Kyle Banks

(He/Him)

Kyle’s breakthrough project is the game Farewell North.

‘Taking a shot’ is the running theme that defines the life and work of lead game developer Kyle Banks. For one, in 2019, he moved to Scotland from Toronto, Canada, bringing with him his wife and two dogs, initially travelling England before finding a permanent home in Edinburgh. Then, after years of dabbling on the side with designing games, he left his successful career of 10 years as a software developer for tech start-up companies to launch his own independent studio, Blank Keys, and release his debut game, the beautiful and elegiac Farewell North (2024).

A complex narrative-driven game about someone coming to terms with loss, as seen through the eyes of a border collie, Farewell North provides a beautiful travelogue through the Scottish islands. That the game was made mostly during lockdown, and thus preventing real-world research, makes it an even more captivating feat. Kyle remains tight-lipped on what’s next in the pipeline, although he admits he is germinating something. Given his past history, we can expect it to be both exciting and bold.

In their own words…

“From the moment I learned how to write my first line of code, I was creating games. But it was always something I did on the side. It felt like such a pipedream to turn that into a career… Narrative is what I really enjoy in games. I’m very passionate about that and I think I have a knack for it. I’d love to meet some people like screenwriters and pick their brains a bit, and learn how they go about their process.”