The History of BetaDwarf:
BetaDwarf is a Danish indie game developer that originally started as a partnership in 2010 by Steffen Kabbelgaard and Kenneth Harder. The two met at Aalborg University and began to work on their first game, Armies Vs. Champions, but the game was postponed for a possible later release.
It was at this point that the duo decided that they needed a team of designers for their next project, and thus enlisted a group of students to help them form BetaDwarf in 2011. The team of nine members then began to work on their first game together with a timetable of around six months for the release. However, that goal was not reached in six months and the team decided that they needed some way to better focus their attention to developing the game.
A look at what Armies Vs. Champions looked like during development.
BetaDwarf noticed that Aalborg University was quiet during the summer so they moved all their equipment into an empty classroom. Some of the team even went as far to cancel their contracts on their apartments because they never left the classroom! Unfortunately, the university eventually found out about BetaDwarf’s new “office” and the team was forced to move out.
On a happy note, BetaDwarf received $40,000 in support from the Danish Film Institute and were able to get a three-story house to operate out of. Around this time, BetaDwarf put Forced on Kickstarter to try and help fund their game. With only one week left, the game had not generated the necessary funds and the team was afraid they would not meet their goal.
Luckily, BetaDwarf put together an image of the team and the game that was seen by approximately one million people. The image was so popular that it was featured on national television and the team received the money to continue developing the game.
In 2012, Forced was nominated for the best Danish game award alongside games like Hitman: Absolution and Subway Surfers. And a year later, BetaDward won the award of best Danish Game Developer beating I/O Interactive (the company that developed Hitman: Absolution.)
The Game: Forced
Forced is set to officially release on Steam on October 24, 2013 and is currently available as an Early Access Game. The game is labeled as a “one-to-four player co-op arcade action RPG with puzzle and tactical elements.”
The player will be cast as slaves that must fight in gladiator-style arenas with the eventual goal of earning your freedom. However, the player will be accompanied by Balfus, your Spirit Mentor, as you fight enemies and solve puzzles within each arena.
Forced will also feature a Survival Arena mode that pits players against increasingly difficult waves of enemies. BetaDwarf has announced that more playable modes will also be available at later dates.
BetaDwarf’s story is inspiring and hopefully we will continue to hear more from the company in the future. The company has endured some hard times during the last couple of years during the production of Forced, and the game looks like it could be a hit when it releases on October 24, 2013.
