Documentary Released – Small Team, Big Dream: The Journey of Secret Ponchos

Short film chronicles indie studio’s trials and tribulations in the making of multiplayer Spaghetti Western shooter on PS4 and Steam 

VANCOUVER, Canada – October 21, 2015 – Pebble Studio today released a short film documentary that follows the journey of the indie studio Switchblade Monkeys’ development and release of Secret Ponchos, a multiplayer Western arena shooter now available for PlayStation 4 and Steam. The film takes viewers deep into the history and challenges that frequently face smaller teams, starting with nothing but a dream and sheer determination. Meet Yousuf Mapara, the creative lead behind the game, who pitched the concept and animated build to Sony and quickly gained traction in forming an official studio. Five years and a rollercoaster of experiences later, the team finally achieves a game they set out to create.

To view the documentary, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_Q_CNdVtk4.

“Competitive PvP is one of the most difficult genres of game to build, even for major studios, so we knew it was a (perhaps blindly) optimistic goal for a bunch of friends with no resources building a game in our bedrooms,” said Yousuf Mapara, creative lead of Switchblade Monkeys. “But we were building our dream game – there was no room for compromise! For the first several months we didn’t even have a single programmer on the team, so we focused on what we could do: we started creating the art and music and before we knew it, momentum was building. It’s been a long, weird, exhausting, exhilarating ride – Pebble was intuitive and adept in capturing this journey.”

“When you play a beautiful game like this, it’s impossible to tell that it was built such a small team. Throughout most of the project, there were only five full time developers working themselves into exhaustion,” said Justin Moore of Pebble Studio. “When [Switchblade Monkeys co-founder] Tony told us how much they had put into this game, we knew it was a story we wanted to capture on film and share with the world.”

Secret Ponchos is a competitive PvP shooter that takes inspiration from MOBAs, fighting games, and Spaghetti Westerns. The game features a host of gritty, gimlet-eyed outlaws, lovingly rendered and individually animated in a vivid, impressionistic art style. You can find the game in its original form on PlayStation 4, or in the greatly expanded Most Wanted edition on Steam.

Download Secret Ponchos:

• Steam Most Wanted edition: http://store.steampowered.com/app/265750/
• PS4: https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/secret-ponchos-ps4/

View the official launch trailer for Secret Ponchos: Most Wanted: https://youtu.be/Bcf_RwIWipA

To connect with Secret Ponchos, visit:

• Website: www.secretponchos.com
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/SecretPonchos
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/SwitchbladeMkys
• YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCZfHouqYmvx8UQu506JBIRA
• Twitch: www.twitch.tv/secretponchos

About Switchblade Monkeys Entertainment

Switchblade Monkeys Entertainment is a 12-person independent studio based in Vancouver that is dedicated to producing high-quality, dynamic, and visually distinctive content. Their debut title, Secret Ponchos, launched on PlayStation 4 in 2014, and is the first game to receive support from Execution Labs’ Finishing Fund. To learn more, visit http://secretponchos.com/

About Pebble Studio

Pebble Studio is a full-service photo and video production company based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. They provide services for TV Commercials, short interviews, documentaries, corporate videos and promotional videos. To learn more, visit: www.pebblestudio.ca.

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Media Contacts

Eliana Carmona
TriplePoint PR for Switchblade Monkeys
ecarmona@triplepointpr.com
+1 (415) 955-8500

Assets

Watch the documentary here.

Watch the game trailer here.

Download the press kit here.