Why we're called ViceCrush

Every studio name is a promise. Ours is a blunt one.

A vice, the way we mean it, is anything that takes more than it gives and keeps you coming back anyway. Gambling. Drinking. Drugs. And the quieter habits most of us know about from the inside.

Games sit closer to this than most things people make. Good games are built to be hard to put down — that's the craft. The same craft can be pointed at something healthier: at patience, at attention, at getting better at something real. We think it should be, and we think games can go further than that and actually help.

What that means for us

• We'll make games worth your time — games that leave you sharper when you put them down.
• Through our games and campaigns we'll talk honestly about addiction and habit: how they take hold, and how people break free.
• Wherever ViceCrush shows up, help will be one step away, for anyone who needs it.

Starting with the water

Our first game is Project Bluewater, an online fishing game on a living coast. Fishing is a fitting place to start: it rewards patience, reading the conditions, and coming back tomorrow because you want to — not because something is pulling at you. It's in closed alpha now, and we'll be writing about it here as it grows.

— The ViceCrush team

If a vice has its hook in you right now, you don't have to wait for a game to help. Free, confidential support is listed on our help section, including 9-8-8 (call or text, Canada and the US).