PRESS RELEASE - Nooner Bear Studio has partnered with Clique Games, a VR publisher, to revive “diamond in the rough” VR title Coffin Rot Brewing Co. by bringing it to the Meta Quest.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Coffin Rot Brewing Co, a Strategy Management VR Shooter, is now available to the public on Applab. From the studio that created Rogue Ascent, Coffin Rot Brewing Co. brings players an intense and immersive dive into the watery underworld of pirate bartending.
Coffin Rot Brewing Co. can place its origins in the academic halls of a college campus. “My goal initially was to create a final project for my course in game design at Purdue.” stated Jordan McGraw, Game Creator and CEO of Nooner Bear Studio. “I had just spent the semester developing a trio of independent games and wanted something to top it off in the final two weeks. It goes without saying that the project grew far beyond those two weeks of development I had originally allotted.”
Coffin Rot Brewing Co. is not “new” in terms of new VR title releases, but McGraw thought this game still had much to give. During the 2 years after its release, McGraw saw a major shift in the VR landscape that made him think Coffin Rot Brewing Co. could still be a major success. “Standalone VR is no longer something to turn up your nose like it was in the [Google] Cardboard days,” he says. “There are so many people now getting into VR that had previously been left on the sidelines by its hardware requirements. It’s no longer such a prohibitive recreation. Coffin Rot itself was built to accommodate and engage players and show them what virtual reality can provide over traditional mediums. Instead of feeling silly in VR, why not make a point of it.”
But how do you take a dormant VR title and make it popular once again? To find the answer to this question, he sought after outside resources to make this a reality.
McGraw and Nooner Bear Studio partnered with Clique Games, a VR publisher, to take Coffin Rot Brewing Co off the shelf and reinvigorate interest in the market.
“Clique Games has done an enormous amount of outreach for the project. Our entire team quickly realized that when they believe in your project, you’re in good hands.” stated Jordan McGraw, Game Creator and CEO of Nooner Bear Studio. “We originally met Brandon and Waylon of Clique Games back in winter of 2019 at Dreamhack Atlanta. In fall of 2021 we reconnected and began discussing plans for revitalizing Coffin Rot alongside development of my studio’s newest Quest game, Rogue Ascent. They offered insight that helped shape the project in a positive, promising direction– including plans to bring the game on the Meta Quest.”
Brandon Egolf, Co-Founder & CEO of Clique Games–and Coffin Rot Brewing Co.’s publishing partner, clearly recalls seeing the game for the first time. “My initial impression was the same as it is today: This game looks and feels too good to be this indie. In all my years in the industry, Coffin Rot may be the most stylized and polished Indie VR game to come out in 2020.” He continues, “For a team of 2 people over the course of a year and a half to make such a stunning and re-playable game? It's nearly unheard of in the VR industry.”
Even though the game was nearly two years old when Clique Games partnered to “publish” it, they took the same approach they would with a brand new game. “No game ever truly fizzles out,” said Brandon. “There are so many gamers out there that you'll never run out of new people who haven't heard of a game. Because Coffin Rot's sales weren't the best on launch due to a late launch, I saw the game as something new. Even though it has been out for two years, almost no one has seen it. My philosophy on games is simple: If it hasn't been seen, it has never come out.”
This isn’t the first time a VR title has taken this path to success, either. A good example of this is No Man’s Sky by Hello Games. No Man's Sky's launch is infamous for its instant bad reception and pitchfork-yielding mobs coming at it from all across the internet. But what Sean Murray knew was that while the team had misstepped and let the gaming community down, No Man's Sky still could be the game they always had dreamed of. So they didn't stop working on it, even when the internet thought they were gone forever and had stolen the money. They, to this day, regularly update No Man's Sky and bring amazing new gameplay features to it.
When asked about the parallels in their paths, Brandon had this to say, “Well, even though we didn't have the entire internet wanting us dead -- we know that Coffin Rot is a fantastic title. It's place among some of the great Indie VR games just hasn't been shown to enough people. So that's what we're gonna do.”
McGraw, Game Creator and CEO of Nooner Bear Studio, also believes this revitalization of the Coffin Rot Brewing Co. is a result of effective collaboration. “We brought on Noah Bannister, my good friend and former labmate at Purdue to help us realize our ambition. Noah delivers a technical expertise which was simply indispensable. Fortunately for us, Noah has been here to witness every step of its original development so his intimacy with the project was a tremendous aid.”
McGraw continues, “The greatest contributor to this effort has been the camaraderie at work behind the project in these recent months. Everyone on this team shares a special fondness for the project, and it’s made our effort meaningful and most worthwhile. It’s amazing to become a part of something like this and have the opportunity to share it with the world.”
About Coffin Rot Brewing Co.
Experience an intense and immersive dive into the watery underworld of pirate bartending! Build out your tavern, raise your fortunes, strengthen your firepower! Lest we forget -- greed in this world can never be sated. Down here, new management means nothing to those still collecting on the debt of your infamous, tomb-sunken father! The dreaded Debt Collector is coming. Will you be prepared?
Features:
Tend: Whip up drinks for your ghostly patrons and pile your wealth on high. Keep a clean bartop and you're certain to attract the finest of the Captains to brave the sea. Earn every piece of gold you can muster- you'll need it!
Defend: Use your arsenal to blast away an army of mangy little skellies lead by the Tomblord. They've been reanimated just to clean you out! Defend your booty with all you've got!
Spend: Extend your bar for additional seating, unlock powerful new weapons, traps, items, and gizmos to pit your wits against your enemies!
Ascend: Rack up combos and kills to increase your score. Track local highscores and compete against your fellow freebooters to earn the title of the highest-ranking barlord in the depths!
Cosmetics: Swap out your ghoulie parts through gameplay challenges!
Immerse: Fill your role with a full range of motion behind the counter!
Easter Eggs: Many treasures here to find, explore the secrets left behind!
Website: www.clique.games/coffinrot
About Clique Games
Clique Games is a VR publisher & developer that seeks to push Virtual Reality to new heights. Whether it be Hand-Tracking technologies or advanced physics simulation, Clique Games always reaches higher to set a new bar for what VR gaming can be. Clique Games are high octane, infinitely replayable, and accessible for all players.
Website: https://www.clique.games/
About Nooner Bear Studio
Nooner Bear Studio is an Indianapolis based VR development studio lead by Jordan McGraw. Jordan received his master of science in Computer Graphics Technology from Purdue University, and has worked with Virtual Reality in gaming, data visualization, science, and medicine. Nooner Bear Studio focuses on using emerging technology to create fun, engaging, and immersive experiences for Virtual Reality. It is currently developing an upcoming VR title, Rogue Ascent.
Website: www.clique.games/coffinrot