Meet Gionathan Pesaresi, founder of Neutronized

Neutronized has a knack for creating compelling platformers – no easy task given the genre’s popularity. However, its Super Cat Tales franchise struck a chord with its quirky cast of kitty heroes, fun level design, and a signature retro style that rounds it all out. This success is the work of Gionathan Pesaresi, who founded Neutronized in 2010 to pursue his passion for games.

We sat down with Gionathan to talk about his development journey, the inspiration behind Super Cat Tales, life as a solo developer, and what might be coming up next for Neutronized.

Gionathan Pesaresi: I was around six when I received my first 286 computer, and instantly became obsessed with video games. I started wondering how those pixelated images moved, and from there sketched out my first prototypes on paper. During my elementary school years I experimented with simple game-making tools and years after that I started learning the basics of programming.

After my studies, I worked as a game programmer and eventually began thinking about running my own indie studio, working on my own games, and publishing them online. Back in 2009 Flash games were still big, and it looked very feasible to make and sell them. A year later I quit my job and founded Neutronized.

I primarily work solo, handling all the programming and most of the art. At the same time, I do collaborate with a few recurring team members who help with the graphics and music. They've played just as big a role in shaping Neutronized as I have, defining our unique style with both music and art.

The first challenge I faced was learning to stay disciplined and productive every day. I also had to learn how to cope with failure, like when a game didn't perform as well as I had imagined.

On the bright side, there were also epic moments, like getting my games featured on Google Play and reaching my first million downloads. Despite the wins and losses, my focus has always been on coming up with new games and staying productive.

I grew up with the pixel-based early PC games, so this “retro” look always felt natural to me – it was also an accessible art style when I was starting out. Over the years I've refined my technique and developed a style that's now instantly recognizable as part of the Neutronized identity.

Platformers have always been my favorite genre – they’re both fun and challenging to design, and blend nicely with other subgenres. I grew up playing classics like Prince of Persia, Commander Keen, Bubble Bobble, and the Kirby series. These games really shaped my tastes, sealing my passion for the genre.

I start from a place of nostalgia because “retro” is something most people are already familiar with. It makes my games more accessible and instantly relatable. I also don't put too much emphasis on storytelling at first; instead I just follow the flow and focus on gameplay.

As it starts to take shape, the story ideas naturally come together, and once I reach that point, I like to expand on it and build a proper world. That's exactly what happened with the Super Cat Tales series – I ended up creating a whole lore and backstory that grew with each game. I think the key is not trying to overdo it from the start, and to just follow a natural flow.

Player feedback has been fundamental in shaping my games. I used to create games without much planning that I found personally rewarding, but over the years I've learned to focus on what players enjoy most about my games.

I’ve also learned to pay more attention to balancing the difficulty curve. I think most new indie devs tend to make their games a bit too hard – I was no exception. Watching gameplay videos and reading player reviews has helped me understand how to make the experience engaging and not frustrating.