Alumni Profile: Luke Maloney
Tranzfuser Project Description
Combining Overcooked and Sea of Thieves, our 4 Player, Couch Co-op, Pirate Party Adventure Set Sail! was the project we took into and developed through Tranzfuser
Quick Q&A
If you could turn the clock back, would you do anything differently?
It’s hard to say what we would do differently as we had so much success throughout the programme!
However, for me personally, I wish I would have worked harder to look after my mental health during the competition. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make the showcase event at I71 because of this, but thankfully have such an amazing team who nailed the show without me. As important as it is to work hard through the programme, working to look after yourself to avoid burnout is even more important. A game studio is nothing without the people that form it, and as a leader you can’t look after those people if you’re not looking after yourself.
What made you want to take part in the competition?
We already knew going into our 3rd year of University that we wanted to build our own studio, and when we were told about Tranzfuser we new that it would be the perfect stepping stone to success. The time between finishing University and having a fully established game studio would have been daunting if doing it on our own, but Tranzfuser was the perfect opportunity for us to build the foundations of our company and our game with less risk.
Why should the up-and-coming game dev talent of tomorrow apply to Tranzfuser?
If you’re looking to build you’re own studio, then Tranzfuser is the perfect stepping stone for that. But equally, if you’re looking to gain industry experience to improve your CV, Tranzfuser is a huge opportunity to gain that.
Going into the competition, I used to think that ‘the game is everything’. However, you will quickly learn that the game is only 50% of the project, and the studio and team make up the other half. You can’t have one without the other, so make time to start building a good studio culture and have a good vision for the future of the studio, both as something that can be profitable but also how it can give back to the games community in your local area and the global industry as a whole.
What benefits did Tranzfuser bring to your game dev career?
Feeling like a respected and true game studio despite being brand new gave us massive confidence in ourselves and motivated us to act professionally and immerse ourselves in the industry. Having the support from Tranzfuser around both game development and bizdev has helped us to lay down strong foundations for the studio which has propelled us forward after the competition. The network built during the programme and the respect gained from industry for simply being in the competition has allowed us to create a strong presence already.
What are you doing now?
We have been incredibly busy since the end of Tranzfuser! Here’a list of things that have been happening at Dragon Scale Studios:
– Were successful in our application to DunDev so have been preparing for our month long move to Dundee in January.
– Uploaded a Set Sail! demo to Steam and the Epic Games Store which has had great feedback already. We have continued updating this demo with performance updates and new content ready for two massive Steam festivals in late Jan/early Feb.
– Took to the Rezzed Stage at EGX thanks to our connection with Barclays Eagle Labs, had a sword fight on stage and showed off the Set Sail! demo.
– Have launched our own website at dragonscalestudios.co.uk
– Become members of the Startup Stiwdio and Ukie, as well as attending events across Cardiff and Wales, meeting with members of Media Cymru, Creative Wales, Creative Cardiff and more!
– Applied to be part of a trade mission with Creative Wales which would see us attend GDC 2024.
