Hello again!
This is Maciej, the creator of There’s a Gun in the Office.
Last time, I shared the inspiration behind There’s a Gun in the Office and how it came to be. This time, I’m taking a step back from the darker themes to dive into the messy, chaotic process of bringing the game to life.
I’ll walk you through the development timeline, the unique challenges I faced, and what it’s like to create a solo project that’s far from a straight line from idea to final product.
And don't worry — no spoilers!
Project Start
It all began in October 2023. I had been getting more into horror games earlier that year, and the Halloween season sparked my creativity. Horror games are often playgrounds for bold ideas, and I decided to try making my own spooky experience.
The plan seemed simple enough: build a game within a year for the next Halloween. Keeping the scope small felt manageable.
The core idea was about escape — I had a rough concept of how it might work, so I jumped into prototyping.
Since I work full-time in game development, the vast majority of the work happened on weekends. Even with limited time, I managed to get a playable prototype ready just before the 2023 holiday season. Things were looking good for the October deadline.
But then life intervened.
A Temporary Halt
At the start of 2024, I had just moved and wasn’t feeling well, so I had to pause development. What I thought would be a short break turned into three months.
By March, I was ready to dive back in, keeping a daily progress log to stay motivated. It was surprisingly helpful — I often forgot what I'd accomplished after finishing a task, but reviewing the list of things I completed each weekend reminded me just how far I was moving forward.
Second Life
Getting back into development wasn’t easy. The game had major problems:
- The puzzle logic felt arbitrary and frustrating.
- There was no clear goal.
- Playtesters were confused more than anything.
And then there was the ending. Just finding a key and walking through another door didn’t feel right. I wanted closure — something that made the experience feel complete. The solution finally came to me in April, giving the game the narrative structure it needed.
But even after that breakthrough, progress was a rollercoaster. I'd make headway, then stop for weeks, lose faith, and only regain momentum when someone played the game and liked the idea.
Summers Go by Too Quick
By late August, two things became clear:
- The game was happening. It worked, and the big hurdles were mostly behind me.
- I wasn’t going to meet the October “Spooktober” deadline without sacrificing my health.
Rather than rush out something half-finished, I decided to push the release to the end of the year. That gave me time to finish it properly.
The Trailer That Changed Everything
On November 17th, I released a trailer. It didn’t go viral — mostly friends and family saw it. But it caught the attention of someone who could help: Take It! Studio, who became my publisher for the console versions of the game.
After some discussions, we realized we were a good fit and struck a deal. The game would now release on consoles, which naturally pushed the release date further.
But that was okay. The October window was gone anyway, and having someone else see value in my work gave me a much-needed morale boost.
Working With a Publisher
- There are plenty of horror stories about publishers, but this isn’t one of them. The publishing deal brought three major benefits:
- Wider Reach: More people could play the game across multiple platforms. For someone who wants to be heard, that’s awesome.
- Quality Assurance: Having fresh eyes on the game daily helped catch things I never would have seen on my own.
- Accountability: Knowing others relied on me kept me focused and productive.
Today
Now we’re here. After a mad dash to the finish line, the game is finished. Sure, there are still touch-ups to make, and I have a million ideas for improvements. But at some point, you have to put the pencil down and stop making changes.
The future is uncertain, but my goal has already been achieved: I made the game I set out to create back in October 2023.
And now it’s done.
Maciej "ragir" Dyjas
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3291220/Theres_a_Gun_in_the_Office/