Alumni Profile: Elliot Jermy
Tranzfuser Project Description
Steambots is a co-op puzzle platformer where you play as three robots who have to escape their factory to avoid being scrapped. The idea started during a game jam, and we’ve now expanded the game with a new art style, fresh environments and improved puzzles.
Quick Q&A
If you could turn the clock back, would you do anything differently?
Whilst we have made many improvements to our development processes since finishing Tranzfuser, the space the competition provides to make those mistakes was what allowed us to recognise our potential for improvement. Our biggest areas for improvement was our organisation and time management, and if we were to do the competition again, we would be sure to thoroughly research the market for our game beforehand, to avoid that eating into our development time.
What made you want to take part in the competition?
Starting our own indie game studio was always a goal of ours and Tranzfuser was the perfect opportunity to turn our small game into a commercial project. Also, the timeline for Tranzfuser was perfect as we had been making games as a team throughout our entire university careers and the competition started right after we graduated, meaning we could maintain our momentum.
Why should the up-and-coming game dev talent of tomorrow apply to Tranzfuser?
Tranzfuser is the perfect platform for graduates looking to start their own business as it provides the support and learning experiences while giving teams the space make their own decisions and get real world experience for their company. The talks and resources that are available cover lots of topics that many university game degrees don’t, particularly around starting an registered company and acquiring financial support.
What benefits did Tranzfuser bring to your game dev career?
There were so many benefits that Tranzfuser offered, from professional industry talks, funding to officially start the company, practise pitch events to get invaluable feedback as well as a showcase event which was a fantastic opportunity to gain real player feedback. We have since continued our project and time management practises, as well as utilising the learnings we gained from the practise pitches to help fund our business
What are you doing now?
Our whole team is still working hard developing Steambots, as we hope to send the prototype out to publishers soon to fund the full game. We are very excited to share our progress and hope to showcase it at future conventions and events.
