Hey everyone,
I'm working on my first game, Project Gauntlet, under M88 Studios. It's a fast-paced gothic fantasy FPS roguelite built in Unreal Engine 5.
I've been working on it since September, and I'm starting to realize that trying to handle programming, gameplay design, 3D modeling, animation, textures, VFX, and everything else by myself probably isn't the smartest idea I've ever had.
So I'm looking for a few people who might be interested in collaborating, and ideally someone who could eventually become a long-term development partner.
What's the Game?
The easiest way to explain it is a combination of:
- Titanfall: Fast movement, wall-running, sliding, air dashing, and maintaining momentum.
- Doom: Aggressive, fast-paced FPS combat.
- Balatro: Wild upgrade combinations that can drastically change how you play. Some might get ridiculously overpowered, and honestly, that's part of the fun.
- Dungeon Crawler Carl: Dark humor, ridiculous situations, and occasionally inappropriate jokes.
Visually, I'm aiming for a stylized-realistic gothic fantasy setting. Dark dungeons, massive stone structures, ancient fortresses, creepy creatures, and magical gauntlets that serve as the player's weapons.
I'm not going for pixel art or a low-poly aesthetic. Nothing against those styles, but they're not what I want for this particular game.
What's Actually Done?
This isn't just an idea I'm hoping someone else will build.
I started development in September 2026, and so far I've implemented prototypes of:
- High-speed movement, wall-running, sliding, double jumping, and air dashing
- Projectile combat, recoil, and weapon tuning
- A repulsor that launches enemies around the environment
- Enemy AI with melee and ranged attacks
- Damage, ragdolls, and physics interactions
- Procedural level generation
The project uses Unreal Engine 5, C++, Blueprints, and AI-assisted coding tools.
I'm still relatively new to game development, and I'm not pretending to be some expert C++ programmer. I use AI tools extensively, but I'm actively designing, integrating, testing, and refining the systems myself.
Most of the visuals are still placeholders. The gameplay foundation is coming along, but the art side needs serious work.
PORTFOLIO: This is my first game development project, and I do not have a previous game development portfolio. I can share footage of the current prototype and examples of the systems I've built.
Who I'm Looking For
3D Artists / Environment Artists
People interested in creating gothic fantasy environments, modular architecture, creatures, character models, textures, and materials.
I'm particularly interested in someone who can help establish a consistent visual identity rather than just make a few unrelated assets.
Niagara VFX / Technical Artists
This is a big one.
The player's weapons are mystical gauntlets, and a lot of the combat relies on magical projectiles, shockwaves, explosions, glowing runes, and other effects.
I need help making those abilities look powerful while keeping the action readable. There's no point making a massive magical explosion if nobody can see what's happening.
Animators
First-person gauntlet animations, creature movement, attack animations, hit reactions, and Unreal animation integration.
I'm not expecting one person to know all of this.
What's the Plan?
My immediate goal is a polished 10–15 minute vertical slice that I can use to approach publishers for potential development funding.
I want the first proper presentation of the game to look and feel cohesive, rather than showing off a half-finished collection of placeholder assets.
Long term, I'd love to grow M88 Studios into a legitimate indie studio and continue developing games.
Obviously, that's going to take time, and there's no guarantee of success.
Compensation
This is currently a self-funded, revenue-share opportunity. There is no salary or guaranteed payment.
I work full-time outside of game development, so I completely understand that other people have jobs and responsibilities.
I'm open to discussing revenue-sharing arrangements and potentially studio equity with someone interested in becoming a serious long-term partner.
Nothing is established yet regarding percentages or equity. Those terms would need to be negotiated and put into a written agreement before anyone commits to work.
I'm not expecting anyone to put in 40 hours a week for free, and I'm not going to pretend this game is guaranteed to make money.
I'd rather be upfront about that.
A Little About Me
I'm 38, a U.S. Army veteran, and I've spent nearly two decades working in IT, networking, and commercial AV systems.
I've been playing games pretty much my entire life, and I've always wanted to make one.
Modern development tools finally gave me an opportunity to actually try, and what started as messing around with movement mechanics has turned into a much larger project.
I'm handling gameplay design, technical development, testing, and most of the project management.
I value people who communicate, follow through, and aren't afraid to tell me when an idea sucks. I'd rather hear that than waste weeks building something that doesn't work.
Interested?
If you're interested, send me a DM with a little about yourself, what you specialize in, and examples of your work.
I'd especially like to hear from people who enjoy dark fantasy, fast-paced shooters, roguelites, or just building interesting game mechanics.
I'm based near St. Louis, Missouri, but remote collaboration is completely fine.
Thanks for reading.