game studio spotlight

What If Capitalism Could Literally Steal Your Soul? - An Interview With Martin Nerurkar

Question #1: Tell us a bit about yourself and your studio/company/work.

Hi! I'm Martin. I've been making games since I was six years old. I started making very basic board games and I just haven't stopped since. During school and university I was deep into modding, mostly the Quake series of games (Yeah, I'm that old.).

I've been a part of the professional industry (aka doing it as my full-time job) since 2008 and indie since 2011. I've done a bunch of freelance work (mostly Game Design, Development and UI/UX Design) for other indies and I've also released my own games, both digital and physical.

I'm probably best known for my UI work on Cultist Simulator and for Nowhere Prophet, my roguelike deck-builder I released in 2019/2020.

"###CAPSULE 2938540"

After a burnout-induced hiatus I'm back with Crownbreakers! It's a turn-based tactical card-game with some unique new mechanics.

Question #2: So, why are you in games, anyway? Why not plumbing, since that industry doesn't implode every 8 years?

I think because I started making games that early (before I knew better, basically) means I never really questioned it. It was just a thing that I loved doing so I did it.

The crisis that made me take a break from making video games caused a lot of soul searching, which made me better understand what draws me to games and what games I am drawn to make.

"I generally pitch it as a deck-building roguelike of anti-capitalist violence."

I think a big part of what kept me going it is just how my brain works. Playing games makes the constant thinking stop and just fully focuses and engages me. And if I spend my time making games, that effect is multiplied. There's little I find as engaging as creative work.

But beyond that, it's also about communicating. And I do have opinions on community, on vulnerability, and on growth. These are highly important values to me personally, and I want to express them through my work.

Question #3: Talk about capitalism. And anti-capitalism.

I think capitalism is the most pressing issue we face, globally. It is inextricably linked to many of our current humanitarian issues and crises. As an economic system it's simply not sustainable - there is no infinite growth on a finite planet.

And in recent years the seams are really starting to show. Money has hollowed out democracies the world over and now humanitarian achievements are being dismantled while the worsening climate crisis remains largely unaddressed.

But I'm not saying anything new here. And I have no easy or clear answers or alternatives I can present you. I'm not arguing for communism as a better system. I just know that if we keep going in this direction, then life is going to get a lot worse for a lot of people.

Question #4: Please talk through the most exciting thing you're working on now. Why'd you choose that instead of, say, a plumbing simulator?

The big thing I'm working on at the moment is Crownbreakers. I generally pitch it as a deck-building roguelike of anti-capitalist violence. It's set in a world that's much like ours, except that magic is real.

Unfortunately so is capitalism. And capitalism is just as good as exploiting anything it can in the interest of profit and power.

And in a world where magic is powered by the strength of one's soul, that means extracting and exploiting people's souls is just par for the course.

So at the core, the story is about fighting against this system and the people that profit from it.

I've started working on Crownbreakers because I really love interesting, tactical card games. I wanted to build on what I've learned from making Nowhere Prophet: A gentler difficulty curve, a more character-driven narrative etc.

On top of that I also wanted to show people this interesting world I've come up with.

Question #5: Favorite non-game inspiration that you think people should experience (book, movie, song, visit to the Maldives in early July)? Set the scene about why this is important to you.

Everyone has their own sources. I think it's not that useful to recommend inspiration to anyone. If anything I'd argue that people should be better at listening to what makes them curios. If a little voice pops up in your head and goes "I wonder what's over there", follow it.

"Inspiring any kind of fanart is a true badge of honor."

Find out what's beyond that hill, see what that event is like, try that dish. I think that's the best way to find the things that inspire you.

Question #6: Biggest regret to date? (We've all screwed something up—lesson learned? Could be related to game dev, but doesn't have to be; it could be about pipe fixtures.)

I think I live with very few regrets. Thankfully my memory is not the best, so I forget most of the mistakes that didn't matter. I think most regrets I carry with me are in regards to interpersonal relationships.

Things I would have liked to done differently or better. Of course that's always easy to say in hindsight. If there's any lesson there, then it's probably that quote from Jean-Luc Picard: “It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness; that is life.”

Question #7: In the finite amount of time you have on this planet, after which you shuffle off into the great unknown and are never heard from again, what's one thing you want to do in games?

I want to make games and worlds that speak to people and touched them. And I think one of the best outcomes of that is fanart - people resonating so strongly with a work of media, that this creative energy pours out of them into new work.

I do believe that inspiring any kind of fanart is a true badge of honor. So, that'd be nice. But it's not really a goal I can force or chase.

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