Maximalist Ltd – Developing a custom RPG toolkit

Maximalist Ltd is a York-based independent games studio and XR development company. The Maximalist team comprises XR coders, designers, artists and sound engineers.

In August 2026, XR Stories was awarded an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Impact Acceleration Award from the University of York to advance its ongoing partnership with Maximalist. 

The Maximalist team is working on a research and development project with XR Stories to develop a custom Role Player Game (RPG) toolkit designed to give developers more creative and technical control of game-state tracking. The toolkit will enable authoring complex branching dialogue and quests, alongside a built-in localisation layer to prepare projects for global release.

Over the coming months, XR Stories and Maximalist will work together to deliver the RPG toolkit, collaborate on new projects, and develop immersive workflows utilising XR Stories’ state-of-the-art immersive infrastructure and specialist technical expertise. 

John Rose-Adams, Associate Director of Research, Development and Innovation, XR Stories says: “Across all of our XR Stories programmes, we’re focused on reducing barriers for creative practitioners and business to access the creative technology they need to innovate and grow. 

“Practically, that means working side by side on projects, sharing knowledge and ideas, and making connections to other projects and partners. It’s a creative and dynamic way of working, and we can’t wait to have more companies in-house in the coming months and years.”

Yasmina Fadel, Producer, Maximalist Ltd, says: “The space at XR Stories breathes creativity — from the people, to all the “toys” in the lab. Myself and the rest of the team are incredibly excited to bounce ideas off one another and create a tool that enables other creatives to build complex narratives without the constraint of a technical learning curve.

“Throughout our residency, we’re building the tool around our own IP, Hatcher’s Hollow, as well as working with other companies visiting the lab. This allows us to test and develop the tool across as wide a range of use cases as possible.”

Photograph of Corrin Wilson, Ioan Simionescu, Yasmina Fadel and Peter Fox from Maximalist Ltd.

Categories: Games, R&D, Technology