Grey Alien Games

Grey Alien Games is an independent video game developer based in Dorset, England. The studio is jointly owned by Helen Carmichael and Jake Birkett, a husband-and-wife team whose work focuses on small-scale, distinctive PC and console games. Its catalogue combines role-playing systems, casual card and solitaire mechanics, historical themes, and experimental genre combinations. The company is particularly associated with solitaire games that add progression, narrative, setting, and strategic objectives to the traditional card format. Regency Solitaire is an example of this approach, using a historical setting and casual-game structure and later reaching Nintendo Switch. The studio has also worked beyond solitaire. Ancient Enemy, released in 2020, was developed in collaboration with Jim Rossignol and received support from Bithell Games. Its design was recognized with an Honourable Mention at the 2021 Independent Games Festival. Grey Alien Games has also participated in collaborative development. In 2021 it worked with Dejobaan Games on T-Minus 30, a fast-paced city-building game for PC. Helen Carmichael additionally contributed narrative work to Foxy Voxel's early-access medieval settlement game Going Medieval. These collaborations show the studio operating both as an independent developer with its own releases and as a creative partner on projects led by other teams. By 2025, Grey Alien Games was working with Night Signal Entertainment on Forbidden Solitaire, described as a horror-themed solitaire game. A demo was released in January 2026, followed by the full game in April 2026 according to the cited reference material. The studio's public profile remains that of a small independent developer rather than a large publisher or diversified entertainment group. Detailed information about its founding date, staffing, revenue, corporate structure, and geographic sales footprint is not publicly established in the supplied sources.

Grey Alien Games is an independent English development studio headquartered in Dorset. Publicly available information identifies Helen Carmichael and Jake Birkett as the company's joint owners. The studio's work is concentrated in role-playing games and solitaire games, with its releases often using familiar casual or card-based structures as the foundation for settings, progression, and narrative. One of the studio's notable projects is Ancient Enemy, a 2020 game created in collaboration with Jim Rossignol and supported by Bithell Games. The title's design received an Honourable Mention at the 2021 Independent Games Festival, giving Grey Alien Games recognition within the independent development community. The award mention is significant because it highlights design quality rather than commercial scale, consistent with the studio's position as a small independent developer. In 2021, Grey Alien Games expanded its collaborative activity through work with Dejobaan Games on T-Minus 30. The project was described as a fast-paced city builder for PC, placing the studio's contribution outside its better-known solitaire-focused work. During the same year, the company brought Regency Solitaire to Nintendo Switch. The game is a historical casual card title, reflecting the studio's interest in adapting solitaire mechanics into themed, progression-oriented experiences and distributing them across more than one platform. Helen Carmichael also worked on narrative for Foxy Voxel's early-access game Going Medieval. This contribution illustrates that Grey Alien Games' creative involvement can extend beyond projects released under its own studio identity, particularly through specialist writing and narrative collaboration. By 2025, the company was collaborating with Night Signal Entertainment on Forbidden Solitaire, a horror solitaire game. The project combines the studio's established solitaire expertise with horror conventions. The supplied reference material records a demo release on January 16, 2026 and a full release on April 30, 2026. Beyond these projects, detailed public information about the studio's founding year, original formation, employee count, financing, ownership agreements, and annual output is limited. Grey Alien Games is therefore best understood as a privately held, active independent developer whose identity is shaped by owner-led production, cross-studio partnerships, and genre combinations built around card and role-playing systems.

• 2026

  Forbidden Solitaire demo released

  [1]Grey Alien Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  A demo for Forbidden Solitaire was released on January 16, 2026.

• 2026

  Forbidden Solitaire released

  [1]Grey Alien Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  The full game was reported as released on April 30, 2026.

• 2025

  Forbidden Solitaire collaboration announced or reported

  [1]Grey Alien Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  The studio was working with Night Signal Entertainment on the horror solitaire project Forbidden Solitaire.

• 2021

  Ancient Enemy recognized at the Independent Games Festival

  [1]Grey Alien Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  Ancient Enemy received an Honourable Mention for game design at the 2021 Independent Games Festival.

• 2021

  T-Minus 30 collaboration

  [1]Grey Alien Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  Grey Alien Games collaborated with Dejobaan Games on the PC city-building game T-Minus 30.

• 2021

  Regency Solitaire reaches Nintendo Switch

  [1]Grey Alien Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  The historical casual card game Regency Solitaire launched on Nintendo Switch.

• 2020

  Ancient Enemy released

  [1]Grey Alien Gamesen.wikipedia.org

  Grey Alien Games released Ancient Enemy, created in collaboration with Jim Rossignol and supported by Bithell Games.

Independent game development centered on inventive, accessible games that combine solitaire or role-playing mechanics with strong themes, progression systems, and unusual settings.

• Role-playing video game · 2020

  Ancient Enemy

  Ancient Enemy is a 2020 game developed by Grey Alien Games in collaboration with Jim Rossignol, with support from Bithell Games. It is one of the studio's best-known projects and was recognized by the Independent Games Festival for its game design in 2021.

• Historical casual card game · 2021

  Regency Solitaire

  Regency Solitaire is a historical casual card game built around solitaire play. Its Nintendo Switch release in 2021 extended the game's availability beyond its original platform context and represents Grey Alien Games' focus on themed, accessible card experiences.

• City-building strategy game · 2021

  T-Minus 30

  T-Minus 30 is a fast-paced city-building game for PC made through a collaboration between Grey Alien Games and Dejobaan Games. The project broadened Grey Alien's development profile beyond solitaire and card-based games.

• Horror solitaire game · 2026

  Forbidden Solitaire

  Forbidden Solitaire is a horror-themed solitaire game developed by Grey Alien Games in collaboration with Night Signal Entertainment. A demo was reported in January 2026, with the full game reported as released in April 2026.

• 2025

  Extend solitaire into horrorStrategy

  Background

  Grey Alien Games was known for solitaire-oriented work and sought to apply that format to a darker genre setting.

  Action taken

  The studio collaborated with Night Signal Entertainment on Forbidden Solitaire, a horror solitaire game.

  Aftermath

  A demo and subsequent full release were reported for 2026, expanding the thematic range of the studio's solitaire projects.

  Source

• 2021

  Bring Regency Solitaire to Nintendo SwitchProduct launch

  Background

  Grey Alien Games had an established historical casual card title and expanded its platform presence through a Nintendo Switch version.

  Action taken

  The studio launched Regency Solitaire on Nintendo Switch.

  Aftermath

  The release gave the title access to a console audience and reinforced the studio's cross-platform casual-game focus.

  Source

1. 1Grey Alien Gamesen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Grey Alien Games official websitegreyaliengames.com