What would you do if every Bible in the world was gone, and the only way to get God’s Word back was to piece it together one verse at a time? That is the idea behind The Canon Keeper, an upcoming Christian game from solo developer Dan, better known online as INDIE. I got to sit down with Dan to talk about his years in the gaming industry, how Jesus changed his life, and why he believes the Holy Spirit gave him the idea for this game.

The Canon Keeper releases on Steam on November 4, with PlayStation following on November 11. A free demo is available now.

From QA Tester to Solo Developer

Samuru: Hey there, Dan! Thank you very much for taking the time to answer some questions and let my audience know more about you. It’s always fun to interview someone who has been in the gaming industry for many years. You have experience that many gamers don’t have, since you’ve been behind the scenes and in the trenches with the gaming industry.

Samuru: So before we get into the game, tell me a little about your time in the gaming industry. What did you work on? Was it a certain game studio or game you can talk about?

Dan: I’ve actually been working in the game industry for over 15 years. The very first job I did in the game industry was in 1999 on the game Catechumen, which was a Christian first-person shooter, and I did QA and found bugs. Then I became a 3D animator, and I animated in some point-and-click games, working with Jane Jensen on one of them, actually. Then, through that, I started streaming on Twitch, and through streaming on Twitch, I started working with PR, influencers, marketing, community management, and some game design. My very first game was called Pyroclysm, and it was a mobile game that I made in 2011.

How Dan Gave His Life to Christ

Samuru: Can you go into more detail on how you gave your life to Christ? What was it like praying to God in those dark times and reaching out to Him for help? What made you want to do that in the first place?

Dan: When I was younger, I basically was a career criminal and made illegal drugs. I did get clean for a while, but then, at some point, I relapsed really hard. I went through rehab, and through that rehab, I was doing the 12-step program. Part of the 12-step program is that you pray God’s will. Even though they say your higher power can be anything, I was just praying God’s will.

Then amazing things started happening. When I got out of rehab, my wife said, “Do you want to get saved?” because she’s been a Christian her whole life, and her dad was a pastor. Her grandpa was a pastor, too. I said, “Sure,” and then the very next week I got baptized. It’s been on ever since then.

The Idea Behind The Canon Keeper

Samuru: When did the idea come to start working on your upcoming game, The Canon Keeper, and why did you choose a story about altered Bibles and the preservation of truth?

Dan: Well, I got back into solo developing because it has gotten much easier and more accessible. I made several games and prototypes of games, but I really, really wanted to make a Christian game, and it wasn’t my idea. It was 100% the Holy Spirit who gave me the idea for The Canon Keeper.

Samuru: What is the game about? How’s the gameplay, story, and any other details you can tell us about?

Dan: The story is that the government has destroyed all the Bibles, and they’re trying to rewrite Scripture. Underground churches are trying to piece the Bible back together, one scripture at a time.

You have a basement where you work, and there are messengers that bring you these scripture fragments. It’s up to you to decide if they’re canon or if they’re corrupted scripture, because the government is trying to rewrite the Scripture. You pretty much decide if it’s canon, if it belongs in the Bible, or if it gets burnt.

The more corrupted scripture you put in the Bible, the more bad things start happening: people get possessed, there are demonic influences, and underground churches fall apart. The more canon you get into the Bible, the more amazing things start happening. People are filled with the Spirit, people get raised from the dead, and people get healed.

What Players Will Walk Away With

Samuru: How will people be impacted when they play the game? What do you hope players walk away with after putting down the controller?

Dan: It kind of started out as: I wanted a way for people to learn or remember Scripture, but then I realized that the story is much more important. I just pray that people play this and realize that we really need to renew our minds continually. We need to read Scripture. We need to meditate on it. We need to get it into our hearts because, at some point in time, we just might not have Bibles.

Samuru: Was there a moment you almost quit? What kept you going?

Dan: No. There was a time when I wasn’t going to quit, but I really did pause on the game. I released the demo, and then I just didn’t touch it for almost a month. I just encouraged people to play, watched people play it, and I learned a lot. Then that fire kind of got relit again after about a month.

Advice for Christian Gamers Who Want to Make Games

Samuru: What would you tell a Christian gamer who wants to make their own game?

Dan: I say do it. It’s so easy to do it right now.

On a secular level, learn about game design. Learn about what makes a game fun. Learn about what makes a game feel good.

On the spiritual side, every day ask the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you. You want to only make a game if it’s God’s will. You want to only make a game in a way that is God’s will and glorifies God. It’s so easy to get caught up in the actual making of the game and the fleshliness of it that you really need to stay connected to Jesus.

Release Date, Platforms and DLC Plans

Samuru: What consoles is The Canon Keeper coming out on? When can people expect to play it? Are there any other plans coming for the game?

Dan: It releases on Steam on November 4. The PlayStation date just got moved back to November 11. No plans for Xbox yet. We have been talking about DLC for it:

• To lengthen the story
• To have more scriptures and a little more variance in the storylines
• Also, right now it is all New Testament, so we’re talking about DLC for the Prophets or for Psalms and Proverbs.

Where to Find Dan

Samuru: Thank you, Dan! Where can people find you if they wanted to reach out? I will leave the link to The Canon Keeper below so anyone can purchase it on Steam.

Dan: Here’s where you can find me:

• X (Twitter): Follow me for gaming discussions, industry news, updates, and whatever else is on my mind! @therealindie
• YouTube: Subscribe for gaming content and shorts! @therealindie
• LinkedIn: Let’s connect professionally! I love talking about the gaming industry, game development, marketing, community building, and helping indie developers succeed. linkedin.com/in/therealindie
• Twitch: Come hang out during my livestreams! We play indie games, talk about life, Jesus, and whatever else comes up! twitch.tv/indie
• Kick: You can also catch my livestreams here! kick.com/therealindie
• itch.io: Check out my itch.io page for games and projects I’m working on! indie.itch.io
• TheRealIndie.com: My personal website! Come check out what I’m doing and what I’m working on! therealindie.com
• IndiesGameConsulting.com: Are you working on a game and need help with marketing, community management, social media, publishing, or growing your audience? Let’s talk! indiesgameconsulting.com
• IndieGameBusiness Discord: discord.gg/IndieGameBusiness

Samuru: God bless you, Dan, thank you so much for your time! I hope the game does well, and I’m happy to connect with you again soon!

What do you think? Would you be able to tell canon from corrupted Scripture under pressure? Let me know in the comments, and come talk games and faith with us on the Gaming & God Discord.