How a solo horror game dev is taking Jordan global
Updated: 2 hours ago
When Shak started making No Visitors Allowed, he had a simple target: get 10 people to play it. Two years later, his solo project has appeared on IGN’s main YouTube channel, attracted players from around the world, and brought growing attention to his studio, Second Guess Studio.
For Shak, the moment still feels surreal. “When I finally saw the No Visitors Allowed trailer on IGN’s main YouTube channel, it genuinely felt unreal. I rushed to share it with my friends because I almost needed someone else to confirm that I was actually seeing it.”
The exposure was followed by a noticeable increase in wishlists and demo playtime. Shak also began receiving feedback from players around the world, with some of those responses helping shape the game's development.
For an independent developer working alone in Jordan, the experience has offered a useful reminder of how far a small project can travel when it finds an audience.
Finding an audience for an unconventional horror game
Shak believes part of that response comes from the creative direction of No Visitors Allowed. Rather than leaning heavily on traditional jump scares, the project is built around atmosphere, repetition, and uncertainty.
“I think one of the biggest reasons No Visitors Allowed stood out is that it is not built around the typical “here are a thousand jump scares, now be afraid” approach.”
That approach was deliberate. Shak says the trailer itself was designed to raise questions rather than explain everything, giving potential players a sense of the uncertainty at the heart of the project.
“As much as I hate uncertainty in real life, I love it in entertainment, especially in games.”
The idea has evolved considerably since development began. Shak originally envisioned something much closer to a first-person puzzle game, taking inspiration from Superliminal, Portal, and other games built around perspective.
The project included ideas involving the relationship between 2D and 3D space, as well as more NPCs. While much of that early concept was eventually removed, the post-Soviet-influenced setting remained important to the project's identity.
“If you looked at the game two years ago, it would almost feel like a completely different project.”
Shak says the story evolved alongside the changing mechanics, influenced in part by the design philosophy of Jonathan Blow. The result is a project that has gone through significant changes while gradually finding its current form.
The pressure of building a game alone
That evolution has taken place largely on Shak's shoulders. As the developer behind Second Guess Studio, he has been responsible for programming, art, design, audio, writing, and marketing.
“So far, I have been handling almost everything myself, and I can say it has been incredibly stressful.”
For a solo developer, managing those responsibilities means constantly making decisions about where to spend limited time and what can realistically be included. Shak says controlling scope has become one of the most important lessons he has learned during development.
There was also a point when the project nearly ended. In April, Shak came close to giving up after struggling with a major technical problem involving the game's core systems.
He wanted a flexible solution rather than a rigid, heavily scripted one. For a while, getting the system to behave as intended seemed out of reach.
“That was one of the hardest technical problems in the whole project, and for a while it genuinely felt impossible.”
Solving it became a turning point. Shak says he came away from the experience feeling that if he could overcome that obstacle, he could finish the game.
The development process taught him another important lesson: show the game to players early. Feedback from the demo highlighted problems that he had been unable to see after becoming so familiar with his own work.
Marketing was another area where his perspective changed. Shak now sees the Steam page, trailer, screenshots, outreach to creators and press, and community building as important parts of the development process.
A changing opportunity for Jordan and MENA developers
Shak's experience with No Visitors Allowed has also shaped how he views the Jordanian and wider MENA game development scene.
He says the local ecosystem has traditionally had a strong focus on hyper-casual mobile games, particularly for developers looking to build commercial projects. At the same time, he is seeing more creators in Jordan and across the region exploring different directions.
“I am seeing more indie developers in Jordan and across the region trying to move beyond the usual mobile-game clichés and create something bigger, more creative, and more personal.”
For Shak, the opportunity lies in building on that momentum. He wants to see stronger technical education, more support for PC and console developers, better access to funding and publishing opportunities, and greater encouragement for developers to pursue original ideas.
“What I would like to see in Jordan and the wider MENA region is more serious technical education, stronger support for PC and console developers, better access to funding and publishing opportunities, and most importantly, a culture that encourages developers to build original games rather than simply chasing whatever trend appears easiest or most profitable.”
It is a perspective shaped by his own experience. Building a game from Jordan has required Shak to navigate the realities of solo development while finding an audience beyond his immediate market.
Second Guess Studio looks beyond one game
No Visitors Allowed is also establishing the creative identity of Second Guess Studio. Shak says the studio name reflects uncertainty, doubt, and questioning what people see or experience. Those themes connect naturally with his current project, but he sees them as part of a broader creative direction for the studio.
“I want Second Guess Studio to be known for atmospheric, unsettling, polished experiences that stay with players after they finish playing.” The studio is still at an early stage, but Shak says some of the most meaningful feedback has come from aspiring developers who contacted him to say his work inspired them to start making games.
The project's international ambitions are reflected in its localization plans. No Visitors Allowed is being localized into 15 languages, supporting Shak's original aim of creating something that could reach players around the world.
The increased visibility has changed his confidence, even if it has not dramatically altered his expectations. “What has changed is probably my confidence. It showed me that a project coming from a very small solo studio can still reach a global audience if the idea connects with people.”
No Visitors Allowed is approaching its release
The next major milestone is an updated demo planned for the end of September, which Shak intends to take to Steam Next Fest. The build is expected to incorporate additional polish and changes based on player feedback while offering a stronger representation of the finished project.
The current plan is to release No Visitors Allowed on Steam by the end of October. Following the PC release, Shak plans to begin preparing the game for console porting, with Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 planned to follow.
After two years of development, Shak's definition of success remains straightforward.
“Success for me would simply mean that something I poured my heart and soul into for two years was genuinely enjoyed by players.”
There is another outcome that matters to him, particularly given his experience working from Jordan. If the game encourages young developers in the region to start pursuing their own ideas, he would see that as a meaningful achievement.
“I hope the game ultimately represents the idea that you do not need to come from a huge studio or a major game-development hub to create something that can reach players around the world.”
That idea brings the story back to the modest ambition that started it all. Shak began No Visitors Allowed, hoping that 10 people might play it. Now, as the game approaches its Steam release, the project has given Second Guess Studio a foundation and offered its creator a growing platform from which to pursue his vision.
“If someone sees the game and thinks, 'Maybe I can make my idea too,' then I would consider that a real success.”
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