Alumni Profile: Adam Boyne
BetaJester - 2016 Team
Tranzfuser Project Description
Here There Be Monsters is a third-person RPG with open world exploration. You play as a god cast down from the heavens who seeks vengeance on the seven gods of the seven seas. Only by exploring, hunting, questing, trading and upgrading can you become strong enough to take on the gods, claim their powers as your own, and take your rightful place as the one true lord of the oceans.
Quick Q&A
If you could turn the clock back, would you do anything differently?
We would have outlined a much smaller game and focussed on creating a more complete, stable prototype than the outlandish game we tried to build. While we acheived our goal of building out our concept with a whole host of functional mechanics, our lack of polish across the board ultimately cost us in the end.
What made you want to take part in the competition?
Tranzfuser provided us two big things that we could not get elsewhere with regards the development of our game. One was the funding to support ourselves during the summer window, allowing us the time and space to make the game itself. The second was the support and mentorship that helped us to break into the industry. Thanks to Tranzfuser we met multiple games industry veterans around Yorkshire, and were able to attend our first expo as a games company.
Why should the up-and-coming game dev talent of tomorrow apply to Tranzfuser 2021?
Tranzfuser is the best opportunity available for new and recent graduates to try their hand at becoming a part of the games industry. You are essentially funded to build your dream game, showcase it to the world, and hopefully get the further funding you need to make it a reality. Even if you don’t get the further funding, you walk away with a huge amount of experience, a much larger network, and the ability to break into the industry at a much higher level, and it doesn’t cost you anything because you get funding!
What benefits did Tranzfuser bring to your game dev career?
Tranzfuser gave us the step up to move from early days start-up to functioning games company. The connections we made during the Tranzfuser window have helped us to grow into the sustainable company we are today. It taught us the value of time when it comes to short-term development, gave us pitching and networking skills that have helped in all aspects of our careers, and gave us a better idea of what we are able to accomplish when we set our minds to it.
What are you doing now?
BetaJester is now an almost 5 year old studio, still working on games and contracts for clients around the UK. We have been able to hire people and continue to develop our ideas based on what we learnt back in 2016. While Tranzfuser wasn’t the big break we had hoped it would be, it set us up in good stead to turn what was a graduate dream into a sustainable studio.
