Inspiration for games comes from everywhere: books, movies, comics, personal experiences, and even dreams. But for Don Westendorp, director of upcoming office-setroguelike deckbuilderDev_Hell,it started with an innocuous joke. Practically before Westendorp knew it, his joke had turned into a full-fledged game, which is currently scheduled for a 2024 release.
Much of Westendorp’s original ideal remains in the current form ofDev_Hell,although the idea went through several drastic changes following its humble origin. Speaking to Game Rant alongside Unhinged Studios creative director Del Sharratt, Don Westendorp was eager to explain howDev_Hellstarted and how it has since grown.
The Initial Idea: “Papers, PleaseBut With JIRA”
During an unspecified job, he was struck with the idea of creating agame inspired byPapers, Please,but simulating a software developer’s experience rather than that of an immigration officer. It was a simple idea on paper that grew into something else entirely, which is not something uncommon in the gaming industry, yetDev_Hellfinds its origins in a simple joke. He told the story thus:
I initially came up with the idea in the middle of a sprint planning meeting. I made a joke to my product manager: what if we made a game that was likePapers, Please, but it was JIRA. You were the product manager, you had to verify all the tickets are meeting their goals, and you had a time crunch to look through each thing and make sure it met its expectations.
The final version ofDev_Hellresemblesgames likeInscryptionandSeverancefar more than it doesPapers, Please,although it retains the frantic pace and constant piling up of problems found in the latter. Westendorp explained that, once he partnered with Sharratt, he wanted to make a game that more accurately reflected the pair’s own personal experience working corporate jobs. The result was a roguelike deck builder that also includes deep narrative elements for players who endeavor to get closer to their coworkers and investigate the company’s less-than-savory dealings.
The Journey To What Dev_HellIs Today
ButDev_Hellwent through many different iterations before settling on its final form. For a while, Westendorp revealed, the game was aSlay the Spire-esque game about managing an entire team at once, including deciding how each member would play their cards each turn. The director discussed the revelation that led him to make these changes:
“I realized I’d rather it be more like my job, which is trying to make the team successful, even though there are significant forces that want it not to be.”
Another version ofDev_Hellhad more direct similarities toInscryption,except rather than Leshy, the mysterious figure players were working for wasElon Musk. Or, “A caricature of him. Not actually Elon Musk, for legal reasons,” Westendorp clarified. Players would have to defend their code and coding decisions against Musk, who would constantly question them. Some elements of this remain in the final game, particularly the performance reviews in which players must justify their decisions to higher-ups who are not necessarily as competent as their title and role would suggest. If nothing else, this shows the very iterative process that many games includingDev_Hellgo through before settling on a final form.
The Office Experience - Not A “Zoom Simulator”
One direction Westendorp and Sharatt considered, but ultimately didnottake the game in, was a work-from-home focused title thatsimulated meetings on Zoom. As the COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed the face of the corporate world, they thought about it - but ultimately realized that it was “boring” and not what they wantedDev_Hellto be. “We thought: this doesn’t really fit that. It could simulate it, but we felt it would be boring if it was just Zoom and not showing people in the office together having to really interact,” Westendorp explained.
He did clarify, however, that the team hasn’t necessarily ruled out a work-from-home focused DLC or expansion.Dev_Hellmay have started as a joke, but it’s got a very bright future ahead of it with lots of possibilities to explore.
Dev_Hellis currently in development and is planned for a 2024 release on PC.
