Justin Stander

Creator of Katana Zero, made largely solo under the name Askiisoft

@askiisoft United States50K followersIndie Game Makers

Justin Stander at a glance

Known for: Katana Zero and Tower of Heaven
Based in: United States
Indie since: 2009
Active products: Katana Zero and Tower of Heaven

Facts checked 2026-10-22

About Justin Stander

Justin Stander is an American game developer who works as Askiisoft. Before going commercial he made small, hard freeware games such as Tower of Heaven (2009) and Pause Ahead (2013). Seeing how Terry Cavanagh broke through with VVVVVV, he decided his next project had to be a paid game.

He began Katana Zero in 2013 as a hobby during his second year at McGill University and worked on it full time after graduating in 2015. Over six years and on a budget of about US$60,000, mostly by not paying himself, he built the neo-noir action game in GameMaker Studio 2, bringing in artists and composers Bill Kiley and LudoWic. Published by Devolver Digital in April 2019, Katana Zero sold 500,000 copies in under a year and was compared favourably to Hotline Miami.

Since launch Stander has kept expanding a free Katana Zero DLC, which grew to several times its planned size and was described as nearly ready in 2025. He intends to continue the Katana Zero universe in future games.

Products by Justin Stander

Katana Zero

store.steampowered.com

Neo-noir action platformer about a time-manipulating samurai assassin.

500K copies in under a year

Tower of Heaven

askiisoft.com

Freeware precision platformer whose rules grow stricter as you climb.

Timeline

2009 — Released the freeware game Tower of Heaven.
2013 — Started Katana Zero as a hobby at McGill University.
2019 — Released Katana Zero with Devolver Digital.
2020 — Katana Zero passed 500,000 copies sold within a year.
2025 — Said the free Katana Zero DLC was nearly finished.

How Justin builds

Difficult but fair: players should own their mistakes.
Never make players wait through dialogue.
Polish every mechanic until it feels flawless.

Justin Stander FAQ

Who is Justin Stander?

Justin Stander is an American game developer who works as Askiisoft. Before going commercial he made small, hard freeware games such as Tower of Heaven (2009) and Pause Ahead (2013).

Who made Katana Zero?

Katana Zero was made by Justin Stander under the studio name Askiisoft, with help from artists and composers, and published by Devolver Digital in April 2019.