From California to the Philippines: The Journey of Orc Chop Games with Friendly Goblins

The debut title from Orc Chop Games, Goblin Stone, has a dual narrative. The game's story revolves around innocent goblins who turn the tables on adventurers, subverting a common fantasy trope. Meanwhile, the story behind the game is about a married couple who founded a new studio after the success of their mobile zombie game and relocated from the US to the Philippines. Co-founders Vince and Susan McDonnell initially found success with Zombie Farm, a mobile title they self-published under their former studio, The Playforge. The revenue generated from Zombie Farm enabled Vince to pursue his long-held passion for console game development, leading to the formation of a new studio with Susan to create a different type of game. Vince McDonnell expressed his desire to return to creating console games, which he enjoys, and used the earnings from Zombie Farm to fund this new venture. Development of Goblin Stone began while the studio was still based in California, with Orc Chop Games taking shape after McDonnell collaborated with a partner in Beijing to build a development team. The studio then relocated to the Philippines, settling in the capital city of Manila. McDonnell highlighted the advantages of setting up the studio in the Philippines, particularly the lower labor costs. He explained that having a team of 12 people in San Francisco would be more expensive, whereas in the Philippines, they can have more people and talent within their budget, allowing for faster development and release. McDonnell also noted that studios like Orc Chop Games, which work on their own IP rather than outsourcing, are rare in the Philippines. This rarity helps attract talent to their studio, as many developers want to work on their own IP. However, the studio faced challenges in hiring, particularly in finding VFX artists, despite the presence of many VFX artists for film in the area. As a self-funded studio, Orc Chop Games aims to focus on expansion and maintain its independence by self-publishing Goblin Stone, rather than partnering with a third-party publisher. The goal is to release the game on Steam and showcase its unique take on the fantasy genre, particularly in its depiction of goblins. The main objective of Goblin Stone was to subvert expectations and erase stereotypes for its lead characters, a group of goblins aiming to protect their homeland and recover from near extinction. To achieve this, the game takes a different approach to character design, avoiding the typical sharp and scary features associated with goblins. Instead, the goblins in Goblin Stone are based on oval shapes, with a big bulbous nose and circular face, and still possess claws and sharp teeth, but in a non-villainous way. The game's narrative is presented in a storybook style, making it easier to work with the limited resources available. The team was inspired by the art style of Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual, which McDonnell was fond of as a kid. The attention to detail and unique approach resulted in a lengthy development process, with challenges in deciding what elements to keep and what to cut. Despite these challenges, the team is looking forward to seeing how players react to the world they have created. They aim to manage expectations for Goblin Stone and are expecting it to perform well, allowing them to continue the franchise, release ports, add languages, and create DLCs. Ultimately, McDonnell wants to establish a franchise based on this universe, which is where he envisions Orc Chop Games in the future.