Fleetyard Studios

Fleetyard Studios Ltd. is an independent video game development studio based in Somerset, UK. Founded in 2020, the studio is primarily known for developing the ambitious space exploration sandbox game, Starship Simulator.

Fleetyard Studios Logo

History and Founding

Fleetyard Studios was established in 2020 by Dan Govier and his wife, Claire Govier. Dan Govier, who serves as the lead developer, brought years of passion for space simulation games, architecture, and engineering, combined with experience working with Unreal Engine on hobby projects. His previous involvement includes working on the Stage 9 Enterprise D recreation project (a fan project) starting in 2017 and later co-founding Messy Desk Interactive in 2018, where he was a joint project lead on The Orville Interactive Fan Experience.

In 2020, Dan left Messy Desk Interactive to establish Fleetyard Studios with Claire, focusing entirely on realizing his long-held goal: creating Starship Simulator, a game featuring deeply simulated starships exploring a scientifically accurate, 1:1 scale Milky Way galaxy.

Team

• Dan Govier: Founder and Lead Developer. Handles primary game design, development, and technical implementation using Unreal Engine 5.
• Claire Govier: Co-founder and Community & Social Media Manager. Manages the studio's online presence and community engagement.

Other known contributors to Starship Simulator include:

• Eric E. Britt | Orchestorm Studios: Music Composition
• Jose Luis Gonzalez Castro: Audioscape Development (previously worked on Elite Dangerous)
• Scott Lowrie: Testing and Quality Assurance

The studio also relies on feedback and testing from its backer community.

Projects

Starship Simulator

Fleetyard Studios' sole announced project is Starship Simulator. The game embodies the studio's focus on deep simulation, scientific plausibility derived from real astrophysics and engineering principles, and seamless large-scale exploration. Development is funded through community backing via platforms like Kickstarter and Ko-fi, with the base game planned to be free-to-play.