Wombo Games Brings Big Talent to First Title

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A fresh gaming studio, known as Wombo Games, has recently emerged with branches in Copenhagen and Budapest. This studio is backed by industry veterans who have worked on popular games such as Tomb Raider and Hitman. Their inaugural game, Raiders of Blackveil, marks their first venture into the gaming world. Previously, Wombo Games had been working quietly until they announced the release of Blackveil in late April.

In a recent conversation, Game Rant interviewed Wombo CEO Janos Flösser. He discussed the origins of Wombo and how it utilizes expertise from numerous prominent franchises along with Copenhagen’s vibrant artistic community to create an exceptional launch for Raiders of Blackveil.

Bringing Together the Real Raiders of Blackveil

In 1997, Flösser kicked off his gaming journey as a co-founder of IO Interactive. Not long after, IO debuted the game “Hitman: Codename 47“, marking the beginning of the successful and enduring “Hitman ” series. Although widely recognized for “Hitman“, Flösser also showcased other IO games such as “Kane and Lynch“, “Mini Ninja“, and “Freedom Fighters“. Interestingly, three of the founders at Wombo share a similar history with IO Interactive, dating back nearly thirty years, thus linking Wombo to the legacy of IO interactive.

Flösser embarked on a journey with IO Interactive, accompanying the company as it was transferred from one owner to another, eventually winding up at Square Enix. Throughout this period, he held the position of Chief Creative Officer for Square Enix West, overseeing the company’s European and American studios. After spending eight years in this role, he chose to venture out independently, finding inspiration for his new project in IO Interactive’s roots from Denmark.

Copenhagen serves as a vibrant hub for exceptionally skilled video game creators. The city offers numerous educational programs focusing on both fine arts and technology, with creative schools, universities, and specialized institutions like the IT University of Copenhagen, Technical University of Denmark, Animation Workshop in Viborg, National Film School of Denmark, and DADIU [The National Academy of Digital, Interactive Entertainment] contributing to game development. These institutions collaborate and share resources, fostering a thriving gaming scene in the city.

Consequently, it is Copenhagen that serves as the main hub for the team producing Raiders of Blackveil. Nevertheless, Flösser operates at a smaller satellite office in Budapest. Given his Hungarian origin and the presence of some Hungarian developers in Budapest, working with this team is advantageous to him, despite the relatively small size of the Budapest studio, which employs only a few individuals.

Although Wombo is a relatively small studio in size, Flösser praises the exceptional talent it has managed to attract, particularly in areas such as art, music, visual effects, special effects, and sound design. To add to this, many members of the team take on various roles depending on the requirements, with the art director also working on sound design, audio experts handling the game’s music, and the game director serving dual roles as both the level designer.

In truth, Flösser prefers a studio that’s around the size of a standard one. Following his time at Square Enix, he discovered that leading larger studios is more about managing people than creating games. Therefore, a smaller workspace enables him to concentrate more on crafting exceptional games rather than administrative tasks.

Raiders of Blackveil Emphasizes the Joy of Gaming

Wombo is significantly motivated by the distinctive pitch and concept of “Raiders of Blackveil“. This action-packed game combines aspects from RPGs, MOBAs, and other genres to create a unique blend that the entire team finds captivating. According to Flösser, the vision of the game has served as a powerful driving force for the developers.

The atmosphere and vibe of the game serves as a catalyst for creativity at our studio. We’re passionate about concept arts and mood boards, so we embraced this feeling and asked ourselves, “What can we bring to life from it?” Our primary goal was to ensure that the game feel remains authentic and playable throughout the process. I believe that Christopher won’t rest until the game is hugely entertaining. In essence, creating an indie game allows us to reconnect with the enjoyable aspects of gaming, focusing on what truly matters – the fun, the social interactions, and here we are working on the game you see today.

Based on this inspiration, Flösser underscored Wombo’s ethos of allowing natural abilities to flourish. During the creation process of Raiders of Blackveil, the strategy was to construct the game as the team progressed. Nelson desired an initial prototype that developers could interact with, to gauge its tangibility and feel. This way, the studio could build the game piece by piece using their talent’s skills, enabling them to see what was taking shape and what wasn’t. Flösser also acknowledged that when he or the development team disagreed on certain aspects, it was ultimately the developers who had the final say, and eventually he respected their decisions.

Clearly, “Raiders of Blackveil” showcases the abilities and creativity of Wombo’s team. Despite Flösser’s attempts to keep his expectations modest, he is encouraged by the positive response from testers who found themselves deeply engrossed in extended play sessions. This enthusiasm drives Wombo to ensure that the game remains engaging on a grand scale, suggesting that they are making significant strides towards achieving this aim. For those eager to learn more about “Raiders of Blackveil”, it will be featured at June’s Steam Next Fest.

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2025-04-25 20:26