Re:Shift Games: Building tools and games from the ground up

How did you start your company? 

Ad: ‘I have known Quinn and Bram since our MBO days, we went to the same school. Later, Quinn and I both went to BUas, where we met Jolke during a second-year project. Jolke was working with Quinn on a quest system for a game, and that collaboration evolved into what is now our Quest and Dialogue plugin, Qade. In our second year, there were projects, like Method of Loci and other games, that needed a solution for quests and dialogues. That is how the idea for the tool really took off.’ 

Quinn: ‘During the summer before our third year, we further built our plugin. It was used for Alice Through the Fey Realm. We added all kinds of custom systems, and that plugin was also used by the team working on the game Sicaria. Around that time, Ad, Bram and I were already exploring the idea of starting a company, though school kept us busy. But when we saw what the tool could do, we thought, this has potential. We could sell it and use the funding to make our own games.’ 

Jolke: ‘Now we are in our fourth year, and we are on the third version of the plugin. It has multiplayer support and lots of improvements. We are all graduating with our company as our final-year project.’ 

Can you describe the project you are working on? 

Quinn: ‘We are working on an online co-op roguelite first-person shooter called Incorporeus.’ 

Ad: ‘A roguelite is a game where each run starts from scratch, with procedurally generated levels. You get upgrades by defeating enemies, complete challenges, and if you die, you start over. The goal is to eventually complete a full run.’ 

Quinn: ‘We started this project at the beginning of the academic year. We built a framework of tools and systems to support standard multiplayer FPS mechanics. A lot of it is our own work, but we also use Unreal’s built-in systems like the Gameplay Ability System. For level design, we use assets from the Unreal Marketplace and a voxel plugin. Bram, our only designer, has created a lot, but since we are an indie team, everyone needs to be multi-skilled. I have also worked a lot on art, alongside Jolke.’ 

Jolke: ‘I have gained a lot of experience in art too. It has been a steep learning curve. Ad and Bram are more focused on design.’ 

Bram: ‘In the gameplay polishing phase, our various systems must come together to form a core that is, first of all, fun to play but also meets our vision and expectations. Currently, this is coming along well, with each added part making us feel like we are getting closer to completing the puzzle.’ 

Quinn: ‘Now we have got the core systems in place, from our hub world into procedurally generated levels with challenges. We are now in the gameplay polishing phase, making it fun, responsive, and engaging. Next up is content, story, and art.’ 

How did you divide the roles in this project? 

Jolke: ‘I mainly focused on level generation and tool design, especially the visual side, making sure everything looks good and works well. I also handle simpler 3D models, and for more complex assets, we buy packages. I have taken on a role in shaping the artistic vision and learned Blender to expand my skillset.’ 

Ad: ‘I have worked mostly on runtime mechanics: movement, upgrades, loadouts, and now combat. I also dabble a bit in animations and help shape ideas with placeholder assets. I am often in discussion with Bram about mechanics and features.’ 

Bram: ‘My responsibilities within this project lie mostly with the design and vision of the project. As a designer, fun ideas tend to be common, moulding them into a cohesive and interactive experience is where the true challenge lies. Because of the weight of my responsibility, I focus on making sure all four of us work towards the same vision. This does mean that discussions are common, so it is equally important that we listen to each other's feedback to tie every part together nicely.’ 

Quinn: ‘I focus on a mix of programming for tools and gameplay. My background is in art, I started in game development around 2013 as an artist, then shifted to programming during my MBO, and now I combine both. I also handle some of the business stuff, going to the Chamber of Commerce, setting up Steam, managing marketing and finance. We have structured our company, so each person has their own responsibilities.’ 

Jolke: ‘We have joined BUas’ startup programme, BUSS, which gives us access to events and support. It has been helpful for networking and getting practical advice, like how to write quotes and connect with people with experience.’ 

Tell us about the game! 

Quinn: ‘The game is called Incorporeus. The story takes place across parallel universes, each ruled by powerful factions. There is an alien portal system that connects the worlds, and these beings have evolved beyond physical form. As a player, you travel through these portals and either help or fight different groups depending on the universe you are in.’ 

Ad: ‘The title refers to the incorporeal nature of these beings, outside of space and time.’ 

Quinn: ‘It is a 1 to 4 player co-op shooter. We are focusing on a PC release for now, but we would love to bring it to consoles in the future.’ 

Jolke: ‘A console release is something we are looking into but currently we are focusing on a PC only release.’ 

Bram: ‘In Incorporeus, we try to tell narrative via gameplay using many of the core features of the rogue-lite subgenre. What this means is that through gameplay interactions and systems like upgrades, weapons, levels, and more, we tell the story of a futuristic world we envision. As the others have already noted, the story combines sci-fi tropes with philosophical concepts, which hopefully will make our players' thoughts wander about the limitless possibilities our universe provides.’ 

Quinn: ‘We don’t have a fixed release date yet, but we are aiming for early access on Steam by the end of this year, with a full release next year. For school, we will submit a vertical slice, a playable chunk showing the core of the game.’ 

What challenges did you face, and how did you overcome them? 

Bram: ‘Since we are an indie company with a limited budget, we must get creative when it comes to telling stories. This means focusing on means of conveying information outside of simply having an NPC say everything out loud. This is where gameplay-oriented storytelling comes in, and where a player's connection to certain items or places in the game will allow us to explain what our world is all about.’ 

Jolke: ‘Multiplayer adds a lot of complexity. You suddenly have to account for everything being synchronised between players. Sometimes, things would work fine for the server, but not for other players.’ 

Quinn: ‘One of the challenges that we faced with multiplayer was to make sure all of the relevant data was correctly send over to the players that joined the server or loaded a new level. Otherwise, we would have issues where a level or other player data would not be correctly loaded in for some players. It is not something you deal with in single-player games.’ 

Jolke: ‘There were also frustrating little bugs, unexpected problems that needed creative fixes. Level generation was another huge challenge, especially syncing across clients. But we have solved the biggest multiplayer bugs now.’ 

What are your future plans? 

Quinn: ‘We are planning to fully release Incorporeus next year. After that, we will evaluate how it performs and release additional content. Since it is multiplayer, there is room for updates. We are also planning our next game, though it is too early to say what that will be. At the same time, we are preparing to sell Qade, our Quest and Dialogue Editor, on the Unreal Marketplace. That will help generate funding for future projects.’ 

Follow Quinn Mc Gregor Paterson, Ad Bressers, Jolke de Jonge, Bram Muijsenberg and Re:Shift on LinkedIn to stay updated on their company and upcoming game Incorporeus.