The trailer for Join Us first appeared during the Xbox Showcase in June, giving viewers a glimpse of a darkly comedic, co‑op cult simulator where robed followers ride pig‑mounted vehicles, unleash machine‑gun fire, and ultimately confront colossal, Cthulhu‑like tentacles. One of the most memorable, albeit unseen, moments in that preview was the appearance of a "snake gun" – a weapon that literally fires serpents. Joe Dietsch, the chief executive officer and creative director of Wolf Haus Games, explains that the idea originated from a team member’s child, who simply asked, "Can there be a snake gun?" Using an internal tool that allows rapid weapon prototyping, Dietsch was able to design and implement the snake‑shooting firearm in roughly thirty minutes, a feat that still delights players today. That anecdote captures the chaotic, over‑the‑top gameplay that Join Us promises: an open‑world sandbox where players can amass followers, either AI‑controlled or real‑world co‑op partners, and build a 1970s‑style cult empire.
More importantly, it illustrates Wolf Haus’s technology‑first philosophy, which has allowed a tiny crew to develop a high‑fidelity, large‑scale title without the massive staffing typically required for such ambitions. Michael Abbott, the studio’s chief operating officer, summed up the mindset succinctly: "We wanted to be disruptors. We told ourselves we could do everything with twelve people, and everyone else said it was impossible." The team’s confidence stems from a background in low‑budget, high‑impact filmmaking. Abbott’s father, Larry Abbott, was a well‑known Hollywood makeup artist, and Michael helped launch Ascendant Pictures, the production company founded by Chris Roberts before his transition to Star Citizen.
He later produced films such as Fight for ’84 starring Jamie Foxx. Dietsch, meanwhile, studied film at Chapman University alongside Louie Gibson, son of Mel Gibson, and the two co‑wrote and co‑directed indie features like Happy Hunting and Manifest West.
This cinematic lineage gave the founders a knack for punching well above their weight, a skill they transferred to game development. Join Us began as a personal experiment for Dietsch, who was tinkering with Unreal Engine after discovering that the engine could be downloaded for free. "I’d loved games for as long as I’d watched movies, but there seemed to be a huge barrier to actually creating something," he says. He taught himself the basics through YouTube tutorials, built a few small prototypes, and eventually settled on the concept of a doomsday cult simulator that merged survival mechanics with grindhouse cinema aesthetics.
The initial proof‑of‑concept was deliberately pushed to its limits to expose technical roadblocks, and when Dietsch presented the demo to Abbott, the latter quickly took it to Dooma, a partner studio. The financial side of the venture was anything but smooth. Wolf Haus pitched the project 80 times before securing equity investment from Krafton and Lifelike Capital. The timing was especially challenging, as the pitches occurred during a market downturn in 2023.
Nevertheless, the involvement of CAA (Creative Artists Agency) and industry veterans such as Reid Schneider – former VP at Warner Bros. Games and now head of Raccoon Logic – helped open doors. Schneider recruited Pierre‑Olivier Chartrand, a former Ubisoft Montreal programmer, to serve as chief technology officer, rounding out a leadership team with deep experience in both film and interactive media. A pivotal figure in the studio’s story is Dooma Wendschuh, who started his career as a screenwriter and producer before moving into game writing for titles like Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, Assassin’s Creed, and Batman: Arkham Origins.
He later founded several tech ventures, including the cannabis formulation company Ebbu, which sold for roughly C$430 million. After a brief retirement on a remote Canadian island, a phone call from his old Hollywood roommate Michael Abbott pulled him back into the industry.
Wendschuh was immediately impressed by Dietsch’s demo and agreed to join the effort, later bringing in Schneider and Chartrand as strategic advisors. With funding finally in place, the studio focused on building the tools necessary to support a massive open world while keeping the team size to a dozen‑plus developers. "If a system exists in the game, it has to be scalable and debuggable by a single person," Dietsch notes.
The first year of development was therefore split between designing gameplay concepts and engineering a robust toolkit that could handle the game's expansive map, AI, and procedural systems without collapsing under its own weight. This tooling‑centric approach was funded directly by the equity partners, allowing Wolf Haus to self‑finance the development while reserving a small portion of capital for marketing later on. Despite the hype around generative AI in game creation, Wolf Haus deliberately avoided using it for any creative tasks. "We believe a human touch is essential," Dietsch states.
"We have a few subscriptions for mundane tasks like calendar management, but none of our design, art, or narrative work relies on AI." Interestingly, Krafton – which has branded itself as an "AI‑first" company – also insisted that Wolf Haus refrain from AI‑driven content creation as a condition of their investment, aligning with the studio’s philosophy of preserving jobs for voice actors, artists, and other creatives. All 15,000 voice lines in Join Us were recorded by human talent, and the six‑kilometre‑square map was handcrafted, reinforcing the studio’s commitment to artisanal craftsmanship. Dietsch reflects on the contrast between film and game production, emphasizing the immediacy of interactive media.
In cinema, an idea can take years to materialize, requiring approvals, casting, and extensive pre‑production before a single frame is shot. In game development, however, a concept can be prototyped within hours, allowing creators to see and iterate on their vision almost instantly.
This rapid feedback loop is one of the reasons Wolf Haus finds game development so exhilarating. Wendschuh adds that while film production is heavily front‑loaded – with massive costs incurred before any footage is captured – games have a more distributed risk model. Anyone can pick up a camera and shoot a backyard movie, but without star power or studio backing, distribution and success are uncertain.
In the gaming world, the barriers to entry are lower, and a well‑executed indie title can reach a global audience without needing A‑list talent. This democratization is a key factor behind Wolf Haus’s confidence in tackling an ambitious project with a lean team. Ultimately, Join Us is a testament to what can be achieved when Hollywood storytelling sensibilities intersect with indie‑game ingenuity, backed by strategic financing and a refusal to rely on shortcuts like generative AI.
The result is a sprawling, quirky cult simulator that promises players a blend of dark humor, strategic survival, and the freedom to shape a bizarre, snake‑gun‑wielding empire – all crafted by a team that believes size does not dictate impact.