• Interview
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A dark & satirical look at game development with dev_hell

We learn more about this unconventional deckbuilding game from the team at Unhinged Studios.

Ozzie Mejia

June 4, 2024 3:00 PM

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When there are multiple deadlines around the corner, when it's time to blend work and life together in such a way that the two become intertwined, when people are expected to work themselves into an early grave just to make ends meet, and when said work is contributing to the decline of society as a whole, you just might be in dev_hell. Developer Unhinged Studios has been hard at work on this exaggerated look at the modern tech industry. To learn more about dev_hell, we spoke with Game Director Donald Westendorp and Creative Director Del Sharratt.

"The idea started in about 2019," Westondorp told Shacknews. "I was in the middle of a meeting and we were just looking at Jira and I had just played Papers, Please and I was just like, 'What if I made a game that was like Papers, Please, but it was Jira and you're just trying to make sure all the tickets were right before they could move along?'

Westondorp goes into how the original dev_hell concept began with a different kind of competitive roguelike deckbuilder until the pandemic hit. By then, the team had come together and they were looking at other successful card games, like Inscryption, for inspiration. Westondorp and Sharratt then go into the commentary they wish to contribute in regards to the tech industry. They bring a unique perspective, having worked in the industry themselves and experienced the absurdity of the office environment firsthand.

There's some interesting commentary to go along with some fascinating card-based mechanics at work. Those interested in checking out dev_hell should expect to see it release on PC later this year. For more interviews like this, visit Shacknews and Shacknews Interviews on YouTube.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?