My Friend Barrington

About this game

Latest news

• Announcements·16 Apr 2026Official

  Leveling up and Looking Back

  From Idea to ShowcaseHi, Tough Cookies!On the 7th of April, we had the opportunity to showcase My Friend Barrington at the Level Up Showcase in Toronto, and honestly, we’re still taking it all in.What started back in September as a group of students coming together with an idea has now become something real. Standing there, watching people pick up the controller, explore Barrington’s world, and experience moments we spent months building… It’s something we won’t forget.For many of us, this was the first time seeing players interact with the game in person. Seeing reactions in real time, watching people pause, smile, focus, and feel something while playing reminded us why we started this in the first place.It wasn’t just about finishing a project. It was about creating an experience.Level Up also gave us the chance to connect with other developers, industry professionals, and fellow students who are all building amazing things they care about. Being surrounded by that kind of energy was both inspiring and grounding. It reminded us that we’re part of something bigger.Over the past 7 months, we’ve shared pieces of this journey with you. From character design and environment work to FMV, sound, and the challenges of student development, each dev blog has been a small window into how My Friend Barrington came together.But behind all of that is the team.Tough Cookie Productions is made up of 20 students who brought their ideas, creativity, and time into this project. Late nights, early mornings, constant iteration, and a lot of learning along the way. This game exists because of every single person who contributed to it. We are very grateful to our professors, department and everyone who has helped bring the Barrington magic to life.To everyone who supported us, played the game at Level Up, or has been following along through these dev blogs, thank you. My Friend Barrington is available on Steam now! We hope you love it as much as we do!And to our team, thank you for buil...
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• Announcements·24 Mar 2026Official

  The Official Trailer is Here!

  Hi, Tough Cookies!We’re excited to finally share the official trailer for My Friend Barrington.Our video and art team have worked incredibly hard to capture the heart of the game, blending Barrington’s imaginative world with the reality of Jordan’s life. This trailer is a small glimpse into that balance, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we do.Huge credit to our video team, Garrett and Kieran, along with our creative director Tyler, for bringing this to life and creating this first look into the world of My Friend Barrington.We are now just 13 days away from release, and we’ll also be showcasing the game at Level Up Toronto, one of the largest student game showcases in Canada. If you’re attending, we’d love for you to stop by, try the game, and meet the team behind Tough Cookie Productions.More updates coming soon as we get closer to release.Stay tough, Tough Cookies.— Tough Cookie Productions
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• Announcements·24 Mar 2026Official

  The Challenges of Student Development

  Welcome back, Tough Cookies!The countdown to Release Day has begun! With just 13 days left until we share what we have spent the past 7 months creating, the nerves are definitely high, but we are equally as excited! Over the past few weeks, we’ve been diving into our design process and sharing the behind-the-scenes of My Friend Barrington. From character design and environments to FMV and audio, we’ve talked about the different ways our team approaches storytelling through gameplay.But today, we want to talk about something a little more real: what it’s actually like building a game as a team of students.When Tough Cookie Productions first came together in September, many of us were meeting for the first time. Suddenly, we were working as a team of twenty developers, each bringing different skills, schedules, and creative ideas to the table. It was exciting, but it also meant learning how to build a game while learning how to build a team.One of the biggest challenges has been balancing development with everything else that comes with student life. Classes, assignments, exams, part-time jobs, and life outside of school don’t pause just because a game is in production. Some days we’re deep in level design discussions, and the next day someone is racing to finish a paper due at midnight.It’s a juggling act, to say the least.Deadlines have also played a big role in shaping how we work. With our April release approaching and the Level Up Showcase just around the corner, we’ve had to learn how to prioritize tasks, manage production schedules, and keep the project moving forward even when things get hectic.Communication has been another huge learning experience. With a team this size, ideas are constantly bouncing between designers, artists, programmers, narrative writers, and producers. Sometimes that means long conversations about how a mechanic should work. Other times, it means finding ways to merge different ideas into something even stronger.Our producers, Ryan and ...
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• Announcements·13 Mar 2026Official

  Capturing Nostalgia: The Live Action Aesthetic

  Happy Friday, Tough Cookies!We’re back with another dev blog. We hope you’re enjoying reading these as much as we’re enjoying writing them.Today, we’re stepping into something that might surprise you a little: Full Motion Video (FMV).Yes… actual live-action.If narrative shapes meaning and mechanics carry tension, then the environment is where all of that lives. For My Friend Barrington, that meant thinking carefully about how we could represent both Jordan’s imagination and the reality that shapes it.As a team with strong foundations in writing, design, art, film, and narrative and a heavier skillset in creative disciplines than technical ones, we knew early on that we weren’t trying to build a mechanic-heavy game. Instead, we focused on letting everyone’s strengths shine. That’s the beauty of our team.Our producers, Ryan and Andre, understood that the best version of this project would come from leaning into what we’re passionate about. That meant building a game where storytelling, atmosphere, and visual expression could take the lead.And that’s where our FMV team comes in.Blending Film and GameplayUsing live-action footage allows us to ground the story in Jordan’s reality. While the gameplay world is colourful, stylized, and expressive, the FMV sequences give players glimpses of the moments that influence why Barrington’s world exists in the first place.Our videographers, Garrett and Kieran, wanted these moments to feel relatable and authentic. That meant paying attention to small details, including the toys that appear throughout the game and act as tools for Barrington during gameplay.When it came to selecting toys, we leaned toward objects that carried a nostalgic ‘70s and ‘80s feel. Items like slingshots, whoopee cushions, and building blocks carry a playful familiarity while also reinforcing the emotional symbolism behind Jordan’s imaginative world.Of course, blending film with a 2.5D platformer isn’t something you see every day, and it came with its own cha...
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• Announcements·10 Mar 2026Official

  Character Design: Bringing Barrington to Life

  Happy Tuesday, Tough Cookies!Today, we want to talk about someone you’ve probably already met a few times on this page: Barrington.Barrington Bear is the heart of My Friend Barrington. While players explore the world through his perspective, he also represents something much bigger than just a playable character. Barrington is the imagined hero of eleven-year-old Jordan. From the very beginning, we knew Barrington needed to feel comforting, familiar, and expressive in a way that instantly connects with players. That meant drawing inspiration from something many of us share: childhood toys.When designing Barrington, we knew we wanted him to feel as familiar as possible. His design pulls from the kind of stuffed animals many people remember from childhood, with simple silhouettes, rounded proportions, and stitched details that suggest both warmth and resilience.One small but meaningful detail is Barrington’s stitched eye. It hints that Barrington isn’t perfect, but that’s exactly what makes him feel real. Toys carry stories. They show signs of time, care, and imagination. We wanted Barrington to feel like he had lived in Jordan’s world for a long time. Making Barrington OursOur creative director, Tyler, actually bought a small teddy bear from Walmart as a starting reference. But as a team, we wanted Barrington to feel special to the message of our game. That’s when we decided to replace one of his eyes with a button. We even hand-sewed Barrington’s left eye so he could stay familiar, but still feel distinct.Beyond appearance, animation also plays a big role in bringing Barrington to life. Alex, our 3D artist responsible for implementing Barrington in the game, wanted players to feel like they were moving with their own childhood teddy bear. His movements are soft and expressive so that even simple actions like walking or jumping feel full of personality.At the end of the day, Barrington isn’t just a character guiding the player through the world. He reflects the coura...
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