Akiiwan wins IGN ‘Next 9’ Spot, Drops official Demo Announcement Trailer at IGN Fan Fest

EAST YORK, ONTARIO, CANADA, October 14, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — “North of Lake Ontario…”

So begins the official demo announcement trailer released by Akiiwan: Relaxing Survival as part of IGN Fan Fest. IGN editors announced Tuesday that Akiiwan was selected as one of their NEXT NINE – nine upcoming games they are most excited about.

“Canada has an incredible history of making survival hits, including Long Dark and Don’t Starve, but to the best of our knowledge, no one has ever set a game around the Great Lakes, even though this land is incredibly beautiful and has been home to life for thousands of years,” said Jeremy Nelson, founder of Little Buffalo Studios.

“Since the game is literally set North of Lake Ontario, it felt like a good time for a reminder that the Lake’s name is much older and stronger than any executive orders.” (Google and Apple Maps recently renamed the lake Lake America in response to an executive order, even though the lake’s name comes from the word oniatari:io, an Indigenous word roughly meaning “lake of shining waters.”)

After establishing the setting of the game, the trailer dives into new gameplay and features from Akiiwan, showcasing what makes the game unique:

“Relaxing and Survival are not two words most people think of together, but we feel like we’ve found the perfect mix,” said Nelson. “Thanks to our many Indigenous team members, we’re able to go deeper into survival techniques than any game, but at the same time eliminate all the grind and stress elements. We’ve spent a lot of time in the woods and know that in a real forest you rarely need to chop down trees since they fall on their own, and there isn’t an angry moose waiting to attack you around every corner.”

Instead of predictable survival mechanics, the game introduces a talking campfire at its core. The fire is like a wise grandparent who wants players to succeed, but isn’t going to give away every secret. Players get to ask the fire just three questions a night to shape a unique survival path. The game also features other no-grind inventions, like the ability to fast travel to camp each night instead of wandering around lost, and the fact that you only need to eat once a day.

“The game is set in a beautiful, hand-painted world inspired by Northern Canada, and we want you to be fully immersed in that world – instead of spending all your time watching level bars go up and down,” said Nelson.

As part of IGN Fan Fest, The Akiiwan Demo, which was officially released as part of the Indie Arena at Gamescom has been updated with new content. Little Buffalo also announced XBox and Switch ports of the demo coming soon, as it gears up for late 2027 release.

Downloadable versions of the trailer and free of Embargo after 1PM EST Wednesday, can be found in the full media kit including 9:16 and 3:3 version for short form.

The free demo with 3+ hours of content and 96% positive reviews can be downloaded on Steam. Interviews or informational inquiries with Jeremy can be booked with this Calendly link or via reply to the email address below.

Jeremy Nelson
Little Buffalo Studios
media@littlebuffalostudios.com
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram
Other

Akiiwan: Relaxing Survival – Gameplay Trailer

Media gallery