Svetlana Nozdracheva
Producer in Game Development
I MAKE GAMES HAPPEN
I’ve been working on game projects for four years, from small independent games to larger team projects.My experience also includes business planning, finding funding, and game promotion, as well as creating pitch decks and presenting projects at festivals and industry events.
PETALFALL
Team Lead
Team: 9 members
Development: 10 months
Engine: Unity
Outcome: 30-minute playable prototype, showcased at the Horizon of Indie Cultures Festival (2026).Petalfall is a dark narrative game about a florist, where the cozy atmosphere of a flower shop gradually gives way to something unsettling.
My main tasks were team management, planning, and keeping the game’s creative vision clear. We worked in two-week sprints using YouGile. Tasks were assigned based on each person’s skills, and I checked the results to make sure everything worked well together.
KEY DECISIONS
Finding the right people instead of compromising the project
We chose Unity for our 2D game, but most of the team only knew Unreal Engine. We had a vision, but lacked the developers to build it.Instead of changing our technical approach, I recruited two Unity programmers who stayed throughout development and helped turn the concept into a working game.
Cutting what didn’t work
Petalfall originally had a money system. But playtests revealed a problem: players didn’t understand its purpose. We could spend more time fixing it or admit that the game didn’t need it.I chose to cut it, even though we’d already invested time in development. This freed up resources for the story, atmosphere, and core gameplay. Sometimes, making a better game means removing what you’ve already built.
Game Screen: before and after removing the money and flower-growing systems
Defending the creative vision
Our supervisor suggested adding mathematical puzzles to make the game more challenging.But Petalfall wasn’t about solving equations. It was about immersing players in an unsettling story hidden inside a cozy world.I argued against the change because it would distract from the experience our audience valued. We kept the gameplay focused on atmosphere and narrative rather than unnecessary complexity.
ARE YOU REALLY A PRODUCER?
Game Production
Team: 2 members
Format: Board game for 3–6 players, ages 12+
Achievements: Showcased at 3 festivals, winner of HSE CREATIVE OPEN’26, finalist of Board Game FutureAre You Really a Producer? is a competitive board game where players run their own film studios, hire actors, produce movies, and compete for prestigious awards.
Together with my teammate, I worked on the game’s concept, mechanics, and rules. I created a communication brief, researching target audiences and competitors, defining product positioning, promotion channels, budget, and KPIs.Another part of my work was finding festivals, sending applications, presenting the game to players and potential investors, and collecting feedback.
KEY DECISIONS
Defining who we were creating the game for
We had a finished board game, but nobody outside the university knew about it. To take the project further, we needed to reach not only players but also potential partners.In communication brief, I identified three key target audiences:
• Film Enthusiasts (ages 25–30)
• Creative Young Adults (ages 18–23)
• Publishers & Investors
Taking the game beyond university
Creating a product isn’t enough if nobody knows it exists. I researched festivals and submitted applications. As a result, we showcased the game at three events, including Granicon in St. Petersburg.At these festivals, I engaged directly with the audiences identified in my communication brief: explaining the rules, running gameplay demonstrations, presenting the project to potential investors, and collecting feedback.
What started as an unknown university project became a board game showcased at three festivals. We became finalists of Board Game Future and won HSE CREATIVE OPEN’26 in the Board Game Design category.
VENETS KNYAGINI
Game Producer
Team: 15 members
Genre: Historical strategy with management and adventure elements
Status: In development
Achievements: Secured a grant for a historical research expedition; pitched the game at Connect Art MarketVenets Knyagini (The Princess’s Crown) is a historical video game about Princess Olga and the rise of Ancient Rus'. Players take on the role of her trusted advisor, making decisions that shape the future of the emerging state.
As the game’s producer, my responsibilities include coordinating a 15-person team, managing development workflows, and keeping the project aligned with its roadmap.To improve coordination between departments, I set up Weeek, organized tasks by priority, and started regular meetings with team leads. So far, 185 tasks have been completed.
BUSINESS PLAN & FUNDING
When two team leads left, the team needed a new plan. I took over as Lead Game Designer, shared responsibilities between team members, and started looking for new specialists. Two new programmers joined the project.
