A New Chapter Begins (Big News Blog For 2026!)
- DuckyVT
- Feb 24
- 7 min read
Today marks the beginning of a new era for us.
Since the early days, what started as Studio Zander has grown into something far bigger than a single name or a single person. Through late nights, chaotic development cycles, unforgettable streams, and the incredible support of our community and collaborators, we’ve evolved into a collective of creators, storytellers, artists, and players all building something together.
And now, it’s time for that evolution to be reflected in who we are.
Recently, our content creator and longtime supporter Witchy_Tea_Cup was given a special role in shaping our future. As part of a community-focused milestone and a way to support her on her special birthday as she raised funds for her cancer treatment, she was presented with three possible directions for our next identity:
Tinybill Studios
Tinybill Games
Team Tinybill
After careful consideration — and in a moment that perfectly represents what our community means to us — Witchy chose the name that felt the most true to our spirit moving forward.
From this point onward, Studio Zander will be transitioning into Team Tinybill. This change represents more than just a rebrand. It reflects the heart of what we’ve become:
A team.
Not just developers, but collaborators. Not just a studio name, but a shared identity shaped by everyone who has contributed to our journey — from content creators and voice actors to supporters, players, and friends who believed in our projects long before they became reality.
While the name is changing, the passion, creativity, and chaotic energy that built The Cooking Club, Static Hearts, and everything beyond will remain exactly the same. If anything, this marks the moment where we step fully into who we’ve already been becoming behind the scenes.
Welcome to Team Tinybill.
So far, our website will be under the alias of 'Team Tinybill' whilst our socials and discord will not convert until later into this year as Medea (our Art Director) is a super busy person and as our resident graphic designer - just needs some time to finish up her university projects!
Looking Ahead: Tinybill's Future
Alongside our name transition, we also took the opportunity to share something special behind the scenes.
As part of Witchy_Tea_Cup’s involvement in helping shape our future identity, we gave her an exclusive sneak peek at several upcoming projects and concepts that represent where Team Tinybill may be heading next. And today, we’re excited to finally share those ideas publicly with all of you.
Before we begin, we want to be completely transparent:
Aside from Static Hearts, none of the projects listed below are currently in active development. These are ideas, concepts, and creative directions that have been living within the studio for some time — possibilities that represent the future we’re slowly building toward. Game development takes time, and we believe in allowing ideas to grow naturally before committing to full production.
With that said… here’s a glimpse into what may be coming next.
Static Hearts
The second game in the Ashridge Trilogy, Static Hearts shifts the focus toward music, identity, and emotional connection within the quiet coastal town of Ashridge Bay.
Emi Hayashi lives a structured and reserved life, moving quietly through her days while writing lyrics she never shares. Used to being overlooked, she expects little to change — until Kira Thompson arrives. A bold South London transplant with a messy past and a guarded heart, Kira brings chaos, energy, and a spark that challenges everything Emi thought she understood about herself.
Thrown together through a shared love of music, their worlds begin to collide. What starts as cautious curiosity slowly grows into something deeper — a connection that forces both girls to confront vulnerability, past wounds, and the question of what it truly means to be seen.
STATUS: Currently in pre-production.
Velvet Signals (Tinybill After Dark Concept)
Set within a neon-lit, members-only club where communication happens through colour-coded signals rather than words, Velvet Signals explores themes of connection, boundaries, identity, and consent in an entirely different way.
Guests wear coded bracelets representing mood, intent, and personal boundaries, shaping how interactions unfold throughout each night. As part of the club’s staff — and part of the experience itself — players navigate a space where roles blur between observer and participant, fantasy and reality.
Due to its more mature themes, this project would exist under Team Tinybill’s planned “After Dark” label rather than the mainline studio catalogue.
STATUS: Concept stage.
The Bunker: Frankie's Origins
The truth rarely disappears. Sometimes, it just waits to be found.
The Bunker: Frankie’s Origins is a slow-burning detective horror experience centred around an old cold case tied to the mysterious closure of Frankie’s Burgeria Emporium — once a lively family restaurant now surrounded by unanswered questions and forgotten evidence.
Set years after a string of unexplained child disappearances, players step into the role of a detective reviewing archived cases scheduled for permanent closure.
What begins as routine paperwork quickly turns into something far more unsettling as inconsistencies emerge, hidden locations surface, and the investigation leads toward a long-forgotten underground facility that was never meant to be discovered again.
This project marks the beginning of Frankie’s larger narrative — a planned multi-game arc told across different genres and perspectives, evolving from investigative visual novel storytelling into larger-scale experiences such as diving into the RPG genre and even a first person horror experience.. our first ever project idea - arising like a phoenix.
STATUS: Rewritten concept currently under consideration.
…And One We’re Definitely Not Making (Probably)
Yes, there was also an idea titled:
“Oops! I Accidentally Dated My Content Team?!”
No, we are not making it.
(Probably.)
These projects represent the creative direction we’re exploring as Team Tinybill continues to grow. Some may evolve into full productions. Others may change entirely. That’s part of the process — and part of the fun.
What matters most is that we continue building worlds, stories, and experiences that feel meaningful, personal, and worth the time it takes to create them.
And of course… while we look ahead, we still have one big question remaining:
How do we bring the Ashridge Trilogy to its final conclusion?
A Sneak Peek Into The Cooking Club — Chapter Two:
Of course, we couldn’t invite Witchy into such a big moment without giving her a look at what many of you have been waiting for next…
The Cooking Club — Chapter Two.
During her birthday stream celebration and the Team Tinybill reveal, we shared multiple exclusive preview images showcasing early scenes, visual moments, and hints at what players can expect as the story continues.
Chapter Two picks up directly after the events that left the group shaken, pushing relationships into new territory while introducing new challenges both inside and outside the kitchen.
One of our biggest goals with Chapter Two has been to refine pacing and emotional impact while continuing to develop each character’s arc in meaningful ways. This chapter may not be the longest entry in the series, but it acts as an important turning point — laying the groundwork for the larger, more intense finale planned for Chapter Three.
Sharing these teasers early with Witchy felt incredibly special to us. The Cooking Club has always been shaped by the community surrounding it, and being able to celebrate that journey together while giving a glimpse into what’s ahead made the moment even more meaningful.
And yes… there are still plenty of surprises we’re keeping secret.
For now.
We did share a heap more of teasers but.. you just had to be there to see them!
A New Name. The Same Heart.
As we step into this new era as Team Tinybill, I won’t pretend it isn’t emotional.
Saying goodbye to the name Studio Z — or Studio Zander — is difficult. That name was deeply personal to me. It carried my identity, my ethos, and the raw beginnings of everything we’ve built together. It was the banner I stood behind when this was just an idea, just a late-night ambition, just a “what if.”
For our first year of existence, Studio Z was me — my creativity, my stubbornness, my storytelling style, my love for character-driven worlds and chaotic ambition. And I’m proud of that. I’m proud that a piece of who I am became the foundation this studio was built on.
But growth means evolution.
And what started as something personal has become something shared.
Team Tinybill represents more than a rebrand. It represents collaboration. Community. The people who believed in us, worked alongside us, voiced our characters, streamed our games, supported our campaigns, and helped shape our identity in ways I could never have done alone.
A part of me still will always be embedded in the studio though.. as a few clever ducks have worked out that "Tinybill" is a nice little reference to my love for ducks.. and how a ducks beak can typically be referred to as a "bill".. so nice spotting!
This next year is going to be special.
There will be music.
There will be the emotional ending to The Cooking Club.
There will be incredible merch.
There will be new stories.
And there will be a future that feels bigger, bolder, and more unified than ever before.
We’re stepping forward — not away from our past, but because of it.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for being here. Thank you for believing in these worlds. Thank you for allowing something that started so personally to grow into something that belongs to all of us.
Here’s to the next chapter.
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