A planet covered entirely in ocean, a boat to call home, fourteen neighbors with their own stories, and a fishing line you can leave running while you get on with your day. Korean indie developer EXLIX, led by CEO Lee Jae-bok, will launch its fishing life sim Orion Blue on Steam on November 30.
Ahead of launch, EXLIX released a free demo on Steam on October 10. It covers 10 in-game days, and players who make the most of their time will get about four hours of the game’s core experience.
Orion Blue depicts a quiet daily life of fishing on a mysterious ocean planet. According to the Steam store page, warm 2D pixel art and a cozy, relaxing atmosphere are front and center.
The soundtrack spans ambient, acoustic, tropical, and bossa nova tracks, built to deepen immersion and keep things easy on the ears.
Regional Fish to Collect, and an Idle Mode for Busy Players
Players travel freely across the vast ocean planet to fish. Each region has its own atmosphere and its own species.
Caught fish can be sold at the shop for currency or used to fill out the fish encyclopedia. The exact number of species and regions will be revealed later.
For busy players and those who prefer a gentle pace, the game also supports an idle mode. Alongside manual fishing, where players cast and reel for themselves, idle mode keeps fishing automatically while players work or rest with the game on screen.
“I Built It Because I Couldn’t Find One”: Fishing, Decorating, and Crafting
Orion Blue goes beyond fishing with housing and crafting systems. Fish can be broken down into various resources, which players use to craft furniture and apply wallpaper, customizing their boat and living space to their taste.
CEO Lee Jae-bok explained how the project began: “I was looking for a light fishing game I could keep running beside me while I worked, and when I couldn’t find the right one, I started making it myself.” He describes the result as “a gift set that combines the feel of fishing games like Cast & Chill, the villager interactions of Stardew Valley, the crafting systems of Minecraft and Terraria, and music that’s always comfortable to listen to.”
Fourteen Residents, and Romance With Ten of Them
Fourteen residents live on the planet. Each has their own daily routine, events, and story, and building relationships with them is one of the game’s pillars.
Once a resident becomes a friend, emotional events unlock in which they share deeper worries. Players can go further and enter romantic relationships with residents they click with: ten of the fourteen residents are romanceable.
EXLIX: The Team Behind Shambles
EXLIX is a four-person indie team best known for its previous game, the post-apocalyptic deckbuilder Shambles: Sons of Apocalypse.
Shambles won an award at the 2022 Busan Indie Connect Festival (BIC) and was selected for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s “Game of the Month” indie category for the second half of 2022.
While Shambles was published by major Korean publisher Gravity, EXLIX is handling everything on Orion Blue itself, from development to distribution, to show its own creative identity in full.
Next Fest and INDIE Live Expo
Orion Blue is stepping up its global outreach.
The game is taking part in Steam Next Fest, running October 19 to 26, showcasing its demo to players worldwide. It will also be featured as a promising upcoming title in the INDIE Waves segment of INDIE Live Expo 2026, the online game showcase broadcasting worldwide on December 1.
As a globally self-published title, it will support 14 languages from launch, led by Korean and including English, Japanese, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Thai, French, and German.
Who This Is For
Strong fit for: fans of cozy fishing games like Cast & Chill; Stardew Valley players who love befriending and romancing villagers; anyone looking for a game to keep running while working or studying; players who enjoy crafting and decorating a personal space; pixel-art and relaxing-soundtrack lovers.
Cautious fit for: players who want a large, clearly defined amount of content; species and region counts haven’t been announced yet.
Less ideal for: those seeking challenge, combat, or high-stakes progression; this is deliberately low-pressure.
What to Watch For
Next Fest feedback on the four-hour demo will be the first real signal. Key questions: whether idle mode and manual fishing both feel rewarding, how much depth the resident relationships and romance routes have, and whether crafting and housing hold up over a longer playthrough. The full scope of species and regions remains to be revealed before the November 30 launch.
The Takeaway
Orion Blue knows exactly what it wants to be: a comforting companion game you can leave on while you work, or settle into for hours. Born from a developer’s own search for that game, it pairs manual and idle fishing with crafting, boat decorating, and 14 residents to befriend, ten of them romanceable, all set to bossa nova and ambient tunes. With the Shambles team now self-publishing in 14 languages, it’s a confident step into a cozy genre with genuine appeal for global players.
Free demo: available now on Steam. Full release: November 30, 2026.
Information regarding ‘Orion Blue’
| item | detail |
|---|---|
| Game name | Orion Blue |
| Development and distribution | EXLIX, self-distributed |
| representative | Lee Jae-bok |
| Genre | Fishing Life Simulation |
| platform | PC (Steam Exclusive) |
| Release date | November 30, 2026 |
| Free Demo | Now available on Steam (Starting October 10, 2026, 10 days in-game · approx. 4 hours) |
| Event participation | Steam Next Fest (October 19–26), INDIE Live Expo (broadcast on December 1, INDIE Waves segment) |
| Steam Page | Shortcut |
