The chief creative officer at Hunted Cow Games has opened up about her work on the latest title from Legendary’s MonsterVerse.
The iconic struggle between the big lizard and the huge primate that entices moviegoers to cinemas across the world is now being gamified by an Elgin-based game studio.
The “Godzilla x Kong: Titan Chasers” is set for release on May 21 for iOS and Android devices and on PC later this year.
Louisa Gallie, Hunted Cow Games chief creative officer, sat down with STV News to talk about what it is like to work on the blockbuster brand.
“It’s been an incredibly exciting time for our staff, not just working on a big IP, but working on one that’s so cool and there are so many fans of it,” said Louisa.
The Elgin studio has been given the opportunity to work on the MonsterVerse game through their longstanding publisher, Tilting Point.
“They came back to us and said they’d reached out to Legendary, who were interested in the Godzilla vs Kong game based in MonsterVerse, and whether we would be interested.
“We had started another project at the time, but we decided that we couldn’t pass up an IP that was this cool.”
The nod from Legendary came in 2021, who were content that their brand is in the hands of a studio that has already worked on big IPs before.
“We had experience working on a large IP like Warhammer, and we had a good run of successes even as a small studio.
“We like to prove that a small studio can make big games.”
Work on the game officially started in February 2022, with a focus on the iconic monsters.
“It was really important to us to be able to have the monsters, to be able to fight the monsters, and to have the monsters fight each other because that’s such a key part of this universe, and it’s something that fans would really want to see,” she said.
“We really got quite a lot of creative freedom, and we went back and forth to Legendary with quite a lot of different concepts for different monsters that we would want to bring into the game.
Watch
Godzilla x Kong: Titan Chasers – Pre-Order Trailer
“They were very good at getting back to us quickly and providing us with so much reference material for their vision and for their universe.
“We’ve been able to create some of our own original monsters as well as use some of the monsters that have not appeared in the film or the TV series yet.
“So that’s been really exciting, not just to be able to kind of play with the monsters that exist in that universe, but also to be able to add to it.”
Louisa says the fans can rest easy knowing that the game will be true to MonsterVerse lore, as, aside from experience and talent, the Hunted Cow can rely on true diehard Godzilla and King Kong devotees.
She said: “We’ve got a combination of people who just know about the movies and think it’s really cool, and then we’ve got a couple of really hardcore fans who will pool so much knowledge and obscure facts whenever we’re discussing, ‘Can we do this or do that?’”
Among the layoffs that have recently affected much of the tech sector, Hunted Cow Games puts extra emphasis on a human-centred approach when it comes to developing games.
“We want to remain a studio that values our employees and their growth; that’s prioritising our stability and our ability to keep everybody employed and to make sure that people feel safe and secure in their career.
“And one of the advantages of working on a large IP like that is going to help us secure our future for our staff,” she added.
The hopes for what this game could do for the Elgin studio are truly high, and Hunted Cow is taking the responsibility seriously.
“It is a big thing for us. Before we worked on Warhammer, our titles were pretty small.
“Whereas with Warhammer, that changed. And now I think with the Godzilla vs Kong game, that’s really going to change.
“Doing this shows that we are able to take an IP and not only do it successfully but also do it faithfully.
“We take a great deal of care in making sure that we are respecting the licence, respecting the fans of that licence, and doing everything we can to make an awesome game for them.”
Success with a huge title like this could establish the Elgin studio as a serious player in the world of games as well as secure financial stability in a time of uncertainty in the wider tech sector.
Louisa said: “We want our name to be out there not just as a studio that can make successful IP games but also as a successful Scottish studio.
“We are quite isolated from Dundee, Glasgow, and Edinburgh, so it would be fantastic for us to be able to show that there is an expanding studio up here in the north of Scotland for local talent, local aspiring game developers, where they can find success.
“And one of the advantages of working on a large IP like that is going to help us secure our future for our staff.”
The ‘Godzilla x Kong: Titan Chasers’ is currently available for pre-order on the Apple Store, with pre-registration on Google Play starting soon.
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