Alumni Profile: JJ Fox
Tranzfuser Project Description
Hymble Ventures is a cute 3D, action-adventure platformer with cozy elements and focus on the five senses. Players immerse into a quirky world as a hypersensitive young bug called Hymble who faces challenges with her sensory input. Our unique selling point is the four health bar system that manages Hymble’s sight, sound, smell and touch perceptions.
Quick Q&A
If you could turn the clock back, would you do anything differently?
While we were unsuccessful at the final pitching stage, we assumed that we spent more time pitching the project and less time refining the business model. We should have planned where our studio would go over the next three years and what the milestones are to achieve our goals. The business is just as important as the projects themselves.
What made you want to take part in the competition?
I was a solo dev who wanted to start my own studio, but would’ve found the process daunting on my own. Tranzfuser was an opportunity to work within a team, and luckily I outsourced some amazing people from the teams board who liked my idea and were happy to come on board.
Why should the up-and-coming game dev talent of tomorrow apply to Tranzfuser?
If you have a game idea you’re so passionate about and dream of developing a project you enjoy for a living, get into Tranzfuser! You’ll be mentored by experienced indie devs who will have your best interests at heart and help you discover more potential in your game. I wouldn’t accelerate further into running my own studio if it wasn’t for Tranzfuser’s attentive support. When the programme finishes, you will also stay in contact with fellow teams and facilitators who become your colleagues.
What benefits did Tranzfuser bring to your game dev career?
With the game biz academy sessions, it felt like the aspects related to our project and business (e.g. marketing, pitching, finding publishers and investors) were made simpler for us to understand. The intensive practical work helped my leadership skills grow, especially project and team management. I continue to hone them post-Tranzfuser so I’m more confident in the big wide world. The Midway Playtest helped us gain excellent feedback, which meant Hymble Ventures found its unique selling point and the scope improved a lot.
What are you doing now?
The Hymble Ventures project is still going. Canine Games still remains a remote-working studio and my teammates and I meet in person twice a month in public spaces to iterate our project according to feedback we gained from Insomnia and Steam Next Fest (which we took part in outside of Tranzfuser). We came out of Tranzfuser as an early stage business and we continue to grow by applying to more programmes such as the Tentacle Zone Incubator
