Tactical Breach Wizards
store.steampowered.com
Turn-based tactics game about modern-day wizards breaching rooms and throwing enemies out of windows.
TF
Tom Francis
Ex-PC Gamer editor who made Gunpoint, Heat Signature and Tactical Breach Wizards
Tom Francis at a glance
- Known for
- Tactical Breach Wizards, Heat Signature and Gunpoint
- Based in
- Vancouver, Canada
- Indie since
- 2010
- Active products
- Tactical Breach Wizards, Heat Signature and Gunpoint
Facts checked 2026-10-22
About Tom Francis
Tom Francis is a game designer, writer and programmer who runs the small studio Suspicious Developments. He was a section editor at PC Gamer UK when he taught himself GameMaker, inspired by the fact that Spelunky was made by one person with it, and began building Gunpoint in his spare time in 2010.
Gunpoint, a stealth puzzle game about rewiring buildings, launched in June 2013. Its only development cost was the $30 GameMaker licence, which Francis said pre-orders covered within 64 seconds, and its success let him leave PC Gamer to make games full-time. He followed it with the space heist game Heat Signature (2017) and the turn-based tactics game Tactical Breach Wizards (2024), which together form what he calls the Defenestration Trilogy.
Tactical Breach Wizards was a Steam best-seller on release, and in a 2026 newsletter Suspicious Developments said it had earned about twice as much as the studio's previous games, securing its independence. Francis writes openly about design and the business of indie games on his blog, and his X profile lists him in Vancouver.
Products by Tom Francis
Heat Signature
store.steampowered.com
Real-time space heist game about boarding and infiltrating ships.
Gunpoint
store.steampowered.com
Stealth puzzle game about rewiring buildings' electronics to outwit guards.
Timeline
- 2010 — Started building Gunpoint in his spare time while working at PC Gamer UK.
- 2013 — Released Gunpoint; pre-orders covered its $30 cost within 64 seconds.
- 2017 — Released Heat Signature.
- 2024 — Released Tactical Breach Wizards, a Steam best-seller on launch.
- 2026 — Reported that Tactical Breach Wizards earned about twice as much as the studio's earlier games.
How Tom builds
- Start with cheap tools and a tiny scope.
- Design systems that let players improvise clever solutions.
- Write publicly about design and indie business.
Tom Francis FAQ
Who is Tom Francis?
Tom Francis is a game designer, writer and programmer who runs the small studio Suspicious Developments. He was a section editor at PC Gamer UK when he taught himself GameMaker, inspired by the fact that Spelunky was made by one person with it, and began building Gunpoint in his spare time in 2010.
Who made Gunpoint?
Gunpoint was designed, written and programmed by Tom Francis, then a PC Gamer UK editor, and released through his studio Suspicious Developments in June 2013.
Who made Tactical Breach Wizards?
Tactical Breach Wizards was made by Tom Francis's studio Suspicious Developments and released on Steam on August 22, 2024.
How much money did Gunpoint make?
Francis has not published a total, but said Gunpoint's only cost was a $30 GameMaker licence, covered by pre-orders within 64 seconds, and that it has earned many times that since.
Where is Tom Francis based?
He worked at PC Gamer UK when he started making games; his X profile now lists him in Vancouver.
What is Tom Francis doing now?
As of October 2026, Tom Francis's active products include Tactical Breach Wizards, Heat Signature and Gunpoint.
How long has Tom Francis been an indie maker?
Tom Francis has been building independently since 2010, about 16 years.
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