Funded Project Abandon Ship graduates from Steam Early Access.
Selected for funding back in Round 2 of the UK Games Fund, Fireblade Software announced the launch of Version 1.0 of Abandon Ship last week.
The company was set up by Gary Burchell after he left Climax Studios where he’d worked for over 13 years on a variety of projects, including the much-acclaimed AAA game Assassin’s Creed Chronicles.
In the opening months of business with Fireblade Software, Gary worked on all aspects of running a games development studio that don’t involve games development; research, learning about accountancy, marketing and competitive analysis. All this was vital work in laying the foundations for a profitable business.
Speaking of the impact of support from the UK Games Fund, Gary said:
“The UK Games Fund has been integral to the success of Abandon Ship, as well as Fireblade Software. We simply wouldn’t have been able to execute on the vision to the degree that we were able to without their support. The work they do across the UK Games Industry is phenomenal, and we feel honoured to have been part of the process.”
The studio’s first game, funded project Abandon Ship, has been very successful in the indie market.
Abandon Ship is a single player PC game where the player takes command of a ship and her crew, exploring and engaging other vessels, Sea Forts and Monsters in tactical battles, all framed in an art style inspired by classic naval oil paintings.
Paul Durrant, CEO at UK Games Fund, said:
“Gary’s journey with Abandon Ship is a case-study in success and great example of what early-stage games studios can achieve with our support”
For more information about Abandon Ship, visit the game’s Steam page.