Bomb Bots Arena by Tiny Roar: Interview with Co-Founder Maurice Hagelstein

Key insights

6 takeaways

01
Tiny Roar secured 70% of the development budget for Bomb Bots Arena through German Games Funding, enabling the studio to pivot from contract work to proprietary intellectual property.
02
Bomb Bots Arena launched in June 2020 as an early access title featuring eight-player multiplayer with cross-platform functionality across PC and mobile.
03
The studio utilizes early access as a strategic tool to facilitate direct feedback loops with community-driven player bases on Steam and mobile platforms.
04
Tiny Roar’s operational model prioritizes sustainable growth by explicitly rejecting crunch culture and implementing merit-based, transparent internal communication.
05
The studio plans to expand the reach of Bomb Bots Arena beyond its initial PC and mobile launch with a future release on the Nintendo Switch.
06
Public funding initiatives serve as a critical financial buffer for independent studios, allowing for increased staff hiring and greater creative autonomy.

Summary

Hamburg indie studio Tiny Roar launched "Bomb Bots Arena" in early access on June 1, 2020, and co-founder and Game Director Maurice Hagelstein discusses the release, funding, and platform strategy in this Gamecity Hamburg interview from June 2, 2020. The game is a free-to-play, crossplay online multiplayer brawler for up to eight players, in which participants compete as robots. It followed more than nine months of development.

Hagelstein attributes the studio's approach to continual self-critique and realistic planning built on many small, adjustable goals rather than imitation of others' success stories. Tiny Roar operates under formal company principles: full transparency on planning, finances, and concerns; a ban on crunch; and open communication in which the best argument prevails regardless of seniority.

Funding is a central theme. Founded in Hamburg in 2015, when local games funding had effectively vanished, the studio relied on contract work that fragmented its focus and cash flow. As one of the first recipients of the German Games Funding, it now has roughly 70 percent of the game's budget covered, allowing it to concentrate on its own title and hire additional staff. Hagelstein notes that pressure remains high given obligations to players, the industry, and taxpayers.

On platforms, the studio aims for broad availability. Steam and mobile launched first because they avoid devkit barriers and have vocal communities that contribute to improving games. A Nintendo Switch version is the next priority, since a build already runs on the hardware and the team includes many Nintendo fans who consider the console well suited to the game. Players are directed to a dedicated Discord community.