Hey! 🙌
This is Artur Mikołajczyk, the man behind the Bulb Boy 2: Jar of Despair! I'm here today to tell you about the beginnings of Bulbware and how it all started. Enjoy reading! 💡
🟨 The beginnings of our dreams 🟨
Let's go back to our school days, when the Internet was still mainly connected via noisy modems, and dreams of having your own video game were something almost magical for teenagers. It was then, in 2001, that I met Szymon Łukasik through a mutual friend. We quickly discovered that we shared the same passion: we wanted to create our own point & click adventure game. Full of enthusiasm, we started working on our first project, but unfortunately, our lack of experience and knowledge meant that our ambitious idea ended up only in notes, sketches, and a simple prototype.
Life went on, and for a while, we each went our separate ways. I gained experience in the gaming industry, learning on real commercial projects, while Szymon developed his skills in the world of advertising graphics, becoming a highly regarded illustrator. Despite our different paths, we still dreamed of the same thing – a game that we ourselves would want to play.
After many years, we got back in touch. It quickly became clear that our old plans were still alive. Our conversations turned into a concrete plan: we would create a studio where we could realize our ideas without compromise. And so, in 2015, Bulbware was born.
Bulbware (from the left - Szymon Łukasik, in the middle - our sound designer - Piotr Surmacz and me- Artur Mikołajczyk)
🟨 Bulb Boy and other projects 🟨
The first fruit of our collaboration was a prototype game, which eventually evolved into the full-fledged Bulb Boy that you know so well. Our little glowing hero quickly won the hearts of gamers and the interest of the media with his cuteness and grotesque horror. This success allowed us to port the title to various platforms and feel that we were truly creating something special.
The following years were not only spent working on the next project – Poopdie. At that time, we created a number of internal game prototypes that never saw the light of day, such as Dark Street, Fishy Island, and Little Goldar. These are just some of the ideas that were born at that time. They never saw the light of day, but each of them was a step towards what Bulbware was to become...
In 2020, the decision was made: we are returning to the world of the glowing boy. This is how work on Bulb Boy 2: Jar of Despair began. However, life likes to surprise us – personal problems arose that slowed down the development of the project and naturally led to a split in the team. It should be noted that the split was amicable and friendly, but it still meant big changes.
(Fishy Island)
(Dark Street)
🟨 Bulbware today and tomorrow 🟨
Since 2024, Bulbware has been a one-man studio. I was left alone – and I decided with full conviction to finish what we had started together. Today, looking back on all these years of work, I can say that I am very happy that Bulb Boy 2: Jar of Despair is in its final stages and that you will be able to play it on October 23, 2025!
I hope that on that special night I will be able to say to myself: I did it!