WELCOME TO SKY LANTERN STUDIOS
Sky Lantern Studios is where creativity takes flight. Our studio is a space for game makers, storytellers, and artists to come together and build interactive worlds. We believe in the power of thoughtful design and playful imagination to elevate the player experience. We create games that inspire, challenge, and spark curiosity. Join us on this journey as we bring new interactive worlds to life.
OUR MISSION
Where Creativity Grows and Games Take Flight
At Sky Lantern Studios, our vision is to build a studio
where curiosity shapes creativity and every idea carries the potential to
become something extraordinary. We create games that feel personal, playful, and purposeful experiences that invite players to explore, wonder, and see the world from new angles.
We’re redefining what a modern game studio can be. Stability, ethical operation, and passion for craft guide everything we do, from how we generate ideas to how we protect our people. Our bottom-up creative model empowers every voice while maintaining strong, focused leadership.
We reject the industry’s reliance on crunch, burnout, and instability. Through financial discipline, diversified revenue, and secure scheduling, we are building a studio designed for longevity; one where layoffs are not a strategy but a failure of leadership we refuse to accept.
Sky Lantern Studios is more than a workplace. It is a creative launchpad where imagination has room to grow, where artists and designers can push boundaries, and where interactive worlds take flight.
Meet the Founders
Kris "Kage" Gruchalla
Co-Founder & CEO
Kris "Kage" Gruchalla is a veteran QA Manager & Producer with 10 years in the games industry, specializing in release management and platform submissions.
Having worked on titles such as Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove and Asgard's Wrath 2, she saw an opportunity to build a studio where curiosity and intentional design were central, not secondary. Her motivation is to create a culture that supports long-term creative health while delivering innovative, highly polished experiences that champion accessibility and cross-discipline growth. At Sky Lantern Studios, everyone's voice matters, and great ideas can come from anyone.
Christina Orcutt
Co-Founder & CCO
Christina Orcutt is a veteran Senior Environment Artist with over a decade of experience in the game industry, specializing in environment art and level design. Her expertise also extends to game design, graphic design, 2D art, and baking, where her love for creativity continues to shine.
Throughout her career, she has shipped more than ten titles, including Creed: Rise to Glory and Alien Rogue Incursion, and was interviewed for her work on colorblindness accessibility in Puzzle Bobble 3D: Vacation Odyssey. Driven by a vision to foster a space where intentional design and creativity can thrive, she will focus on bringing imagination and purpose back to the heart of game development. Her mission is to craft visually engaging, interactive environments that empower others to explore, create, and express their own voices because every world begins as a small ember.
Meet the Team
Name
Title
Intro
Meet the Pets
Skylab
Chief Cutest Officer & Director of Treat Acquisition
Our four-legged team member, Skylab, runs on a strict diet of ice cream, bacon, and belly rubs. When he’s not supervising lunch breaks or demanding a game of chase, he’s busy making sure morale (and crumbs) stay high. Catch him if you can, but only if you’ve got treats.
Apollo
Chief Cutest Officer & Director of Shenanigans
Our four-legged team member, Apollo, is the resident cuddle expert and professional snack enthusiast. He loves ice cream, long walks, and eating absolutely anything (even the stuff he’s allergic to; he’s still working on that part). When he’s not plotting snack heists, you’ll find him sneaking Skylab’s toys with zero shame and maximum tail wags.
Arya
Chief Cutest Officer & Chief Sunbeam Analyst
Our four-legged team member, Arya, is the studio’s dedicated sun-bathing specialist, spending most of her workday conducting important research on which windows have the best rays. When she’s not melting into a warm patch of light, she’s offering gentle supervision with soft purrs and slow blinks. Her hobbies include napping, judging anyone who blocks her sunshine, and relocating to a new sunbeam the moment you think you’ve found her.
Astra
Chief Cutest Officer & Supervisor of Selective Attention
Our four-legged team member, Astra, is the team’s resident queen, connoisseur of cozy spots, and master of appearing only when she feels like it. She oversees all operations from her preferred high perch and provides performance reviews in the form of slow blinks. When she’s not judging everyone’s life choices, she’s quietly plotting world domination or demanding chin scratches like it was your idea all along.
NEWS & EVENTS
Sky Lantern Studios In The Spotlight
Coming Soon