Barcelona-based Arrowfist Games is working on its first project called Deflector. It’s an action videogame which stands out from others currently on the market because it’s nonlinear and enables gamers to deflect attacks
The gaming industry is booming. Although videogames have long taken up part of our free time, over the last few years there has been an upsurge in the industry in Catalonia which has been matched by a rise in the number of new start-ups and innovative businesses rolling out fresh projects. Arrowfist Games, established in early 2020 by four young recent graduates, is a case in point. The project got off the ground when they were selected as one of the five videogame studios to enter the fifth GameBCN incubation programme, a videogame start-up accelerator based in Barcelona and backed by the ICEC.
The Arrowfist Games team has grown to eight members and is now working on its first project called Deflector. It’s a nonlinear roguelike action videogame (a type of game in which scenarios are created randomly) and features several twists which set it apart from other games on the market. The game’s purpose is to find an effective vaccine to eliminate a dangerous virus which is threatening the world. How? The characters in the game, who stand for the substances in the vaccine, fight against various monsters, which in turn stand for the virus. The game also includes a combat mechanic called ‘deflect’ which enables the characters to turn aside and return the monsters’ attacks. This feature is what the game is named after.
In undertaking this project Arrowfist Games has the financial backing of super.com, a publisher which also partners the project’s distribution and marketing, together with the ICF and the Catalan Institute of Cultural Enterprises (ICEC) in the shape of an equity loan. “The ICF and ICEC’s input has enabled Deflector to become a viable product and not just end up as a videogame concept,” notes Mario Benavente, co-founder and CEO of Arrowfist Games.
Arrowfist Games’ biggest challenge at the moment is to complete the first version of Deflector and release it on the market. “We’re looking to develop a final version of the game soon, market it on platforms such as Nintendo Switch and PlayStation and start up new projects which will enable us to keep growing,” says Benavente.