The Making of Vampire Survivors - Documentary
Noclip - Video Game Documentaries・23 minutes read
Luca Galante's game "Vampire Survivors" gained unexpected popularity in 2022, originating from his desire to create a simple game for friends, emphasizing player respect and creativity over grandness and complexity. The Italian creator's journey involved overcoming challenges, hiring freelancers, and expanding the game's content, showcasing the success of a small project turned global hit.
Insights
- Luca Galante, an Italian creator, developed "Vampire Survivors," a simple game inspired by "Castlevania," which gained unexpected success after initial unnoticed release on Itch, leading to further development and expansion on Steam with the help of freelancers like Sam and Beth.
- The game's evolution from a personal project to a global hit highlights the impact of simplicity, player-centered design, and creative passion, emphasizing Luca's journey from a humble background in Italy to a successful game developer in London, showcasing the power of dedication and community support in the gaming industry.
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Recent questions
Who created "Vampire Survivors"?
Luca Galante
What inspired the game "Vampire Survivors"?
"Castlevania"
How did Luca handle the unexpected success of the game?
Sought help from friends
What were the initial features of "Vampire Survivors"?
7 characters, 1 stage, 18 weapons
What were Luca's plans for the future of "Vampire Survivors"?
DLC "Legacy of the Moonspell"
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Summary
00:00
Italian creator's game gains unexpected success.
- "Vampire Survivors" was released in 2022, gaining popularity quickly.
- The game is simple, with automatic attacks on timers, aiming to kill enemies for experience points.
- Luca Galante, the Italian creator, was surprised by the game's success.
- Luca's background includes playing games since childhood and studying programming in Italy.
- He moved to London for job opportunities, initially working at McDonald's due to language barriers.
- Luca's creative outlet led to developing games, including "Vampire Survivors" during the pandemic.
- The game's development involved experimenting with JavaScript and Phaser, inspired by "Castlevania".
- "Vampire Survivors" was initially unnoticed on Itch, leading Luca to publish it on Steam.
- The game's release on Steam coincided with Luca contracting COVID, impacting the launch process.
- The game's unexpected success led to Luca seeking help to manage bugs and issues, with friends like Sam assisting.
13:38
"Game Development Success: From Showcases to DLC"
- Competing show and tells with survival times of 11 and 6 minutes showcased early promise.
- Sam, among freelancers hired by Luca, assisted in bug fixes, community management, and porting the game to consoles.
- Expansion of team allowed Luca to focus on creating new content like weapons, levels, and characters.
- Freelancers aided in porting the game to a new engine for console and mobile compatibility.
- Unexpected community growth led to the hiring of Beth as a community manager.
- Initial game version in December featured 7 characters, 1 stage, and 18 weapons, later expanding to 40 characters, 10 stages, and 72 weapons/power-ups.
- Development process involved implementing new features and catching up with Luca's continuous additions.
- Challenges included adjusting physics systems, sound effects, and fonts during the porting process.
- Emphasis on intentionally making the game look worse for charm and easier implementation of new elements.
- Success led to plans for DLC, "Legacy of the Moonspell," with inspirations behind iconic weapons and characters discussed.
27:54
"Vampire Survivors: Simple Game, Global Success"
- "Vampire Survivors" started as a simple project by an Italian immigrant in London, aiming to create a game for his friends to enjoy, eventually becoming a global success that emphasizes simplicity, player respect, and creativity over grandness and complexity of larger games.
