We spoke with Demagog Studio, the team behind the turn-based 3D adventure game, Highwater and they’ve shared some interesting facts about their games.
Not many are familiar with the name Demagog Studio. But perhaps you’re familiar with it as Golf Club: Wasteland, although the title changed to Golf Club: Nostalgia. While it was simply a golf game, the idea was intriguing. It chronicled an astronaut’s round of golf amidst the remains of a destroyed planet. In the same vein, Highwater too had a unique setting. Taking place on a post-apocalyptic planet, it puts your survival skills to the test.
We reviewed their game The Cub which was truly amazing, and we’ve recently reviewed Highwater both NoobFeed and GamesCreed, and obviously, our editors have loved it. We were curious about the makings of these games and decided to dig deeper into the ideas behind such interesting games and wanted to hear more from the developers. So, without further ado, let’s hear what Demagog Studio has to say about Highwater, The Cub, Golf Club: Wasteland, their upcoming projects, and the video game industry in general.
Azfar Rayan: Hello! How about sharing a bit about the members of the team behind Demagog Studio?
Demagog Studio: Back in 2012 four of us, high school friends, reunited after college, and made two experimental games, such as Crisis Expert and Children’s Play, for exhibition spaces and placed them on Google Play. Then in 2017, we decided to attempt something more commercial and that’s how we made Golf Club: Wasteland, which we were unfortunately compelled to rename to Golf Club: Nostalgia a year ago.
Azfar Rayan: Your first game was Golf Club: Nostalgia, and how did you get involved with making it? Instead of simply making a golf game, how did you come up with such an interesting idea?
Demagog Studio: I love art and politics, so it occurred to me in 2017 that Musk wants to live on Mars and Trump wants to build golf courses in pristine parts of Scotland. If that’s the case, perhaps the ideal scenario would be that all of us who are not billionaires simply get out of the way by dying in an Ecological Catastrophe, while we are safe on Mars.
Years later, the elites would return to Earth to play golf in the ruins. That was the premise. I remembered the game Gorillas in MS-DOS and figured that golf wouldn’t be much different. Our goal was to create a premium mobile game with a character, world, and a whole vibe, and that way work our way up to opportunities for PC and console games.
Azfar Rayan: What motivated you to come up with such a unique theme for The Cub? Did any other game inspire you to make it?
Demagog Studio: The idea for The Cub came right after Golf Club: Nostalgia. It’s basically a sequel – at the end of the golfing experience Charlie, the main character, meets a mutant boy, who is ostensibly the last living human. The Cub was directly inspired by my childhood experience with Sega games, such as The Jungle Book. But also more cinematic games such as Another World and Heart of Darkness inspired us.
Azfar Rayan: Even though Highwater was a simple turn-based strategy, it had a unique setting and tons of exploration. What motivated you to choose such a theme?
Demagog Studio: There was an idea for the flood zone from which a group of friends wanted to escape by boat. So the boat driving and exploration were baked into the game from the get-go. The turn-based came in later as a way to deal with conflicts with Alphavillians, Insurgents, and other civilians, while at the same time employing elements from the world in combat – rocks, abandoned cars, broken street lamps, etc. Effectively, Highwater is a prequel to Golf Club: Nostalgia and it takes place in the week before the elites evacuate to Mars.
Azfar Rayan: There was a radio feature in Highwater and it was amazing. Did any of the team members play this role?
Demagog Studio: All three games feature an in-game radio show and all three soundtracks are available on all music platforms. Highwater Pirate Radio has music from the second half of the XXI century, hosts news briefings, and a few interviews with the locals of Hightower and Alphaville. The soundtrack was created in-house by Shane Berry and myself in collaboration with musicians.
Azfar Rayan: Since so many indie companies are forming regularly, did you find it challenging when you formed Demagog Studio and started developing your first game? How did you cope with them?
Demagog Studio: At the start, the main issue was having day jobs and developing the game at night. That went on for almost a year. Our main asset is that we’re a community that goes back over fifteen years. But the process is hard and seems to be always precarious.
Azfar Rayan: Did you develop all the games by the Demagog Studio team or find individuals to join your team when you had the idea of making them, especially for Highwater?
Demagog Studio: Once we signed the Highwater deal, the team doubled. Again, most of these people we knew from the gaming scene in Serbia, but some were simply job applicants. There’s a total of twenty people.
Azfar Rayan: Do the team members have any prior experience in making games with other developers?
Demagog Studio: Originally, members had experience with film, animation, music, and Android development. So there was a learning curve in the beginning.
Azfar Rayan: Is it difficult to develop and release games on different platforms? How do you manage this development shift?
Demagog Studio: We don’t really deal with the porting side of the job. So far that was delegated to an external partner by our publisher.
Azfar Rayan: Do you have any mentors or people from your past that helped inspire you to get involved in this project?
Demagog Studio: Not really. I met Kojima last summer, that was cool. Our mentors are mostly our community of friends and colleagues. They support us unselfishly, come to our parties, test our games, give us advice, and cheer us on. You might find them in the comment sections on Steam or our social media.
Azfar Rayan: What do you think about the current indie games segment? Well-known developers worked with renowned AAA game companies and are now forming their own companies to develop their games. Is the competition too stiff?
Demagog Studio: In theory, quality will eventually be recognized, so the more competition there is, the better. The market is saturated, however, so it’s definitely an uphill battle. Those with fresh ideas, a strong vision, something really new to offer, and at least a broad-stroke roadmap should go for it. But if you’re not really sure, better keep your job.
Azfar Rayan: All of your games have been receiving positive reviews on most of the popular gaming websites. Did this recognition motivate you to make more unique games in the future?
Demagog Studio: The critical acclaim doesn’t necessarily match sales numbers. This is a difficult balancing act and we’re doing our best.
Azfar Rayan: Tell us about some of your upcoming projects.
Demagog Studio: We have an AA game that is a passion project of mine in the same world. We’re also working on a PvP card game and a co-op survival game. Aside from that, we’re in early development for an animated series.
Azfar Rayan: What’s your involvement with Two Desperados?
Demagog Studio: Our art director Stepko and I designed their visual identity a few years ago.
Azfar Rayan: Obviously, you guys play a lot of games like we do. What are your favorite games to play when taking a break from work?
Demagog Studio: The list is long and each of the core members of Demagog Studio would give you a different answer, ranging from Baldur’s Gate 3 to Dave the Diver, from Persona to Kentucky Route Zero.
Azfar Rayan: What else are you up to when you are not making or playing gaming? What are your hobbies and interests?
Demagog Studio: Well, I can speak for myself – I have another life as an artist and filmmaker. So aside from running, my second job is my hobby.
Azfar Rayan: Anything for your fans at GamesCreed?
Demagog Studio: Thank you for your support! The first three people who reach out to us explicitly mentioning they’ve read the interview at GamesCreed will get free codes for Highwater or The Cub.
On behalf of the GamesCreed team, I would like to express my appreciation to Demagog Studio for agreeing to do this interview with us and for patiently answering my questions. Our best wishes are with them for the success of their games, particularly Highwater. I recommend playing it if you’re a turn-based strategy fan. We’ll also be covering their future projects whenever there will be one. To keep up with updates from Demagog Studio, follow them on Twitter and check out their website.
