Spud Gun Studios has teamed with Barcelona-based games developer Melbot Studios to launch an animated series alongside the playable demo of indie game GodsTV, in a digital-first attempt to build audiences for the two properties in tandem.
The five-minute pilot premiered on Spud Gun’s Mashed YouTube channel on Tuesday (August 18), the same day that the first public demo of GodsTV became available on Steam. The partners plan to follow the pilot with eight-minute animated episodes released quarterly to coincide with major updates to the game.
GodsTV is a satirical roguelite that casts players as contestants in a reality TV show run by alien gods, combining action gameplay with an absurdist take on reality television. Spud Gun and Melbot have worked on the animation and game simultaneously, with each intended to direct audiences towards the other from launch.
Spud Gun managing director Tom Payne said: “Animation shouldn’t be an afterthought once a game has already proven itself. We built the GodsTV series to stand on its own as a show, but also to bring our audience into the game from day one. We want both to thrive independently and to keep pushing people between the two. If we get this right, it’s a blueprint for how animation and gaming audiences can grow together rather than one always chasing the other.”
Spud Gun’s Mashed brand has built a sizeable audience around gaming-related animation, with more than 7 million followers across platforms and 2 billion lifetime views. Spud Gun has previously produced animated content for games companies including Larian Studios, Devolver Digital, PlayStation, Ubisoft and HoYoverse.
Alongside its work with third-party gaming brands, the Bath-based studio is developing originals including Killer Princess and America’s Next Cryptid, the latter for Tubi.
For Melbot, the partnership provides GodsTV, its debut title, with access to Mashed’s established digital audience at the point the game begins reaching players.
Melbot Studios creative director Josema Roig said: “Indie games and indie animation have been running in parallel for the last few years. Viewers and players are looking for stuff that feels authentic, human made and genre defying. We feel so inspired by what indie animation is doing, with bringing back boldness. We hope our games can do it too, and we’re very excited to see how it works on both sides of the keyboard.”
