Developer Acceleration Program Spotlight: Pancake Games

The ID@Xbox Developer Acceleration Program, launched in 2023, marches forth with the mission to empower underrepresented creators with the resources and information needed to bring their creativity, innovation, and originality to Xbox. The Developer Acceleration program seeks to support 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, and several other communities by removing longstanding barriers to entry for creators and normalizing diverse storylines and characters in gaming.

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 believe it is only fitting that we spotlight some of the creators behind these titles in a new recurring series on Microsoft Game Dev blog.

This week, we’re highlighting Pancake Games developer of the Developer Acceleration Program title Slime Heroes. We had the chance to chat with Tomas Gomez, founder of Pancake Games about the studio’s experience with the program and how DAP helped them successfully develop Slime Heroes.

Tell us about Pancake Games.

I started Pancake Games in late 2021 by myself, but have since built a team where we developed Slime Heroes and a couple new game prototypes. We are an independent studio composed of a small, talented and passionate team.

I started the studio after I had been in the gaming industry for about fifteen years, mostly in the AAA space. I always wanted to start my own company and make my own games after learning and gaining some experience. With the support of my wife and some savings in the bank it felt like the right time to take the plunge a few years ago and I officially left my full-time job to create Pancake Games.

The first year was really hard, just working by myself.  Building a company and a prototype from the ground up was a huge mountain to climb. Day by day I made progress though, crossing things off my to-do list until I had a solid prototype for Slime Heroes. About six months in I started hitting the road to find funding and allow me to grow the team and finish the game. Those next six months were challenging in a completely new way - although my dev experience set me up to successfully produce and develop a game, it didn’t prepare me for the business side of raising capital. 

Around the time I began questioning what I was doing on a daily basis, I got in contact with the DAP program and Humble’s Black Game Developer Fund, which gave me my first funding for the project Slime Heroes. This set Pancake Games on a new trajectory that allowed me to grow the amazing team I have today.

I am so grateful for the team at Pancake Games. We are proud to soon release our first game, but also for extending core values we created as a team around creating inclusive environments and telling diverse stories to the games we make together, while also ensuring we allow ourselves to focus on learning and growing individually and as a team.

What can you tell us about Slime Heroes?

In Slime Heroes, players take on the role of an adorable (and customizable!) slime, the unlikely hero who must summon their courage to save the world from a mysterious corruption. You’ll embark on a journey to explore the expansive 3D world — alone or with a friend — where you’ll encounter ferocious enemies, challenging but approachable puzzles, and uncover forgotten treasures. As you battle your way through the many obstacles along your path, you’ll gain magical skills that you can dynamically combine to create unique and powerful magic attacks. You’ll discover which attack combos can take down even the most corrupt minions and bosses. You’ll also experience a touching story of overcoming low expectations, friendship, and forgiveness as you progress because even slimes can be heroes!

Slime Heroes is planned to release on March 6th.

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

This is the first game we developed as a studio and a team. Growing that team, figuring out how we work together best and making sure each person felt empowered to have ownership on what they were working on, while keeping Slime Heroes to a cohesive vision, was challenging.

Personally, I had to balance wanting to move quickly and efficiently with investing time and resources to make sure our new-to-industry hires were really learning and flourishing in their crafts. I’ve also taken time to mentor people who are trying to break into the gaming industry, and it was important that I give people their first chance to work professionally in gaming and set them up for long term success the best I can.

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

I learned about the Developer Acceleration Program through another group I am a part of, Black Voices in Gaming. These gaming communities focused on supporting fellow developers have been a huge help to me both in business, developing the game, and just having people to talk to more personally.

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

The Developer Acceleration Program gave me the very first funds to help support the development of Slime Heroes. Not only did it allow me to bring on people to help develop the game, it also confirmed or validated that someone else believed in what I was making. It allowed me to feel like I was doing the right thing - taking on this adventure of starting my own company and debuting with this game, Slime Heroes.

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

Finishing the game is one big one for us. But the one that probably makes me feel the most accomplished is seeing how passionate the team I created is about our games and the company itself. They are my biggest support and drivers to do my best.

Any hints on what might be coming next from Pancake Games?

We are definitely focused on making sure this launch for Slime Heroes is solid right now. But we have been working on new game prototypes so people should also check out and join our discord or socials and keep an eye out for new projects coming down the road.

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

Programs like DAP give real opportunities to people to follow their dreams and tangible support to be able to make a new gaming experience for expanding gaming communities. It’s difficult to gain funding for a new studio, and even more difficult if you are trying to create a game for new audiences to enjoy. The DAP program helps bring studios with new voices and perspectives to collectively serve all gaming communities and evolving needs of players.