- Roguelike action game Morbid Metal launched earlier this week after nine years of development
- Published by Ubisoft, the game started life as a university project by Felix Schade
- “We slowly but surely grew into the 11 developer team we are now,” he explained
Screen Juice launched the Ubisoft-published roguelike action game Morbid Metal earlier this week as the culmination of nine years of work led by developer Felix Schade.
Speaking to TechRadar Gaming at a recent event, Schade detailed the game’s origins as a university project and the story of how he founded a now 11-person studio on the long road to release.
“It all started when I was in university, I was studying game design,” he began. “It was a semester where we could do our own project or an internship, and I always knew that I wanted to eventually start my own studio if possible, but I was still young and had never made a full game.”
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At the time, he set out to make “a small game” to start his career and serve as a portfolio piece to entice potential employers.
Although the final release has a gritty sci-fi art direction, Schade’s original vision was very different. “I came up with this idea that was based on what I was preparing for the application to the university, which was kind of like an origami-themed game where you can fold your piece of paper into different origami figurines, each with their own unique skills,” he said.
“It was very slow-paced compared to what Morbid Metal is now.”
The shape-shifting system remains a core mechanic in the current release, but was refined over a number of years alongside a total transformation in the overall art direction.
How it started vs how it’s going#indiegame #madewithunity #roguelike https://t.co/1LneGh496C pic.twitter.com/N5rbiiesx9October 16, 2024
Data shows that more than 20,000 games were released on Steam in 2025 alone, and getting eyes on small projects like this is always a massive challenge. Luckily, Schade benefited from strong word of mouth after posting screenshots and clips of early builds to social media.
“In mid to Fall 2020, I was actually at the point where I was taking this seriously now, so I stopped my master’s program and really concentrated on Morbid Metal, taking it full time,” he explained.
“I started posting online, and I got good feedback for it. There also was this one particular Reddit post that got a lot of attention, a couple million views, that really opened the door for a lot of people, and also got a lot of publishers interested in the game.”
This caught the attention of Ubisoft, with the French gaming giant eager to publish the game. “Once Ubisoft signed the publishing contract with me, it was time to hire people,” he continued. “That was pretty much exactly three years ago, actually, and we slowly but surely grew into the 11 developer team we are now.”
Reflecting on the experience, Schade described being “so relieved” at that initial burst of attention. “I didn’t really expect it because I was just kind of dabbling around in my bedroom for a couple of years and didn’t really show anyone other than my parents,” he said.
With the game now officially released on PC early access, he’s eager to continue listening to what people have to say about the game. “We just launched into early access for good reason. Back then, the feedback was so valuable, and it still is,” he added.
“We want to make a really cool and fun game for players, and for that we just need to know what they like about it, and what they don’t like about it.”
If you’re interested in giving Morbid Metal a go, you can currently get the game on Steam for the price of just $13.49 / £11.99 / AU$20.21 thanks to a limited time 25% launch discount.
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dash.wood@futurenet.com (Dashiell Wood)
