About Cinevva
We're building a new way to discover indie games — one that shows you what you're getting. Here's Mariana explaining the why and how:
Mariana at the SF Game Dev Meetup — talking engine architecture, funding, and why we're building Cinevva
So here's the deal — you've probably bought a game because the trailer looked amazing. Thirty minutes later, you're sitting there wondering where that game went. The trailer didn't lie, not exactly. It just showed you something that conveniently vanishes the moment you actually start playing.
Cinevva exists because of this exact problem. You discover indie games by watching real people play them. No staged footage, no cinematic sleight of hand. The game you see is the game you get.
Discovery is broken
Store pages have kind of... stopped working. Eight carefully curated screenshots, a trailer polished within an inch of its life, maybe a pull quote from some outlet you've never encountered. But none of it answers the question that actually matters: will I still care about this game an hour in?
The fix seemed almost embarrassingly simple. Show the game running. That's it.
You scroll through clips. Something grabs you — tap it. Jump in immediately, or check out the store page first. Whatever works for you.
When we were building this, we kept thinking about the same people. Small teams. Solo devs working ridiculous hours. Scrappy studios shipping games that probably shouldn't exist — but somehow do. These people got into game development to make games. Not to become marketing experts or algorithm whisperers. Your game getting discovered shouldn't depend on having a PR budget.
Who this is actually for
Players — It's Wednesday night. You've got a few hours free. And you end up spending most of them scrolling through Steam, overwhelmed by choice, until you give up and watch something instead. Sound familiar? Cinevva gets you past that. Find something interesting, confirm it's your thing, play.
Developers — You shipped your game. Months of work behind it. Years, maybe. Launch week arrives, then passes, and... nothing much happens. Bad timing, wishlists that didn't convert, the algorithm deciding to look elsewhere. We built this thinking about you.
How it actually works
Dead simple:
- Scroll through gameplay clips
- See something interesting? Tap it
- Play immediately or visit the store page — up to you
That's it. Really.
What we won't compromise on
These principles come up in our internal discussions all the time:
- Reality first — every single clip is actual gameplay. No exceptions.
- Proper credit — clips always link back to the game and whoever made it.
- Respect your time — fast loading, no sign-up required to browse, zero dark patterns.
- Games over ads — nothing interrupts your browsing.
- Transparency — beta features get labeled clearly. When things change, we explain why.
Stay in the loop
- Blog — what we're working on and thinking about
- News — recent announcements
- Tutorials and Guides — resources for creators
- Showcases — games we think deserve attention
- Documentary — behind the scenes of our startup journey