From the Smash Attack Team
Hey everyone,
It’s been a hot minute (again) so here we are with our usual end-of-the-year wrap. Going to go over a fair few things here as it has been an insane year for our little collective of idiots and miscreants. As per the past recaps, we will break it down via a quick Studio Update and then into the meat of things with our Game Dev, Down Tilt, and Production teams. So let’s jump right in!
First up is our Studio Update and what a crazy ride it has been for us. For those who know of us, we have been operating just out of Launceston, being a small group who just want to make games, enjoy esports, and have a grand old time. For us to hit the international stage was not something on the 2022 list of things to happen. Gamescom 2022 was definitely the biggest thing ever to happen to the studio and put us on a skyward trajectory for 2023.
From the launch of ShapeVS to the connections we have made, Gamescom taught us a lot about where we are in the international space as well as the Australian space for games. It backed up a lot of encouragement from others telling us that we were going in the right direction. And so here we are, with our first major game out in early access and some awesome collaborations and plans set for 2023.
It also laid the groundwork for new opportunities within the team such as Dean joining the team at Drop Bear Bytes to work on Broken Roads – we will cover this more below but note that he will still be a major player in the studio.
We do want to thank the Another Computer Store team and their owner, Leesa, for everything in 2021 and the beginning of 2022. It was hard to give up the space but we know we made the right decision; it allowed us to focus resources internally and look at expanding in ways we never thought possible.
And with that let’s move on to the Game Dev update!
This is where the culmination of all the studio's work has come to. As explained above we made some choices that helped us get to where we are at the end of an amazing 2022. Firstly, ShapeVS was released, and everything that surrounded the launch of the game. We want to thank Screen Tas, Screen Aus, IGEA, and anyone involved with Gamescom 2022.
That journey alone was what allowed us to get the game out, focus on a launch plan and work with some amazing people for future projects. We also welcomed Woj Beckitt to the team as our new audio designer and expanded upon the foundation laid down by those who have come before. ShapeVS released with an amazing response and exceeded all expectations we set and for that, we can’t thank you enough.
The team is currently working on Update 0.3 slated for the end of the year, give or take a day, and from there hopefully a new step forward for what’s to come. As stated briefly above, Dean did join Drop Bear Bytes to work on Broken Roads but has confirmed with the team he will be doing some Smash Attack stuff on the side, just as a personal development endeavour.
So no worries there, ShapeVS will continue to receive major content updates as well as small projects over the next 12 - 18 months. Next up, Down Tilt.
The Down Tilt team saw a major shake-up in our new collaboration with Optimal Gaming, firstly in March at their location in Kings Meadows and now at their new location in the Launceston CBD. Teaming up with Andrew and the Optimal Team has allowed Max and Jai to really expand and grow the scene. With Smash Ultimate entering its fourth year and having our scene still averaging 12+ has been a huge encouragement for us.
It’s also been great to see our community and the wider Launceston community come together to support such a great business and one that we can’t wait to expand more within 2023. New events, a new Tas circuit, Street Fighter 6 and so much more is on the horizon and we can’t thank our community enough for allowing us to continue doing awesome things!
Now lastly we have our Production team, the Smash Attack Studios podcast, To Be Discussed. It’s funny to think that what started as a way for the team to help get over interview jitters and become more confident in talking into mics has become one of the things we are most known for.
This year the team hit even more listens on Apple Podcasts and Soundcloud as well as being accepted onto Spotify. With Dean’s time being more heavily devoted to game dev, we’ve been super lucky to be able to welcome Oli back to the team in his place.
And that about sums it up, it has been a really good year and we look forward to some more crazy adventures in 2023. Stay tuned for individual updates from our dev team, Down Tilt, and production team as things begin to ramp up in Q1 2023.
Til then, Happy New Year!
