Skövde Studio Builds Retro Game for Greater Accessibility

William Jutbring, David Magnusson, Hannes Mellblom and Jakob Akpinar Olsson.

If you grew up with various forms of computer games during the 90s and early 00s, there’s a high chance that you’ve played Doom and Quake.

Boomer shooter games became a success in the 90s and have since created many memories and served as an inspiration for many of the FPS games we see on the market today. Doom was built on a game engine called the Doom Engine.

The same game engine brought together the four game development students who make up Dofhouse, a game studio based in Skövde. They all shared a love for retro aesthetics from the 90s and 00s, and a passion for old boomer shooters.

"We share a vision of what games can and should be. Early on, we realized that we had a special chemistry – both as friends and as game creators," says Jacob Akpinar Olsson.

How does it feel to work with a game engine from the 90s?
"At times, it works great! And at times, not so great. It has, admittedly, been modified and updated since the 90s, but there are still a lot of limitations. It forces us to come up with many smart solutions and be creative. Making a game we want in the Doom Engine isn’t easy, but it shouldn’t be either!"

The game Dofhouse is currently working on is called Project: Amica. In the game, you control the android SID, who is chasing a military general through various environments. Amica is not a linear game with separate levels, but rather a connected world where the player moves freely, unlocks new areas, and returns with new abilities.

"Amica is action-packed, but also designed to offer an experience that grows and changes," says Jacob Akpinar Olsson.

Creating an experience that evolves over time requires not only a dedicated and creative game studio but also a game community that drives the development itself. Exactly what Dofhouse wants.

"We will release the game as open-source and encourage modding, meaning players can make changes to the game. Our dream is to create an active and engaged community that together makes the game better," says William Jutbring.

There are also other thoughts and advantages to the game being "simple" in design. Accessibility is one of them.

"The benefit of using a simpler game engine is that its technical simplicity allows the game to be played on lower-end computers – which opens up markets where players don’t have access to the latest hardware. Not everyone can play the newest games on their computers, as it’s a matter of cost in terms of performance and price. We want everyone to be able to play," says William Jutbring.

So, how has a retro-inspired boomer shooter game landed among investors in 2025?

Quite well, it turns out. They recently participated in OTK Games Expo, a major international game expo on Twitch, and are making bigger strides with the studio every day.

Dofhouse has been part of the startup program, Sweden Game Startup, since December and is now working hard toward the next step in their game journey – finding investors.

"We haven’t fully focused on that part until now, but it’s the next step for us. We’ve participated in pitches, and we will be able to focus more on seeking investors throughout the year," says William Jutbring.