Daniel Mullins

Canadian creator of Inscryption, Pony Island and The Hex

@DMullinsGames Vancouver, Canada39K followersIndie Game Makers

Daniel Mullins at a glance

Known for: Inscryption, Pony Island and The Hex
Based in: Vancouver, Canada
Indie since: 2015
Active products: Inscryption, Pony Island and The Hex

Facts checked 2026-10-22

About Daniel Mullins

Daniel Mullins is a Canadian indie developer based in Vancouver, known for meta, genre-bending games that break the fourth wall. After a failed 2014 Kickstarter for a game called Catch Monsters, he took a programming job and made games on the side.

His first hit, Pony Island (2016), disguised a devilish puzzle game as a cheerful arcade game and got a big boost from a PewDiePie Let's Play. He followed it with The Hex (2018). Inscryption (2021), published by Devolver Digital, grew out of his 2018 Ludum Dare jam game Sacrifices Must Be Made. The card-based horror game sold over a million copies within three months and became the first game to win both the Seumas McNally Grand Prize at the IGF and Game of the Year at the Game Developers Choice Awards (2022).

Mullins has since focused on Pony Island 2: Panda Circus, announced at The Game Awards 2023 and scheduled for 27 April 2027.

Products by Daniel Mullins

Inscryption

store.steampowered.com

Roguelike deck-builder and escape-room horror game that keeps changing genres.

1M+ copies sold

Pony Island

store.steampowered.com

Puzzle game disguised as a haunted arcade cabinet run by the devil.

The Hex

store.steampowered.com

Genre-hopping mystery about six video game characters at an inn.

Pony Island 2: Panda Circus

store.steampowered.com

Follow-up to Pony Island about escaping the underworld.

Timeline

2016 — Released Pony Island.
2018 — Released The Hex and made the Ludum Dare prototype that became Inscryption.
2021 — Released Inscryption with Devolver Digital.
2022 — Inscryption won the IGF Seumas McNally Grand Prize and GDC Game of the Year.
2026 — Set a 27 April 2027 release date for Pony Island 2: Panda Circus.

How Daniel builds

Subvert what players think the game is.
Turn small jam prototypes into full games when players respond.
Hide secrets and ARGs beyond the game itself.

Daniel Mullins FAQ

Who is Daniel Mullins?

Who made Inscryption?

Inscryption was created by Canadian developer Daniel Mullins (Daniel Mullins Games) and published by Devolver Digital in October 2021.

How many copies has Inscryption sold?

Inscryption sold more than one million copies by January 2022, about three months after release.

Where is Daniel Mullins from?

Daniel Mullins is Canadian and based in Vancouver, British Columbia.

What is Daniel Mullins making next?

As of 2026 he is making Pony Island 2: Panda Circus, scheduled for release on 27 April 2027.

What awards did Inscryption win?

In 2022 it won the IGF Seumas McNally Grand Prize plus Excellence in Design, Narrative and Audio, and Game of the Year at the Game Developers Choice Awards.