Guardian Maia is a focused AA narrative adventure continuing the story of an established Indigenous-led IP. Set in a post-collapse Māori futurist Aotearoa, players explore a world reclaimed by nature, uncover forgotten technologies and protect Maia’s people from an advancing force threatening their ancestral lands.
Game Details
Game Name
Guardian Maia
Developer
Rating
Teen
Genre
Single player, 3rd person action-adventure
Target Platforms
PC and console
Game Engine
Unreal Engine 5
Features
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Authentic representations of Māori culture, and traditional genealogical stories are embedded into the gameplay.
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Cinematic Exploration & Traversal - Explore a post-collapse Aotearoa through grounded, fluid traversal.
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Living World & Environmental Storytelling - Discover a world where nature has reclaimed the remnants of a lost civilisation.
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Māori Futurism & Indigenous Storytelling - A culturally grounded world shaped by Māori perspectives, mythology and environmental guardianship.
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Cinematic Character & Narrative Experience - An emotionally driven story centred on Maia, her people and the legacy of her family.
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An Indigenous female lead character created by an Indigenous led team.
Gameplay
Players explore a richly atmospheric post-collapse Aotearoa, traversing forests, ruins, sacred landscapes and forgotten technological sites. Through exploration, environmental storytelling, traversal and cinematic encounters, Maia uncovers the secrets of the old world while confronting the consequences of her family’s past and the growing threat to her people.
The experience is designed as a focused, cinematic adventure, balancing exploration and discovery with moments of tension, danger and emotional storytelling. Rather than a large open-world experience, the game focuses on carefully crafted environments and meaningful encounters that immerse players in Maia’s world and her journey as Guardian.
Social Media
Guardian Maia has already demonstrated strong audience and market interest through a successful Kickstarter campaign for the novel, exceeding its funding goal by 248%.
Updates on the project’s development across social media have generated over 1.7 million likes and grown an audience of more than 70,000 followers. Through the story and ongoing social engagement, Metia has built an online community eager to see authentic portrayals of Indigenous Māori culture in games.
Pitch Deck and Playable Demo
A pitch deck and playable demo of Guardian Maia is available on request.
Contact: guardian@metia.co.nz
The Guardian Maia Novel
Film and TV Producers
In 2021, Metia released ‘Guardian Maia Episodes 1 and 2’, two choose your own adventure storybooks, on Apple iOS and Google Android which became the basis for the Guardian Maia game currently in development.
The full script of Guardian Maia Episodes 1 - 3 are available on request. We have also written a novel based of the Guardian Maia gamebooks.
We also have film and television treatments available based on the current story, the sequel to the gamebook stories.
Contact: guardian@metia.co.nz
Game Demo Video
Screenshots
News
Awards
About Metia Interactive
Based in Auckland, New Zealand, Metia Interactive is a video game studio founded in 2003 by managing director Maru Nihoniho, who was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2016 for her work in gaming and mental health. For the past 20 years, Metia has been committed to creating inclusive and accessible games for all players which weave together universal themes and authentic representations of Indigenous Māori culture. Metia’s shipped games include the puzzle game ‘Cube’, published by D3 Publisher in 2007, and the award winning ‘SPARX’, an e-therapy game made in association with the University of Auckland which gives young people tools to manage their mental health.