← back to stressbuddy.net

Press Kit

Stress Buddy

A little guy who lives on your desktop and just wants to bounce.

Factsheet

Developer
Consolidated Joy Distribution Co. (conjoy.co)
Based in
California, USA
Founding date
May 2026
Website
stressbuddy.net
Press / business contact
press@conjoy.co
Platforms
PC (Steam, Windows). Mac & Linux TBD post-launch.
Release date
Coming 2026 (TBD). Wishlist on Steam.
Launch price
$4.99 USD
Languages
English at launch. Others TBD.

Description

He just wants to bounce.

Stress Buddy is a little guy who lives on your desktop and lets you treat it like a playground. You throw him. He bounces off your taskbar, off your windows, off your Slack. He gets lost in your folder icons. He dunks in your Recycle Bin for points. Yes, really, there's a 3-point line. Sometimes he just takes a nap.

Fifteen buddies at launch, including Fuzzy Buddy, who has feelings, Rocky Buddy, who grows moss if he just sits there, and Dudley, who is teal and goes boing. Two more bonus buddies in the Founders Edition, for day-one buyers.

Need more balls? Put your friends' balls on your desktop in multiplayer, and send your balls to theirs. Let Twitch chat fling them around when you're live.

Features

  • Bounces off your real windows, folders, and Recycle Bin
  • 3-point basketball at your own trash can
  • Visit mode multiplayer: friends' buddies on your desktop, your buddies on theirs
  • Fifteen base buddies at launch: sports balls, a pet rock, a fuzzy creature, a paper crumple, and more
  • Twitch chat integration (Twitch DLC)
  • Two exclusive buddies for day-ones (Founders Edition)
  • Whole solar systems to bounce through (Planet Pack: coming soon)
  • Made by one guy, with a little help from his friends. Be nice.

Screenshots & Video

Trailer. Watch on YouTube, or embed it:

Screenshots. Right-click → Save As. 1920×1080 WebP.

Visit mode multiplayer: a friend's ball on your desktop stressbuddy-soccer.webp Recycle Bin sports mode with a three-point line stressbuddy-paper.webp Fuzzy Buddy, a furry ball with googly eyes stressbuddy-fuzzy.webp The Stress Buddy bouncy ball on the taskbar stressbuddy-rubber.webp A red balloon drifting up the desktop stressbuddy-balloon.webp A tennis ball on the taskbar stressbuddy-tennis.webp

Source PNGs (1920×1080) and additional footage are available on request: press@conjoy.co.

Team & Credits

Jonathan Hamel
Photo: Ria Georgia

Jonathan Hamel

Jonathan Hamel is the founder of Consolidated Joy Distribution Co. and the developer of Stress Buddy. He has been designing and programming games professionally for a really long time, most recently as Studio Design Director at Another Axiom (Gorilla Tag, Orion Drift) and previously as Lead Designer at Ready At Dawn Studios. Stress Buddy is his first indie release as a founder/entrepreneur.

Selected credits include What Remains of Edith Finch (Best Game at the 2018 BAFTAs; Best Gameplay at Games for Change); Lone Echo, Echo Arena, and Lone Echo II (Immersive Reality Game of the Year at D.I.C.E. in 2017 and 2022); the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot and Rise of the Tomb Raider at Crystal Dynamics; and The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II: The Rise of the Witch-king, which briefly held the record for longest game title. Earlier in his career he produced online games at Sesame Street and co-wrote three Stink Files children's novels with Jennifer L. Holm, including The Postman Always Brings Mice.

Other credits

  • Art: Chris Sturgill
  • Sound design: Alex Wilmer, Wilmer Sound
  • Additional help: Other friends

About the studio

Consolidated Joy Distribution Co. (short: conjoy.co) is a small independent studio in California, founded in 2026 by Jonathan Hamel. Our mission is to supply heart-easing mirth to households worldwide. Stress Buddy is the studio's first product.

Contact