownSouth, there's "Limbs", a fighting game where your only way to attack is by hurling your own body parts at your opponents. As a director, I love setting a distinct direction for an experience, and I'm just as eager to execute each idea with a precise understanding of the design process.

With a deep passion for games as a craft, I've worked with numerous indie studios as a creative director, experience designer or design lead, and often as the sole artist, making sure each project has a unique flavour that stands out from the crowd. I'm always eager to learn whatever it takes to get the job done, from art to programming to design. Friends I've worked with say I'm good at turning simple ideas into compelling, unique gameplay and growing them into a cohesive whole. Most importantly, I make sure everyone is having fun while contributing.

Thank you for backing DownSouth on Kickstarter! When customization-based rewards are ready, I'll send you a survey by email through Kickstarter. You'll know it when you see it.

Absolutely! Send your work in through the fan art submission form or share it in the fan works channel on our Discord. Featured pieces appear in the Fan Art gallery on this site, and you'll also have a chance to be featured in the in-game Gallery. We want to give you a platform to share your creativity.

We're always open to seeing what talent is brewing! Fill out our "We Want You!" form with a few details about yourself and your work or portfolio, and we'll review your application.

Join the DownSouth Discord for any and all updates on the game's progress and future community events, from speedruns to fan art spotlights and collages!

You can send them through the DownSouth demo feedback and playtest form.

The name came from a happenstance moment while I was making my very first game. I was creating a helmet-wearing hermit enemy called a 'troop', took a break for dinner, and happened to be eating sushi that night. If not for those two things lining up, I'd still be called Fatrope2388, which is far less flattering.

Ever since, 'Sushi Thursdays' have been a proud tradition in my household. And the 'troop' part of the name is held together by all the wonderful people I've had the privilege of meeting and collaborating with over the years.