You may remember seeing the Join Us trailer at the Xbox Showcase in June. The clip introduced a darkly humorous co‑op cult simulator where robed followers ride pig‑mounted platforms, unleash machine‑gun fire, and the finale hints at colossal, Cthulhu‑like tentacles.
What didn’t make the cut was the infamous snake‑gun, a feature that Joe Dietsch, the CEO and creative director of Wolf Haus Games, proudly points to as a hallmark of the studio’s playful, experimental spirit. According to Dietsch, the idea sprang from a conversation with a team member’s son. “He asked, ‘What if there was a snake gun?’ We had a modular weapon system that could be iterated in minutes, so I whipped up a snake‑shooting firearm in about half an hour.
The kid went nuts, and the weapon stuck around in the final build.” This anecdote captures the chaotic, improvisational gameplay that Join Us promises: an open‑world sandbox where players can recruit followers—or invite friends in co‑op mode—to build a 1970s‑style cult empire. The game’s wild premise is matched by the studio’s equally unconventional development approach. Michael Abbott, Wolf Haus’s COO, says the team set out to be “disruptors.” “We told everyone we could deliver a AAA‑level experience with just twelve people. Most people laughed and called it impossible.” Their confidence stems from a history of punching far above their weight in low‑budget indie film projects.
After 80 pitches, the studio finally secured equity financing from Krafton and Lifelike Capital, giving Wolf Haus the runway to turn their vision into a fully realized product. Wolf Haus’s leadership is steeped in Hollywood pedigree. Dietsch studied film at Chapman University alongside Louie Gibson, son of Mel Gibson, who co‑founded the studio and co‑wrote and co‑directed the indie features Happy Hunting and Manifest West. Abbott is the son of veteran makeup artist Larry Abbott and helped launch Ascendant Pictures, the production house founded by Chris Roberts before his shift to Star Citizen.
Abbott later produced movies such as Fight for ’84 starring Jamie Foxx. This blend of film‑industry savvy and entrepreneurial grit laid the groundwork for their foray into interactive entertainment. Join Us originated from Dietsch’s early experiments in Unreal Engine. “I discovered the engine was free to download, and I’d always loved games but felt the barrier to creation was huge,” he recounts.
He taught himself through YouTube tutorials, built a handful of tiny prototypes, and eventually gravitated toward a doomsday‑cult simulation that married his love for survival mechanics with grindhouse cinema aesthetics. The proof‑of‑concept grew until it caught Abbott’s attention, who then introduced it to Dooma, a partner that helped refine the vision. Dooma Wendschuh, Wolf Haus’s CFO and narrative director, brings a diverse background that spans film production, video‑game writing, and even cannabis‑tech entrepreneurship. Early in his career he wrote for titles like Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, Assassin’s Creed, and Batman: Arkham Origins through his company Sekretagent Productions.
Later, he founded Ebbu, a cannabis‑formulation firm that sold for C$430 million. After a brief retirement on a remote Canadian island, a call from his old Hollywood‑Hills roommate Michael Abbott lured him back into the industry, leading him to champion the Join Us project and recruit veteran game executive Reid Schneider and former Ubisoft Montreal programmer Pierre‑Olivier Chartrand as strategic advisors. Funding proved to be a hurdle. The studio began pitching in the summer of 2023, a period marked by a broader industry downturn.
“People liked what we were building, but the timing was tough,” Dietsch admits. By partnering with CAA and leveraging the reputations of Schneider and Chartrand, Wolf Haus eventually closed a seed round with Lifelike Capital and Krafton. The investors, who took equity stakes, allowed the studio to self‑fund development, with only a modest amount of project finance earmarked for marketing. A key to delivering an ambitious open‑world game with a tiny crew was the early investment in custom tooling.
“Every system we build has to be scalable and debuggable by a single person,” says Dietsch. The first year of development was split between ideating gameplay and engineering a robust toolkit that could support a six‑kilometre‑square map, 15,000 hand‑recorded voice lines, and the myriad interactive systems the game demands.
This tool‑first philosophy not only kept the project from collapsing under its own weight but also established a reusable foundation for future titles. Despite the buzz around generative AI in game development, Wolf Haus deliberately steered clear of it. “We believe a game needs a human touch,” Dietsch states. “Using AI to generate core creative assets would defeat the purpose of why we get up each morning.” Wendschuh adds that the studio only uses AI for mundane tasks like calendar management and email drafting, not for any artistic or design work.
Interestingly, Krafton—positioning itself as an “AI‑first” company—insisted that Wolf Haus avoid AI in the creative pipeline, mirroring similar stances taken by other Krafton‑owned studios. The team’s commitment to handcrafted content extends to the world itself. The entire map is manually sculpted, and every line of dialogue is performed by human actors, a decision Dietsch emphasizes as essential to preserving the game’s personality.
This meticulous approach contrasts sharply with the film industry’s gate‑heavy model, where securing A‑list talent often dictates a project’s fate. In games, Dietsch argues, the barriers are lower: “You don’t need a Hollywood star to make a successful game; you just need a solid experience.” Both Dietsch and Wendschuh reflect on the differing timelines of film versus games. Film projects can take years to move from script to screen, requiring countless approvals and financing rounds. In contrast, a game idea can be prototyped within hours, tested in an engine, and iterated instantly—a speed that excites developers accustomed to the slower pace of movie production.
Ultimately, Join Us represents a convergence of Hollywood storytelling, indie‑film resourcefulness, and cutting‑edge game technology—all executed by a lean team that refuses to rely on shortcuts like generative AI. Their story illustrates how a small, focused group can challenge industry conventions, build a richly detailed world, and deliver a unique, chaotic cult‑sim experience that stands out in today’s crowded market.