Llamaware Studio’s first video game, Apocalypse Express, has been released
To those who attended the Reboot Develop Blue conference this year, but also our own FTW!, Mateja Stanković from Llamaware Studio is probably remembered for his great pitch, but above all, for his great game.
Apocalypse Express is an action management roguelike game, in which the player conducts, upgrades and repairs various parts of a train through endless waves of enemies in a post-apocalyptic environment. Imagine if FTL and Overcooked had a baby in the world of Mad Max!
Actually, don’t imagine, just take a look at the trailer:
And here’s what Mateja Stanković, Game Director of Apocalypse Express, has to say about this:
“So far, everything is going fantastically! After just six hours, we have 200 sales. We are continuing with marketing and with development, so accordingly, the sales should continue too!
We ended up publishing the game ourselves. We talked to a lot of publishers and just couldn’t find the right ‘partner’. We only got along well with a few and found common ground with them, and with the others, the rev share split and lack of funding simply didn’t suit us. We’ve been marketing the game for over a year now, so we’ve built up a lot of followers and wishlists (primarily through Reddit). Ultimately, the benefit is that it’s our game, we’re responsible and have our own resources. When the money comes in, we’ll be able to reinvest it into ports, localization, marketing budgets, etc.
However, pitching to publishers was a huge morale boost. So much positive energy and praise during FTW!, as well as winning the audience award, recharged the entire team and gave us the strength to push through.”
And if you’re curious about why the game has garnered so much praise, it’s time you check it out on Steam!
Llamaware is a five-person team led by Mateja Stanković, who has over eight years of experience in the industry, including five at Ubisoft, where he worked as a Game Designer.