indie studio – No, Mine! Studios

GIF: Pixel art characters from game running around an industrial plant wearing construction outfits and carrying tools. Yeetcosystem, 2025-2026. Based on character by Suzanne Skaar, 2021. All rights reserved.

Due to some exciting new developments behind the scenes, the Yeetcosystem team is currently undergoing major changes. While we are sorting things out, the Team Yeetcosystem page will remain in the “Under Construction” mode. Congratulations to Alexis (audio) and Uthara (tech) on their new opportunities! And a big thank you to everyone who has stepped forward to help with this project, including the studio’s previous Interns.

On a personal note, a series of health crises in my family has taken the majority of my attention within the last several months. So while Yeetcosystem The Game has hit some major delays as a result of waiting for me to get back in the game (literally and figuratively) after my own surgery, it will resume at full speed once my family’s circumstances are more stable. No, Mine! Studios came into being as recognition of what being a mom and an artist means to me, and right now, my Mom-mode (TM pending) is on hyperdrive.

Hug your babies, be they human or furbabies (with consent!).

Those interested in being a part of Yeetcosystem‘s new direction should email nominestudios@gmail.com to discuss next steps, with the understanding that I may be delayed in responding and funding is not yet secured. If you have experience in building games in Unity, in community management for indie games, or in audio/ sound design, you can also send me a LinkedIn request (www.linkedin.com/in/suzanneskaar). Even if this project isn’t the right fit, I love to connect with and support other devs/ creatives however possible.

Thank you again to everyone for your support and kindness!

Suzanne (Mom, Writer, Director, Artist, and Lead Leasing Agent for Yeetcosystem LLC)

Ten years ago today, I created the website for No, Mine! Studios. The history of this studio has everything to do with my journey as a mom just as much as it does with being an artist.

In June 2013, I graduated with my Master’s degree from the University of Washington Jackson School of International Studies with a 15-month-old Izzy on my hip. I had discovered I was pregnant with Izzy a week before I traveled to Ufa, Bashkortostan, for a Critical Language Scholarship. After losing my first pregnancy in Greece in early 2011, I didn’t think I could get pregnant again. When I started experiencing worrying symptoms beyond the unrelenting morning sickness, I made the decision to leave the scholarship program early and return to the States. I couldn’t risk a second loss. I went to school in the fall, took a break for winter, and then returned to school less than 6 weeks after Izzy was born (and only four weeks after he came home from the NICU). A few months after that, I was on a plane to do thesis research on guerrilla art in St. Petersburg and Moscow. When I returned a few weeks later, I quickly resumed commuting from Tacoma to Seattle every day for school via bus.

I didn’t know what to do post graduation that would allow me to stay closer to my little one. I interviewed for a few positions, but given the cost of childcare for kids under the age of 4, it didn’t make sense for me to return to a “normal” job based on the salaries being offered (despite having a Masters degree in hand). I didn’t have family to fall back on for support beyond my coparent.

With normal avenues seemingly blocked, I decided to take the leap and start figuring out ways to make art a career. Thank you to those who have supported me in this journey. And thank you most of all to Izzy, my now 11-year-old, for giving me a reason to embark on this journey in the first place.