Happy New Year from Cogs and Gears Games
Here’s a new year message from the whole team at Cogs and Gears (just me…)
2025 has been a huge year for Sky Ahoy, my steampunk adventure set among floating sky islands. The game has grown more than I ever expected, and I am excited to carry that momentum into 2026.
If you are new to Sky Ahoy, here is the quick version.
Sky Ahoy takes place in a future where a mysterious event shattered the world into islands suspended in the sky. Technology fell back to steam power, but traces of futuristic tech still remain. You explore these islands, uncover lost artefacts, and decide whether to use them for yourself or donate them to the museum.
You will meet different factions, build relationships with them, and shape how the world reacts to you. Or you might just strap on a jetpack and go exploring.
The simplest way to describe Sky Ahoy is what GamingBible called it: “Zelda meets Stardew Valley,” with a good dose of steampunk charm.
What happened this year
In short, a lot.
- Runner-up in the Game Developer Global Championship
- Finished and released a public demo
- Signed a publishing deal with Mytholite Games
- Remade the entire game from scratch
- Rebuilt everything to the point the original version had reached
- Added two full maps of new content
I am genuinely proud of this list. Mytholite have also been an incredible help throughout development.
Looking ahead to 2026
Here is what I want to achieve this year.
- Polish the two new maps
- Release a brand-new demo
- Build another two or three maps
- Launch Sky Ahoy in Early Access
- Experiment with local multiplayer
It is only five bullet points, but the work inside them is huge.
A deeper look at the journey
Finishing and releasing the demo
The demo launched on March 10. Hitting that button felt like I had finally “made it” as a developer.
There were some hiccups, including a bug that crashed the game whenever enemies attacked. I fixed it quickly, but the bug still lives on in a YouTube play through somewhere.
The good news is that the demo exploded, moving Sky Ahoy from around 300 wishlists to more than 3,000. GamingBible also covered the game, which was surreal.
Next Fest was less successful. My timing and marketing were not ready, and Early Access was still too far away. If you are a developer, choose your Next Fest carefully.
Signing with Mytholite Games
When Mytholite agreed to publish Sky Ahoy, I was over the moon. They have been incredibly supportive and work incredibly hard across every project they touch.
Remaking Sky Ahoy from scratch
The old codebase was nearly four years old. It had grown messy, slow to expand, and embarrassing to share. After starting a software engineering apprenticeship, I realised how much better it could be.
We decided to rebuild everything. It was risky, but the right call.
Building it again, better
The rebuild took around six months. The result is faster, cleaner, and far more fun. We shifted from a morality system to faction relationships. We added hats. We created randomly generated islands. We upgraded art. We even fixed the infamous pirate ship stairs.
Now I can add content much faster. Two full maps in just over two months proves it.
New content: two complete maps
The Monster Map
Slimes. Robot skeletons. New boss fights. You can tackle three bosses in any order, and many of them summon enemies, which I personally love.
The Hazmat Map
A mysterious cult lives among radioactive islands. These areas have their own art style, unique weapons like the drill, and my favourite addition: a jetpack that makes flying between islands pure joy.
Plans for next year
Polish
A full playthrough takes about two hours right now. With optional content, you could easily stretch it to five. I want the existing maps to feel as polished as possible before I move forward.
New demo
The new demo is about 95 percent ready. It is easily one hundred times better than the original, but I am saving it for the right moment so it can build hype.
More maps
Two major maps are planned, possibly three.
One focuses on pirates, including captains and a pirate king. You may fight them or work with them, and either way you still get treasure.
The other explores a powerful company that controls technology in this world. I will not spoil the story, but I can promise steam-powered laser weapons.
Early Access
My plan is to release Sky Ahoy into Early Access on a cliffhanger, then add new maps regularly, like chapters in a book. The story will unfold in real time, and there are some mysteries I cannot wait for players to discover.