Developer Acceleration Program Spotlight: Strange Scaffold

In 2023, the ID@Xbox Developer Acceleration Program was officially announced. The program’s mission is to empower underrepresented creators with the resources and information needed to bring their creativity, innovation, and originality to Xbox. By removing longstanding barriers to entry for creators and normalizing diverse storylines and characters in gaming, both players and developers win. 

The types of developers that the Developer Acceleration Program seeks to support includes (but is not limited to) developers who are led by those from Black, Indigenous, Latino or LGBTQIA+ communities, women, developers with disabilities, developers from emerging markets or teams with unique perspectives. This includes independent developers working on a game that responsibly centers the experience around diverse characters or that prioritizes accessibility.

Since the program was announced, dozens of games have been released on Xbox to both critical acclaim and commercial success. With that in mind, we thought it was only fitting that we begin to spotlight some of the creators behind these titles in a new recurring series on Microsoft Game Dev blog. 

This week, we’re highlighting Strange Scaffold, developer and publisher of the Developer Acceleration Program title El Paso, Elsewhere. We had the chance to chat with Strange Scaffold Studio Head Xalavier Nelson Jr. about his studio’s experience with the program and how DAP helped it successfully launch El Paso, Elsewhere.

Tell us about Strange Scaffold.

Strange Scaffold is a remote studio trying to make games better, faster, cheaper, and healthier than the games industry assumes is possible. We think if we build games sustainably, it’ll let us make the high-quality titles we want to bring our players on a consistent basis - and maybe even bring someone their next favorite game.

What can you tell us about El Paso, Elsewhere?

El Paso, Elsewhere is a throwback slow-motion third-person shooter about a black monster hunter destroying the villain he loved before she ends the world. Inspired by my love for neo-noir, pulp horror, and classic games like Max Payne and DOOM, the team produced a tale that’s reached tens of thousands of players, won awards, and now has a film adaptation in development with Di Bonaventura Pictures and LaKeith Stanfield! If you’ve ever wanted to shoot werewolves in slow motion while thumping hip-hop booms into your ears, you should play El Paso, Elsewhere right now. Like, right now. You need to play El Paso, Elsewhere.

Any hints on what might be coming next from Strange Scaffold?

What’s coming next for Strange Scaffold is the release of I Am Your Beast! Our shortform revenge sandbox FPS was the 342nd most wishlisted game across all of Steam, it came out on PC August 15th, and given the excitement for the project, we’re incredibly honored we get to keep bringing Strange Scaffold’s blend of creative constraints and nuanced style to the world. Given how fast we make games, our next project is always just around the corner, too.

What accomplishments are you most proud of as an independent studio?

As of the release of I Am Your Beast, Strange Scaffold has launched 15 games in 5 years. I’m deeply grateful that my teams have been able to put that many cool new things into the world, especially with our level of consistency!

What have been the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an independent studio?

A lack of existential belief in our processes, honestly. When you’re one of very few people in the room committed to launching games on time and on budget, and you use that language, it can sound like you’re less likely to have the creative ambition or quality standard of teams delaying their games and pitching much larger projects. Often, it’s felt like we’re too weird for the business people, and too business-minded for the weird people. This dynamic of getting caught in the middle of two worlds that are treated separately is part of why I’m so grateful for the support of Xbox over the years. When we came to the table and said that efficiency and creativity are not at opposite ends of the spectrum, they met us there and have time and again shown that they think our approach is valid. It’s a big part of the reason I’m still making games, honestly.

How did you learn about or connect with the Developer Acceleration Program?

I learned about the DAP in chats at events with folks like Chris Charla and James Lewis. Xbox makes a point of keeping its developers abreast of strategic shifts for how they want to investigate supporting their creators and players next, and that connection is something that will keep a game studio alive over the years. That’s certainly been the case for me!

How has the Developer Acceleration Program impacted your game’s development?

El Paso, Elsewhere having the support of DAP and Xbox was a validation point. It said that someone was in our corner, the work we do is valuable, and that this game had a foundation to truly reach the world. 

Why do you feel that programs like DAP are important to the health of the game industry?

The more games a studio creates, the greater their collective experience and likelihood of crafting  a bonafide hit. You can even see hit games become stepping stones to yet larger hits, as with Supergiant Games. You don’t get a Hades without Bastion, first! So when programs like the DAP are out here supporting developers, and helping them survive to ship their next game, it means players are getting supported, too - because the next project will be even better.