Interview with Creative Hand CEO & “Tiny Witch” Developer, Ramon Barbosa

“Bringing people together” is the one thing I truly believe we do better than anyone else. From our podcast featuring notable developers from the likes of Sweden and Nigeria to sharing our love for games via our live streams, we aim to show how global gaming can be.

During a showcase from our American cousins Black Voices in Gaming, I spotted a game that really stood out. 

This game in question was Tiny Witch, developed and published by Brazilian studio Creative Hand Games, which came out on the Nintendo Switch back in October 2025. 

I got in touch with the CEO of Creative Hand Games, Ramon Barbosa, to interview him about Tiny Witch because I just had to learn more about this game.

I first came across your game, Tiny Witch, in a showcase over the summer. What is the basic aim of the game when it comes to Tiny Witch?

In Tiny Witch, you play as a little witch who must fulfill requests from dungeon masters. Using alchemy and magic, you combine ingredients to create minions that will go on to help them in their dungeons. You receive the orders and prepare them in a style similar to cooking management games, but instead of food, you’re delivering minions.

The ultimate goal is to progress through all the stages so you can escape the shop. The witch unknowingly signed a contract with a mischievous magical cat and is now trapped in the cursed store until she completes every level.

What were some of your inspirations behind this game?

There were definitely a mix of inspirations. Mechanically, I’d say Overcooked was a strong influence, though I wanted something more solo-oriented and less stressful. 

Thematically, I had just finished watching the anime Little Witch Academia, which I really enjoyed, and I had also been playing Moonlighter, which inspired the idea of running your own little shop.

Everything about this game from the artwork to the music seems incredibly wholesome and cosy. 

Did you set out from day one to create a fun, cosy game with Tiny Witch, or did this vision come to you along the development journey?

That vision actually came during development. 

In the beginning, the game was meant to be much more chaotic, with lots of things happening at once and “exploding” on screen. In the very first version, players could even take damage and lose the day. 

After some playtests, we quickly realized we wanted to create a lighter, more relaxing experience—still fun, with a little chaos, but cozy at the core.

How did you start Creative Hand Games? What was your process in building your team, and what was your games industry experience like prior to launching your studio?

Our journey started in 2018 when we joined a Game Jam, which led to our very first game, Make the Burger. We felt it had potential and decided to finish it. At the time, it was just me (as Programmer) and a friend (as Artist). 

We had absolutely zero prior experience in the games industry—just a dream—and that’s probably why it took us three years to complete our first title.

Today, Creative Hand Games is just me and my wife running the studio. Of course, we collaborate with other talented people for specific parts of our games, but the core team remains very small.

How long did you work on Tiny Witch?

Initially, it took about 6–8 months to create the first version—the Steam demo. After that, we went on a short hiatus while seeking funding to finish the game. It then took another 8 months to complete version 1.0. 

From there, we continued polishing, adding improvements, and new content for roughly another year. Altogether, development spanned around 2 years and a few months.

I can see Tiny Witch is not your first game, so what information can you share about the next big Creative Hand Games project?

After spending over two years on a single project, we decided to take a small break and focus on something smaller and fresh. Our next title is called Suitcase Stories.

It’s a relaxing, contemplative puzzle game about organizing suitcases filled with memories. No rush, no scoring—just the quiet joy of seeing every object in its place. You can read more about it here: Suitcase Stories.

I would like to thank Ramon Barbosa for his time and for providing us with copies of Tiny Witch that we were able to give away in previous Streamcast Club: Game Nights! Make sure you check out Tiny Witch on Steam, Google Play, Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo. This is a fun, wholesome game that is perfect for all ages. 

If you like games such as Overcooked, Trash Goblin or Coffee Caravan, I believe you will enjoy Tiny Witch!