Scouts Built a GDevelop Game to Fund Their Jamboree Trip

Juno (Left) and Ellie (right), creators of the game and Scouts extraordinaire!

When 13-year-old Scouts Juno and Ellie from York set out to raise money for their trip to the 2027 World Scout Jamboree in Poland, they skipped the standard bake sales. Instead, they built and published a retro pixel-art endless runner called SOFIE SCOUT: Road to Poland.

The game is out now on iOS, Android, PC, and Mac, and it recently earned a spot as Game of the Week on Pocket Gamer. Players help Sofie race across Europe to Gdańsk after she misses the Jamboree bus, navigating pixel-art renditions of London, Bruges, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Berlin.

Sofie Scout: Road to Poland being featured on PocketGamer.com!

We sat down with Juno, Ellie, and Juno's dad David to discuss how they built the game using GDevelop, the challenges of app store publishing, and what it takes to turn a fundraising project into a real cross-platform release.

From York to Poland: Building SOFIE SCOUT

"We didn’t just want to ask people for donations without giving them something in return, so we decided to create something people could actually enjoy," Juno said. "We hope everyone has as much fun playing the game as we had making it. Every download brings us one step closer to representing York and the UK at the World Scout Jamboree."

The project was a joint effort from start to finish. Juno and Ellie pitched the core idea, designed levels, drew pixel art, tweaked gameplay mechanics, and put in dozens of hours of playtesting. David supported them on the technical setup and storefront logistics, but the design choices came straight from the girls.

To hit their fundraising target, Juno and Ellie need to sell over 3,000 copies of the game.

"If you’re reading this, we’d really appreciate your support," Ellie said. "It costs less than a cup of coffee, and every copy sold helps us get one step closer to the trip of a lifetime."

Publishing to iOS, Android, and Steam

Bringing a mobile and desktop project across the finish line comes with practical platform challenges. David shared how the team handled publishing, along with technical hurdles they solved along the way.

The Apple App Store Pipeline

Of the three major storefronts (iOS, Google Play, and Steam), getting the game running on iOS was the smoothest process. The team followed GDevelop's iOS publishing guide, generated an Apple API key, and hooked it directly into GDevelop.

Sofie made it to London!

Once configured, Juno and Ellie could build and deploy updated test builds to physical iOS devices in a few clicks. After passing TestFlight checks, they submitted the build to Apple review. It was approved a few days later and launched immediately.

Android and Steam Hurdles

Publishing on other platforms required a bit more legwork:

Google Play: Google required a closed beta test with 12 distinct testers opted in for 14 consecutive days before allowing a submission for final review.

Steam: Navigating Steamworks documentation and setup steps presented significantly more admin overhead.

Support Juno and Ellie's Fundraiser

Every purchase goes directly toward helping Juno and Ellie represent their community at the 2027 World Scout Jamboree in Poland.

Buy the Game: Get SOFIE SCOUT on iOS, Android, PC, or Mac

Official Website: sofiescout.com

Read the Pocket Gamer Feature: Pocket Gamer Game of the Week