A group of five friends from Kerala are storming the online gaming world with a 3D horror PC game rooted in the folklore, landscapes, and soul of Kerala. Listed on Steam, one of the world’s biggest gaming platforms, their game “Thekku Island” has managed to create a buzz within a short span of time.
Athul George, Aswin Sunilkumar, Adithyan P S, Aswin P V, and Aadhi Gopakumar, all aged between 21 and 22, launched the 3D horror game on February 27, 2026. Built on Unreal Engine 5, the game is a slow-burn psychological horror experience set on a remote island in 1980s Kerala, where a man arrives searching for his missing wife, only to find abandoned houses, dense forests, and an unsettling silence that hides secrets far darker than he imagined.
“I play online games a lot and decided to make one of my own, chasing my passion to become a game developer,” says Athul George, the game’s director, who learned game development on his own after finishing Plus Two.
It was Athul who initially gave shape to the idea of developing the horror game. Aswin Sunilkumar, Adithyan P S, Aswin P V, and Aadhi Gopakumar joined him in his mission after learning about Athul’s concept through online game development communities and social media.
While Athul single-handedly completed nearly 20 to 30 per cent of the game’s development, the others were drawn to his concept and impressed by the game modules he had already created.
Aswin Sunilkumar, now the creative director, recalls the moment he first saw the project. “Athul mentioned ‘Thekku Island’, which was then in its alpha stage. One day, he asked me to come on board to produce it on a larger scale,” he says.
Adithyan P S, Aswin P V, and Aswin Sunilkumar are pursuing their MCA at Saintgits College of Engineering in Kottayam. Aadhi Gopakumar, who later joined the team, is the music director of the game.
Together, they have brought not just enthusiasm but also a practical set of coding, video editing, 3D modelling, and marketing skills to make the game a success in the market.
“We didn’t have to bring in anyone from outside. Since most of us are MCA students, our coding skills were also put to work,” says Aswin.
Their biggest challenge was creating scenes deeply rooted in Kerala. As they had no blueprint to follow due to the lack of similar local games for reference, they turned to Malayalam films to develop the milieu.
Malayalam filmmaker Rahul Sadasivan’s acclaimed horror film “Bramayugam” was a particular inspiration. “We were in awe of how Rahul shot the movie in such a space. The elements of horror in the film also inspired us,” Aswin says.
Malayalam is the primary language of the game, with English and Hindi subtitles. “Gamers were already aware of the game, as discussions about its development were active in gaming circles. When we launched the teaser, the buzz gained more traction,” says Adithyan.
Thekku Island is officially available on Steam, while the console versions are yet to be announced. “Currently, we are an indie game studio. We want to grow into an AAA game studio, producing high-budget titles backed by major publishers,” Aswin adds.
