1. Is it true that only one person is behind Greenboy games?: Except for the music (Cesc and Oscar), everything else is created and managed by me, Dana: idea of the game, sketches, art, masters, graphics, programming, dialogues, testing, purchasing materials, customer service, media service, sales, orders, creation/ updating the website, assembly, preparation of shipments, notifications,.. .  well … sometimes my family gives me a hand! I can not deny it!  I tend to say ‘We’ instead of ‘I’, but this is just a habit

2.Since when you develop only for the Game Boy?: Since 2016. Initially with minor titles, and improving with each new title. But publishing my own games since 2018. 

3. Is Dana your real name?: No. Dana is my Game Boy developer nickname. I fell into a magic kettle in 2016 and they renamed me Dana, so in the retro Game Boy scene, everyone calls me Dana.

4. How can I follow the evolution of your games and new developments? Sure. The easiest way is through my official social networks. Mainly Twitter, Website, Instagram, Youtube. I am very close to the Game Boy developers as well as all my users and people interested in Game Boy and the media. So, feel free to contact me on Twitter (private message), or through a contact form on my official site .

5. How can you offer these spectacular games at unbeatable prices?:

  • 1. Greenboy games sells a lot of games per year. Thanks to these economies of scale, we obtain better purchase prices and we transfer it to the sale price.
  • 2. Self- publishing also gives me advantages to offer a better sale price. There are no third parties involved.
  • 3. Greenboy games is made up of a single person, making the structure very light.  This is how I can offer a great quality game with two cartridges at the price of 1 (almost).

My main goal is to spread and maintain the Game Boy gameplay in the 21st century and beyond, so I need to be competitive if I want the continuity of the Game Boy game to last in time.

6. Do you sacrifice the quality of the physical product?: From the first game to the last, there has been an incredible improvement: boxes, cartridge, PCB, materials, Inlay, shipment packaging, etc.. It can be corroborated by the thousands of users who have bought since 2018 – if someone of them wants to leave a comment in the ‘comments’ section, they will be welcome – It is the best way to give you confidence.

7. Can I have an interview or make an articles about your games / releases on my news portal?: Normally I have no problem serving the media. Neither to the media nor to any of my users. On the contrary, I am very participatory. If you are serious and professional, count on me!Only on rare occasions I have refused to offer interviews due to the poor quality of the site and/ or a lack of professionalism, which smears content without contrast (destructive criticism vs. constructive criticism). In that case, I prefer not to participate. Nor have I ever paid to have an article published on any site. I prefer that the reviews and interviews are done in a rigorous and professional way to give transparency to the user.

8. Are you interested in developing for other platforms?: No. I have had temptations but for the moment I have not wanted to go further. I prefer that the goal of Greenboy games continues with the same values, mission and vision for which it was created. I am against planned obsolescence. I want to keep the first video game systems active. I want to bring life and new playability to these old systems. I am not against new ‘retro’ consoles coming out because they help to spread the retro scene, but my mission is for the old ones to last.

9. Why don’t you sell only the ROM file?:  Because we are developers for physical cartridges games (CIB) for Game Boy Players. We only send the ROM with any physical order.

10. Who is in charge of the Customer service and communication to users?. It is me, Dana, who is in charge of all the communications that Greenboy games does. I offer the customer service that I would like to find: Responding to almost all messages and comments in less than 6 hours. Solving incidents personally and providing solutions in an agile way. I prefer to keep it this way because for me is extremely important the relation with all Greenboy users. This project has been created by and for them.

11. What consoles can I play on?:  Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Advance SP, Super Game Boy (SNES), Repro Handheld consoles,  and many other systems compatible with Game Boy cartridge games.

12. Do you dedicate yourself exclusively to developing games for the Game Boy?: Indeed. That’s how it is. I dedicate about 12 hours a day to Greenboy games. The hours that I have left I dedicate to the family, wife, 6 year old son, mother, father, brother, sister, … and friends! : ^

13. In case you are superstitiouswith #13, I avoid any questions!

14. Why did you decide to create unconventional games for the Game Boy?: Currently, the most developed styles for the Game Boy are ‘platforms’ and ‘RPG’ zelda clones. I just wanted to offer something different, something really new and creative, original, inimitable, genuine, .. Criticism is sometimes very harsh on this, but at Greenboy games, We really love to face new challenges, We love to be different, We love to be unconventional, We love to take risks … and risk is not to everyone’s liking.
Attentive: all developers have my full support, whatever their style!. In fact, I’m a sponsor of the GB COMPO 2021, giving support to each and everyone who develops for this magnificent console! From the most veteran to the newest they have all my admiration and recognition!  I am always available to the Game Boy developer community for whatever they need.

15. Do you publish games from other developers?: No. At Greenboy games I only publish my own games. I have received many requests from other developers, but unfortunately, I am not in the business of publishing games from other developers. There are publishers that do it like a charm. If anyone is interested in knowing more, send me a message here and I will pass on the corresponding contacts.

16. How have you managed to have stock of cartridges in such a difficult year? As you know, 2021 has been a very complicated year due to the pandemic situation. But you also know that I’m farsighted, that’s why I have guaranteed supplies of 10,000 units in advance, electronic material as well as secondary material, and I deal with a couple of carriers that cover deliveries to anywhere in the world. For ‘The Shapeshifter 2’ I already have reserved around 5,000 units of electronic material, which will surely cover the circulation that we will carry out on Kickstarter.

more FAQ’s

Do you send the tracking number once we make an order?
Yes. I confirm the order with one e-mail, and once the game/package is on track, I send you the tracking number.

What transport company do you use ?
I generally use SF-International, and they have agreements with other companies in each country. I don’t really know who delivers the packages in other countries.

Why do you only sell cartridge games? (complete in box)
The main idea of Greenboy games has been to keep the cartridge alive as a game system, while extending the life of old video game consoles by lengthening their obsolescence. At the same time, I want to keep alive the memory of the beginnings of portable consoles with new contemporary games.

Can I get a ROM file?
Yes, I always can send the ROM file with a cartridge order. The reason is that many collectors prefer not to open their (sealed) boxes.

How can I load the ROM file?
You can use any Game Boy emulator, as Retroarch, BGB, or many others. Please, search for ‘Game Boy emulator’ on Google.

Are you selling ROM files Only?
No, I’m not.

Why don’t you sell ROM files Only?
All the games have been created and designed to be enjoyed on the portable console. The reason is that playing on a current PC that supports a game with lots of CPU, GPU, and RAM surpasses the gaming experience with a tiny 32kb/ 1MB games. Neither the music can be equally worked, nor the graphics, nor the colour palette, nor the dimensions of the game screen, and so on with long etcetera.
Sometimes I compare it to trying to enjoy a skate on an F1 track. To enjoy skateboarding, you need to go to a skate park.
I don’t want to be unfairly compared to games that have no restrictions.

What restrictions are you talking about?
A game that sizes between 32kb and 1MB max, with a 160×144 pixels resolution, use only 4 colours or 3 colours in the case of sprites, with a limit of 40 objects per screen, no more than 10 objects per line, 256 tiles max, music limited to 4 channels, ….

Can I get a ROM file?

Can I ask you for a high quality scan of the box art, manual, code wheel, … or other masters designed for the physical edition?
No, since master designs have been made for manufacturers and printing only. They are for internal use only.

Are you losing a lot of market share that might be interested in your games?
Yes, I guess so, but my games are exclusively for handheld consoles. Fortunately, I make games for pleasure and not for money.

How can I play the games?
You can play the games with the following systems:
Analogue pocket, RetroN SQ, RetroN 5, Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Advance SP, Super Game Boy (SNES), Repro Handheld consoles, and other systems compatible with Game Boy games.

Can I play on a US, EU or JAPAN consoles?
Yes, you can use the game on a US, EU or Japanese handheld version.

Where can I buy a console to play?
There is a huge second hand market for original consoles. You can also buy a new repro console.

What language do you use in the games?
I usually use English, but if the market in other countries is growing, I will not hesitate to adapt the games to other languages (French, German, Japanese, Spanish, …. )

Why don’t you make games for other platforms?
My games are exclusively for handheld consoles.
I like to contribute to the community that still uses these systems, to enjoy exclusive titles. Outside of this console, my games cannot be played.

Will previous games be available again?
I had a negative mention on Youtube of two of my initial games that were unfairly criticized.
They have been out of sale since 2018, and aware that they were not good games to sell, I removed them from the store.
At the insistence of the collectors, I reissued a short run of these games again, and they were unfairly criticized, so I prefer that whoever is lucky enough to have an original, at least appreciates it as it is.

Can you launch the game on Switch, Steam, or other consoles?
No. My games are exclusive for handheld consoles.

Why Game Boy compatible cartridges?
Because I love this handheld console.

What development tools do you use?
I use GBDK, Tiled designer, Map builder, BGB, GB studio, ZGB, Aseprite, Tiled map editor, Visual Studio Code, Photoshop, Milkytracker, Bassoon tracker, Flash carts, bumper, Debian 10, Wacom pen tablet, Thinkpad, Game Boy, … and fresh water!

Your favorite games?
Monkey Island, Gargoyle’s quest, Indiana Jones and the fate of Atlantis, Zelda, Dan Dare,