HIGHGROUND STUDIOS
Ideas. Technology. Experiences.
Highground Studios is an independent creative technology studio built around a simple idea: turning interesting ideas into things that actually work.
From useful applications that solve everyday problems to games, interactive experiences and ambitious creative worlds, Highground Studios is a place to experiment, build and create things that are useful, interesting or simply enjoyable.
We're just getting started.
BEHIND HIGHGROUND STUDIOS
Highground Studios is something I've wanted to do for a long time, although it hasn't had a name until now! I've always had a passion for technology, gaming and creating things. I've often found myself looking for improvements or simply better ways of doing things.
Over the years, that's taken me from process improvement and automation through to software, website development, Web3, blockchain and AI. Sometimes it's about making something quicker or simpler or solving a problem. But sometimes it's just about taking an idea that sounds interesting and seeing what I can make of it.
I've always had ideas that I thought seemed amazing at the time but on reflection at least some probably weren't quite as feasible as I first thought! (Let's not talk about edible cutlery...) But there have also been a few I've regretted not taking further. Finding the time to actually explore them has usually been the difficult part.
Highground Studios gives me a place to finally work on that. Somewhere to bring those ideas and interests together, experiment with them and turn the ones that have potential into something real.
Cars, gaming and (amateur) fitness have been part of my life for a long time too, so naturally they find their way into some of what I create. Other ideas come from much simpler places, sometimes just finding something frustrating and thinking I could make it easier.
Ultimately I want to build things that are useful, interesting or enjoyable. If something I create solves a problem for someone, makes their life a little easier, or simply gives them something they enjoy using then it was worth building.
- Michael
WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON
Highground Studios is home to projects of very different shapes and sizes, from ambitious creative worlds to simple applications designed to solve everyday problems.
Here's some of what's currently taking shape.
THE PIT STOP
An evolving automotive and racing universe bringing together car culture, gaming, storytelling and community.
The Pit Stop combines an extensive automotive collection, game systems and a growing cast of distinctive personalities within a creative world built around a shared passion for cars.
IN DEVELOPMENT
MEET THE MECHANIX
Sparkz
Torx
Wheelz
Nutz
At the heart of The Pit Stop are the Mechanix — four pint-sized automotive robots with distinct personalities, abilities and specialities.
Sparkz, Torx, Wheelz and Nutz aren't just mascots. They are part of The Pit Stop world, its stories and its game systems, each bringing their own approach to making cars go faster... or, occasionally, making things considerably more interesting.
VEHICLE COLLECTION & GAME SYSTEMS
Behind The Pit Stop is a collection of 5,555 automotive collectibles, built from a diverse range of vehicles spanning car and racing culture.
From hatchbacks, vans and trucks to muscle cars, sports cars and supercars, individual vehicle designs appear across different editions, with the wider collection structured around vehicle types, eras, rarity levels, performance attributes and special modifiers.
The Mechanix are integrated into the system itself, with Sparkz, Torx, Wheelz and Nutz influencing different vehicle characteristics and creating the foundations for game and interactive concepts.
Collection design. Game mechanics. Interactive concepts.
APPS
Useful by design. Intuitive by choice.
Highground Studios apps start with a simple principle: if an app solves a problem, it shouldn't create three more by being unnecessarily complex.
We make apps that are straightforward, efficient and genuinely useful, without unnecessary complexity getting in the way.
Every free Highground Studios app is genuinely usable and useful in its own right. Premium features are there to add worthwhile quality-of-life improvements, not to unlock the app you should have received in the first place.
And if advertising helps support a free version, we'll keep it simple: one small, unobtrusive ad. No interruptions, no silly pop-ups and nothing getting in the way of actually using the app.
JAR JAR
WORKING PROTOTYPE
A smarter, simpler way to stay in control of your budget — and make more of what’s left.
Jar Jar started with a simple problem: finding a straightforward way to manage a holiday budget without an app that was overly complicated, expensive or buried beneath subscriptions and adverts. Unable to find one that did what was needed, it was time to build one.
The first functional prototype focuses specifically on holiday budgeting, dividing a trip budget across individual days and dynamically adjusting daily allowances as money is spent or saved. Spend less today and what's left goes into the savings jar, giving you more to work with tomorrow.
Future development will expand the concept into monthly budgeting, providing the same clear view of spending, remaining budget and potential savings for everyday use.
Functional prototype. Built and tested on Android.
DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID
GYMPRO
WORKING PROTOTYPE
Designed to be different. Complements your training, rather than getting in the way.
GymPro grew out of my own frustration with workout trackers. The ones I tried were often unintuitive, overloaded with adverts, locked useful features behind premium subscriptions or simply didn't work particularly well. And after all that, I was still switching to a separate stopwatch app to time my rest periods.
So I built something that works the way I want to train. Efficiently.
GymPro is designed around the reality that when you're training, you want to concentrate on your workout, not your phone. The aim is to demand as little interaction and attention as possible, with one-touch actions wherever possible without sacrificing usability.
Tick off a completed set and your predefined rest timer starts automatically. A large, easy-to-read timer and clear, scrollable exercise and set information let you see what you need at a glance, even when you're busy or working hard.
Create, edit and delete your own workout programs, with rep-based or timed exercises, weights and simple progression markers to help keep track of what needs to change next time.
Working prototype. Built and tested on Android.
DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID
OUR BRAND NEW CLOTHING LINE
We've also been having some fun with the Highground Studios brand, creating a few T-shirts, vest tops and other bits and pieces.
In all honesty, they won't be appearing in a store near you anytime soon. They're just for founders, friends and family.
Even so, we still think they're pretty awesome. 😎
WHAT'S NEXT?
There's plenty more planned for Highground Studios. The Pit Stop universe will continue to grow, while several new application ideas are already being explored and developed.
The existing apps will continue to evolve too, with new features and functionality planned as we work towards their first full releases.
There are plenty more ideas waiting their turn too. Some will work. Some probably won't. That's part of the fun.
Watch this space.