Dmitry Svetlov is the founder and creative director of Odd Meter, the studio behind INDIKA. His route into game development included architectural visualisation and the virtual-reality game SACRALITH: The Archer’s Tale. In May 2026, the Kazakhstan-based studio announced $5 million in investment from GEM Capital and Autotelic Ventures. (80.lv, wnhub.io)
Who Dmitry Svetlov is
Svetlov combines responsibility for development with artistic work. In a 2020 interview with 80 Level, he described himself as team lead and art director. The 2026 investment announcement identified him as creative director. His work on INDIKA also included developing its story and finding ways to tell it through an interactive medium. (80.lv, wnhub.io, cyber.sports.ru)
Odd Meter has a presence in Kazakhstan: its local legal entity was registered on 4 October 2022, with Dmitry Svetlov listed as its director. RAEM includes the company in Startup Radar and its overview of Kazakhstan’s game development studios. (ba.prg.kz)
Dmitry Svetlov’s early projects
Svetlov became interested in games while at school. Speaking to Cyber, he recalled small programs written in QBasic, including a game in which moving paddles returned a ball. It supported two players or a computer opponent. He later turned towards visual art, architecture and three-dimensional graphics. (cyber.sports.ru)
Before entering professional game development, the team worked in architectural visualisation. Svetlov told 80 Level that this business had existed for more than a decade. Experience with spaces, lighting and visual scenes provided a technical foundation for exploring interactive projects. (80.lv)
The transition was gradual. After obtaining an early Oculus development kit, the team began studying Unity and then moved to Unreal Engine. Building interactive scenes appealed to specialists already accustomed to producing visual work. Svetlov’s earlier attempts at making games had also convinced him that he wanted to pursue the field. (80.lv)
From SACRALITH to INDIKA
Odd Meter dates its history as a game studio to 2017. In 2018, it released SACRALITH: The Archer’s Tale for virtual-reality devices. The project gave the team experience of completing a game: development had to reach a finished release and the product had to work on VR hardware. (wnhub.io, 80.lv)
Svetlov later emphasised the value of a released title in discussions with potential partners. It demonstrated that the team could finish its work and helped support the next project. Architectural visualisation also continued as a separate business activity. (cyber.sports.ru)
Development of INDIKA began in 2019. For Svetlov, the project required learning screenwriting: he studied books, read other scripts and repeatedly revised the story. In a pre-release interview, he explained that the script had taken several years despite its relatively modest final length. (cyber.sports.ru)
INDIKA is a third-person adventure about a nun in an alternative version of late nineteenth-century Russia. Publisher 11 bit studios presents it through the protagonist’s journey and internal conflict. The team combined realistic three-dimensional environments with other visual techniques to support its narrative. (11bitstudios.com, awards.cesa.or.jp)
Working with a publisher and winning recognition
The agreement with 11 bit studios took time to develop. According to Svetlov, negotiations lasted almost a year. By then, the team had presented the project at competitions and had the experience of releasing SACRALITH behind it. This was part of its practical transition from a small group of visual artists to a studio capable of managing a full game production. (cyber.sports.ru)
INDIKA was released on 2 May 2024. Reviewing that year for App2Top, Svetlov described the release as a major event for the team and discussed its subsequent work. In early 2025, the studio began full production on its next, still unannounced project. (awards.cesa.or.jp, app2top.ru)
In 2025, INDIKA received the Game Designers Award at the Japan Game Awards. The official award page identifies Odd Meter as the developer and 11 bit studios as the publisher. In his interview reviewing 2025, Svetlov singled out the award among the team’s achievements. (awards.cesa.or.jp, app2top.ru)
Investment and the next game
In May 2026, Odd Meter announced a $5 million round from GEM Capital and Autotelic Ventures. Svetlov said the investment would allow the studio to expand its team and concentrate on its next game. He connected the new production to the experience gained while making INDIKA. (wnhub.io)
On the studio website checked on 22 October 2026, the new project remained listed as unannounced. The site did not provide a public title or release date. RAEM covers the financing in its article on Odd Meter’s investment round. (odd-meter.com)
Timeline
- 2017 — Odd Meter’s history as a game studio began.
- 2018 — released SACRALITH: The Archer’s Tale.
- 2019 — started developing INDIKA.
- October 2022 — registered a legal entity in Kazakhstan.
- May 2024 — released INDIKA.
- 2025 — received the Game Designers Award and worked on the next game.
- May 2026 — announced $5 million in investment. (wnhub.io, cyber.sports.ru, ba.prg.kz, awards.cesa.or.jp, app2top.ru)
Frequently asked questions
Who is Dmitry Svetlov?
He is the founder and creative director of Odd Meter, the studio behind INDIKA and SACRALITH. (80.lv, wnhub.io)
What did he do before making games?
He worked in architectural visualisation and three-dimensional graphics before the team moved into VR and game projects. (80.lv)
When was INDIKA released?
The official Japan Game Awards listing gives the release date as 2 May 2024. (awards.cesa.or.jp)
Who invested in Odd Meter in 2026?
GEM Capital and Autotelic Ventures participated in the announced $5 million round. (wnhub.io)
