adminTeam Trifold is a new New Zealand indie game studio established by Dredge developer Black Salt Games. Its first project, Nothing Lost, is a roguelike designed to make death a meaningful part of progression rather than simply a setback. The studio will operate alongside Black Salt Games and Disc 2 Games under the new Saltworks Entertainment label.
Team Trifold joins Saltworks Entertainment
Saltworks Entertainment brings together shared capabilities in production, marketing, quality assurance, localisation, audio, business operations and publishing. The three Christchurch-based studios are located in the same building and can draw on this shared support, while each remains creatively independent.
Black Salt Games is funding and publishing Nothing Lost, using resources made possible by the success of Dredge. The project also benefits from New Zealand’s Game Development Sector Rebate. Studios supported by the rebate recorded combined revenue growth of 17%, reaching $829 million.
Saltworks’ approach centres on sustainable development. By sharing experience and infrastructure, the studios aim to support ambitious indie projects without requiring each team to grow beyond its needs. For players, this structure may help a small team focus on developing and testing its game while accessing specialist support across key production areas.
How Nothing Lost rethinks roguelike progression
Team Trifold’s debut aims to “turn the roguelike loop on its head” by making death a core progression mechanic. The concept includes a multiplicative, death-based crafting system intended to give players a reward for a familiar challenge in the genre: losing a run.
The game draws inspiration from the 2001 anime Shaman King, particularly its ideas about life after death and supernatural abilities. The team has also taken inspiration from the varied cultural mythologies represented among its members.
Because roguelikes often involve repeated failure, the developers say it will be important to communicate clearly that dying is an intentional part of Nothing Lost. Players evaluating the game should look for how its progression systems explain what they gain from each run, including when a run ends.
Image credit: Team Trifold/Nothing Lost
A three-person team focused on iteration
Team Trifold has three members: artist and writer Jed Uy, production and QA specialist Wilson Teo, and programmer Carl Johnson. The team brings experience from across the games industry, including work on original projects and work-for-hire productions.
Uy and Teo have highlighted iteration, playtesting and a clear set of design pillars as important to the development process. These principles help teams test whether creative and technical decisions support the intended player experience. In practical terms, repeated testing can reveal whether the death-based crafting system feels rewarding and whether players understand its purpose.
What the studio structure means for Nothing Lost
Team Trifold will retain creative independence while sharing operational support with the other Saltworks studios. That arrangement gives the new studio access to capabilities beyond its three-person development team, without changing its core design direction.
The key question for Nothing Lost will be how consistently its systems make failure feel worthwhile. Team Trifold’s central idea is to turn death into progress, and clear communication, careful playtesting and a cohesive roguelike loop will be essential to delivering on that promise.
Image credit: Team Trifold/Black Salt Games
