It used to be that making a game required highly skilled technicians, usually with a degree of some kind. There weren’t resources readily available for those who had an amazing idea but not the ability to bring them to fruition. However, in a recent interview with Game Rant, Jacob Moore, the solo dev behindTurBot,talked about how he feels thatsolo developers and indie creatorshave never had an opportunity like this before. He said due to the abundance of resources and knowledge freely accessible on the Internet, anyone with an idea and the will to follow through can make a game likeTurBotin no time at all.
For Moore, it started with a love for classic platformers likeCrash BandicootandSly Cooper,and evolved into a want to create his own title. While it had always been in the back of his mind, it wasn’t until the pandemic hit last year that he was freely able to pursue that interest with all the free time. According to Moore, he spent all of 2020 learning how to use Blender and began actually forming his game in Unreal Engine at the start of 2021. Moore said it only took him five months to finish the game - without ever learning how to write a line of code.
RELATED:Crash Bandicoot 4 Dev Says Its Engine was Tested by Spyro Reignited Trilogy
How TurBot was Made
From the beginningof the COVID-19 pandemic, people had an abundance of time to commit to hobbies and activities outside of their normal routines. This led to a lot of interesting changes in everyone’s lives, and for Moore that was finally getting to learn how to make the game he’d always been curious about. As a fan of watching speedrunners on the internet, he thought it would be interesting to make his own game that challenged the player to complete it as fast as they can. With his idea and the tools easy enough to find, he got to work crafting the speedrunning platformerTurBot.
“I picked up Blender, started learning 3D modeling, just self-taught using resources online.”
The first thing Moore did was to pick up the3D modeling software Blenderand began playing around with it until “it all started making sense.” At first, his only goal was to use it to make high-quality memes and animations, but he quickly saw the potential in expanding upon what he’d learned to make a game. Moore then downloaded the Unreal Engine and taught himself how to use that as well, and because of the Unreal Engine’s blueprint feature, he never had to learn to code.
The Abundance of Resources
One message that Moore wanted to get out was that now is the time for solo developers to really stretch their legs. According to the solo dev, the abundance of resources and knowledge that can be accessed for free online has never been so plentiful. For 3D modeling, there’s Blender,Unreal Engineis free, and all the tutorials on how to do everything in those programs can be found on various media channels across the web. He feels it truly is a unique time for devs who have never had an opportunity before.
“I believe there is no better time to get into it than now. All the resources you need are free and available. All the tools you need, all the knowledge, you may get to it with a quick Google search.”
While making a game is a huge undertaking, it has never been easier than it is in the current digital age. With the access that the Internet provides to programs and information, not to mention anever-growing gaming audience, indie developers have a unique chance to make their games and get them seen across the web.
TurBotreleases on May 31, 2025 for PC, and can be wishlisted now on Steam.
