How Mycopunk’s Devs Built a Hit Game From a School Project With No Budget
▼ Summary
– Ryan Yan and Liam Cribbs pitched their school project, *Mycopunk*, at GDC 2024, a fast-paced co-op FPS about robot exterminators fighting a fungal infection.
– The game, inspired by titles like *Deep Rock Galactic* and *Helldivers*, earned a “Very Positive” Steam rating with over 1,400 reviews after its early access release.
– The team attended GDC with no scheduled meetings, improvising demos and networking at parties to attract publisher interest.
– Their persistence led to a deal with Devolver Digital, though the agreement came months after they had already submitted the game for their class.
– The duo hopes their success inspires other students to pitch their games, emphasizing the importance of a fun demo and a concrete plan.
From classroom assignment to Steam success, the journey of Mycopunk proves that passion and persistence can turn student projects into professional hits. What began as a group project at NYU has blossomed into a fully-fledged early access title under Devolver Digital, earning rave reviews for its chaotic co-op shooter gameplay.
The team behind Mycopunk, now operating as Pigeons at Play, had no budget, no industry connections, and no guarantee their work would ever leave the classroom. Yet through sheer hustle, they turned their school assignment into a “Very Positive” rated Steam game with over 1,400 reviews.
Creative director Liam Cribbs and modeler Ryan Yan took a gamble by self-funding a trip to GDC 2024, armed only with a laptop and a pitch deck. Without scheduled meetings, they improvised, setting up demos wherever they could, even crashing industry parties to showcase their game.
“We just found areas to set the game up wherever possible,” Yan admitted. “Sometimes we set up next to paid booths. Nobody told us to leave, so we kept going.” Their guerrilla marketing paid off when Devolver Digital took notice, eventually signing them months after graduation.
The game itself, a frenetic co-op FPS where players battle fungal-infected robots, draws inspiration from titles like Deep Rock Galactic and Helldivers. Cribbs emphasized that making the demo fun was their top priority, a lesson they hope inspires other students.
“Too many great student games never leave the classroom,” Yan noted. “We want others to see that pitching is possible if you have a solid plan, and a game people actually enjoy playing.”
While luck played a role, the team believes they created their own opportunities. “You put yourself in a situation to be lucky,” Yan reflected. For Pigeons at Play, that meant turning a pass/fail assignment into a fully published Steam hit, no permission needed.
(Source: PC Gamer)
