Since the advent of Pokemon back in 1996, there has been an explosion of turn-based Creature Battling games. All with a variety of themes and unique selling points. Enter the team at Milk Bubbles Games. They are working on a game where players cook, bake, and fry their monsters to life. A Creature Cooking game if you will?
Now that’s a fairly new one on me!
At least it was when I first saw GladiEATers at the second-ever WASD show back in March/April 2023. On a personal note, it was a highlight of that particular event. Since then, the folks at Milk Bubbles Games have been hard at work developing their debut title. And they returned to WASD x IGN in September 2023 to show off the latest demo of GladiEATers!
Let’s get cracking!
That is when I had the opportunity to talk with Oliver Georgallis, one of the head honchos, in a more official manner. That chat played out amongst the bustling crowds on the packed show floor, and I had a few key questions I wanted answers to. Check out Oliver’s responses below!
Can you quickly introduce yourself and what you do?
OG: “So, I’m Oliver. I’m the Lead Producer at Milk Bubbles. Basically, I keep the team on a steady ship. You know, making sure that everyone’s happy. Making sure they have the assets and designs they need. And I’m also the Lead Designer. Yeah, another Lead role. It’s indie development though, right?”
Care to give an explanation of what GladiEATers is in your own words?
OG: “GladiEATers is a food cooking turn-based tactics game, where you cook food that you want to transform into food creatures. You then command those creatures to fight in the CALoseum.”
How long have you been working on your game?
OG: “The initial concept came about around two and a half years ago. As of now, there’s about half a year of work left until our demo and early access release.”
Before becoming involved in games, you were a chef. What was that journey like?
OG: “To be honest, it’s been a longer journey than that. I originally studied History and Law. Then the chef training came about. The whole time that was happening I was trying to make games on the side. At one point I just said, right, I really want this to happen. I’ve got a need to go for it.”
“My previous conception was that to be a game developer, it’s kinda like being a movie star. A thing that doesn’t happen for most people. But actually, there are lots of roles in indie game development. As long as you are willing to make your own. I applied for some roles and no one took me on right? So I made my own game. And now we’re six months away from the early access launch.”
I applied for some roles and no one took me on right? So I made my own game. And now we’re six months away from the early access launch.
Oliver Georgallis
Is there anything from your time as a chef that you’ve brought into this new creation of yours?
OG: “When it comes to narrative writing, I think we can write our chefs a lot more authentically. The fact that I know what a cartouche is can be used to make an interesting line of dialogue. That being said, there’s no hidden chef knowledge that’s going to give someone an advantage in the game. Players don’t even have to know how to boil an egg to play.”
What have you been working on since the last WASD event?
OG: “So, we’ve completely reworked the UI. Several times actually. We took notes on how people were playing the game at events like this. Noticing their impulses. Watching them play over their shoulders. You get to understand things that someone might not be able to tell you over a Discord feedback message. They could be playing in a way that is completely different from what we expected.”
“We’ve also added a new chef. Diane, who can cook onions and tomatoes, is now playable. We’ve also been working on the peer-to-peer multiplayer which has been fun to try out. More art, more animations, and more music. All of which I’m excited to share.”
Who’s your favourite GladiEATer, and who do you consider to be the mascot?
OG: “Guacamole is my favourite. I like him because of all the ways he’s been interpreted. His design is based around the planet Saturn. Just a big avocado planet surrounded by a ring of onion and a ring of tomato. You know, the core basics of guacamole. Other people see him as sort of a biblically accurate angel, which I find funny. “
His design is based around the planet Saturn. Just a big avocado planet surrounded by a ring of onion and a ring of tomato.
Oliver Georgallis
“One of our musicians saw him recently. He now thinks Guacamole looks like an atom because the design is kinda like a nucleus with some electrons spinning around it. There’s also the fact that the end of guacamole sounds like the start of molecular. That wasn’t intentional, but so interesting to hear. I just love him for the controversy his design is creating.”
“As for our mascot? We’ve actually had discussions about this a few times. I’m rooting for the Boiled Egg character to be our mascot. I just think he looks so approachable. He is obviously an egg. Basic and simple. But people really adore the Bread Loaf. The rectangular boxiness is kind of iconic. So, I think it’s Bread Loaf. The egg has my heart though.”
Wishlist now!
Massive thanks to Oliver for answering my questions and sharing some amusing insights about the development of GladiEATers. It really does look like an inventive and fun idea for a game. As of right now, players can wishlist the game on Steam. Milk Bubbles Games is releasing the early access version sometime in 2024, a milestone they seem extremely excited about. I wish them the best of luck in their release!
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