Dev Interview - Jeremy Nelson, Little buffalo Studios
We sat down with Jeremy Nelson, Founder and CEO at Little Buffalo Studios, creator of the game Akiiwan: Relaxing Survival during PAX East 2026.
Matt: I'm here with Jeremy. We're at the Cozy Gaming Lounge at PAX.
Matt: Jeremy, how did you start working with OVR and getting sent in your game?
Jeremy: Yeah, so it was actually about a year ago at PAX, and I met Colin from OVR, and they were coming by and they saw this tree, which is sort of the centerpiece of our booth, and they were like, hmm, this might be a game that could benefit from the smell of a forest, which it was.
So that was kind of our first conversation.
Matt: How does it feel now to be showcasing your own game at such a convention like PAX East?
Jeremy: Oh, it's awesome. I mean, I love these events because you just meet real fans and you get, like, such incredible feedback from players that you just can't get any other way.
It just has, like, a really positive, like, fun vibe. So these events are fantastic for that.
Matt: What is your favorite scent from the cassette in general?
Jeremy: I think it really has to be the evergreen smell.
I just find that so peaceful. We're in Toronto, it's such a huge city and it's so long of a drive to get out into the forest.
And so being able to smell that every day is just amazing.
Matt: What is your favorite game and what would it smell like?
Jeremy: Um, I mean, I have a ton of favorite games.
I'm trying to think, you know, one of the ones I really enjoyed the last little while was Dave the Diver.
And I think, um, more so than obviously like fish smell, uh, but more than that, I think the, that ocean mist sort of smell, that sort of saltwater ocean smell that you kind of get when you're out like snorkeling or scuba diving or something like that.
That would be amazing.
Matt: What smell would stop you from rage quitting?
Jeremy: I mean, I feel like something like that forest smell, but like jacked up to 11.
Where it just kind of brings you back to earth. I think that's always been like the most like relaxing smell in the world for me.
Kind of, kind of makes you want to take a deep breath and just that makes you chill out. So yeah, I feel like like, yeah, the supercharged version of that one would do it.
Akiiwan: Relaxing Survival lets you fall into a chill survival adventure, with a talking campfire as your guide. Explore, craft, fish and hunt during the day, and ask your fire three questions each night. Choose wisely: Winter isn't the only surprise in this beautiful, hand-drawn world. Playable in cosy or realistic mode. It is listed on Steam and is available as part of our Kickstarter. Be sure to wishlist and follow the game on Steam - and head to Kickstarter to reserve your Omara and your copy of Akiiwan today!