Pizzapocalypse developers start their own studio Monkey Strike Games

How did the nominations change your perspective on your work and future in the games industry? 

Genna: 'I am really happy with the nomination for our game Pizzapocalypse. It is proper recognition for our work. It is been incredibly helpful moving forward with this project and making it bigger. The nominations have made me more confident, showing that people are genuinely interested. We are using it as a signal to potential funders, for example.' 

Toby: 'Not much has changed after The Rookies, to be honest. We had already received a nomination for the Game Development World Championship 2024 Winter Awards in Finland, which we won in April, and we were nominated for the Dutch Game Awards as well. The GDWC competition had over 2,000 entries, so winning there really solidified the feeling that this project is bigger than all of us. What is exciting about The Rookies is that it is international and focused on student work, which makes it a fantastic platform for recognition.' 

When did this project begin? 

Toby: 'This project started in year two, specifically in block three with the original concept for Pizzapocalypse. We took it forward in block four of year two, when artists and more designers joined the team. That is when we made the version that gained traction.' 

Genna: 'Last year we both worked on completely new projects, with different teams, for the entire year. I helped on the game DREADTOME, whilst Toby worked on an action puzzle game called Katharsi. We didn’t actually get to work on Pizzapocalypse then. We wanted to, but the opportunity didn’t come up. I really enjoyed my third year though, and now in year four I am excited to return to Pizzapocalypse.' 

What's happening in your fourth year? 

Genna: 'We officially founded our company, Monkey Strike Games. We already have another game in the pipeline for release, and Pizzapocalypse is now being reimagined under the studio’s banner. Some people are joining the project on a personal basis as well.' 

Toby: 'The company has a large team, all students, mostly fourth years with some third years. For us, we are committed to doing this for at least six months.' 

Genna: 'Depending on how it goes and whether it is financially feasible, we are actively looking for funding. Our other game, Drink Up, Cowboy!, is also in the pipeline. There is a consistent theme in our studio, cartoony, fun games with a happy tone.' 

For those unfamiliar with it, what is Pizzapocalypse all about? 

Genna: 'The main character is a pizza chef with his own pizzeria. He is dedicated to making quality pizzas with love, but the city has been taken over by a big corporation that churns out pizza quickly, without any heart. The chef is determined to keep delivering his authentic pizzas across the city, despite the robots sent by the corporation.' 

Find Pizzapocalypse on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3224960/Pizzapocalypse/  

Where did the idea of a pizza chef fighting against a soulless pizza corporation come from? 

Genna: 'It was an iterative, collaborative process. The initial seed was in year two when we were all tasked with coming up with basic concepts. It started as a chef throwing pizza and teleporting by dashing to it. Then we developed the narrative, what are these robots, where are they from? People gave input from all sorts of perspectives.' 

Toby: 'The core concept from year two's block three was different. But in block four, we had some concepting meetings to see what we wanted to keep and what we desired to change. We shifted towards something more light-hearted.' 

Genna: 'We shifted the apocalypse to be about the integrity of pizza, appreciating the love that goes into food versus mass production. That narrative goes much further in our year four version.' 

What roles did each of you take on in the team? 

Genna: 'Within the game development team, I act as team lead, outlining the vision of the game. I make sure we look at the bigger picture and ensure small teams align with each other to follow the vision. I also enjoy designing on a smaller scale.' 

Toby: 'I'm more specialised as a level designer. I am one of two from the original project still working full-time on level design. I enjoy crafting narrative and worlds, going down to individual level beats and overarching structure. Quite a lot of team members are still joining us, though some have moved on whilst others have joined. It is a very talented team.' 

How was the reception at events? 

Toby: ‘We showcased at Night of the Nerds in Eindhoven last June. Most of the attendees were younger kids, which was quite a change from the adult industry veterans we usually meet at events. Since our game is a 3D platformer, the younger audience really enjoyed it, they picked it up effortlessly and understood it perfectly without any guidance. Many even said they would love to play the full game.’ 

Genna: 'That is what drove us forward, knowing what we had to work on.’ 

Toby: 'And in the end, we are very proud to have the highest-rated game from BUas on Steam.' 

Every project has its challenges. What was the biggest obstacle you faced? 

Genna: 'I think we almost didn't experience major challenges. We had no major team friction and no rigid hierarchy. We stayed level-headed and solved problems together. There were some disagreements, but nothing major.' 

Toby: 'The team was randomly assigned, but we hit the ground running. There were only minor disagreements along the way.' 

If you had unlimited time and budget, what would you add or expand in Pizzapocalypse? 

Genna: ‘I don’t want to give too much away, but we are looking at exploring more locations in Italy and potentially creating a global game world. We would expand every aspect, how characters move, what they can do, and what each level represents. It wouldn’t just be a linear progression.’ 

Toby: 'The objective wouldn't just be "start here and go there". I think if we had all the time and budget, we would just keep going until it was good enough. We would never really stop improving it.' 

What's next for each of you after BUas? 

Genna: 'Continue the studio, hire people, and keep growing. That's the dream. It is not only about building the game but also building the team, finding the right people and building experience together.' 

Toby: 'With a team as large as we have, lots of people would want to go into triple-A development, but I am more fond of indie games. I would love to continue on this path.' 

If you could give advice to new BUas students dreaming of making their own games, what would it be? 

Genna: 'Just reach out and learn from people. I was surprised by lecturers and other developers. We talked to some professionals and they gave us their time. Just try reaching out to game developers; they genuinely want to help you out. We had free consulting from lawyers and other professionals. The resources are there, and people want to help.' 

Toby: 'What I always want to share is that we're always told to "find the fun". What is fun to play, but that extends to you as a professional. Find love in what you do across multiple facets. There are so many different aspects to game development that can lead you down paths that make you happy. I am less comfortable with coding, for example, but I love level design. When you find your niche, it stops feeling like work.' 

Learn more about Monkey Strike Games: https://www.monkeystrikegames.com/ 

Connect with the Genna and Toby on LinkedIn: 

 Genna Khudilaynen on LinkedIn 

 Toby Canham on LinkedIn