Mudcat Games is one of this year’s teams on the UK’s Tranzfuser programme, a national initiative that gives graduate developers the time, industry connections, and business knowledge to launch their first studio. For the Mudcat team, it’s the first real step into the games industry after University.
The founders are graduates of the University of Staffordshire London. In the two years since graduation, the team have continued to work various day jobs. Like Project Lead Joseph at Into:Games, or Narrative Designer Ivan who works as a technician at the university. Still, they make the effort to meet regularly (at least 2-3 hours a week in person) and keep things moving on the project.
How Mudcat Formed
The idea for the studio came together last September. Joseph had a cosy game concept in mind. So, he reached out to the two friends: Ivan, who had recently completed his degree in games after a background in cinematography, and Finn Drew, a level designer and artist. The three joined forces, later expanding the team with concept art contractor Ariana, producer Leon, and marketing lead Lilia.
“Several months ago I met with a Tranzfuser team from last year and they talked about how it helped them get a foothold in the industry as an indie studio. It felt like a lightbulb had switched on, and I suddenly knew what I wanted to do going forward, as I already had a game concept which I was quite passionate about. I then reached out to the two most trustworthy and professional graduates from my year, who were also looking for their first break into the games industry, they were eager to join the project, and everything started to fall into place.” – Jospeh Knight, Project Lead
What’s in a Name?
Joseph used a random word generator to come up with “Mudcat”. Then he commissioned an artist friend online to create the logo. The name stuck, they loved the logo, and the studio’s identity began to take shape.
The Bloom of Flowers of Tipmoore
Mudcat’s debut game, Flowers of Tipmoore, blends an adventure game with boutique flower shop management. Oh, and solar-punk! (What’s solar punk? Well, it’s a development from cyber and steam punk. It looks at the future from an ecological point of view where the role of nature is much more important).
The player explores a mysterious island, home to multiple biomes and factions, collecting unique flowers from each region.
The flowers are inspired by the Victorian “language of flowers,” where blooms were given names and meanings tied to emotions. Narrative Designer Ivan’s research includes visits to Kew Gardens, long walks photographing plants, and studying cultural references. The goal is to create flowers that are grounded in reality but feel magical. Not far off from the way Pokémon designs its creatures.
Using the flowers, players can craft bouquets in a 3D editor and gift them to villagers. Missions might involve solving personal disputes. Like helping a couple who have fallen out of love with a carefully chosen bouquet. These interactions build friendships, fill the player’s encyclopedia, and uncover ancient technology scattered across the island. The team are infusing a lot of inspiration from games like Stardew Valley, Breath of the Wild, Slime Rancher, and games with interesting depictions of flowers. For the team: Finn’s really into Final Fantasy, Joseph’s into card and puzzle games, and Ivan loves story and action RPG games.
A Solarpunk World
The setting of Flowers of Tipmoore is firmly rooted in solarpunk, a genre that imagines futures where nature plays a central role alongside technology. Inspired by the team growing up on science fiction and dystopias, they wanted to create something more positive. The idea of this is that, when you look back at Science-Fiction in the past, a lot of the things that authors or artists imagined have become true. Unfortunately: like in 1984, the things imagined weren’t so positive. Ivan believes that they can try to imagine a solar-punk future in their game that might inspire real world innovation in a nicer light.
One example he cites is the idea of technology designed to remove trash from the sea, showing how new tools could serve both people and the planet. In the game specifically, players will have to be ecologically minded as they may ruin the ecosystem by over-picking.
Building Toward the Showcase
The team is halfway through creating their vertical slice, which will be shown in September at the Tranzfuser showcase to publishers and stakeholders.
Recent progress includes:
- Flower drafts, quest lines, and lore objects
- Area blockouts
- Quest system implementation
Alongside development, they’ve been active in outreach, joining the Snappy Gurus podcast, applying to speak at AdventureX in November on solarpunk and game design, and planning social features for the game such as bouquet sharing.
Follow Mudcat Games
Flowers of Tipmoore will make its first public showing at the Tranzfuser showcase later this year. The Mudcat team is eager to share their vision and take the next step in their journey as an indie studio.