Mike Klubnika predicts more games and developers from Estonia

Estonian independent game developer Mike Klubnika, the creator of the world-famous game “Buckshot Roulette”, has released a new title, “Machine Party”. In an interview with ERR’s culture portal, Klubnika said that although Estonia’s game industry remains at an early stage compared with other countries, he believes the number of Estonian games and developers will continue to grow.

Klubnika, whose legal name is Mikk Maasik, is currently one of Estonia’s most successful independent game developers. Two years ago, “Buckshot Roulette” became an online sensation. His games have since reached millions of people around the world, earning praise for their deliberately rough, industrial visual style, tense and morbid atmosphere, original game mechanics, sound design and techno-dystopian world-building.

“Machine Party” was released last week, shortly before Klubnika celebrated his 24th birthday. In the interview, he discussed how he began making games, where his first success came from, the stories he tells through his games and the state of the game industry in Estonia.

Klubnika said he spent much of his free time at school working with 3D art and experimenting with different forms, including models, renders and animation, as well as sound design. After doing that for about three years, he decided to try making a computer game.

He made one game at school with a friend, but described it as relatively basic and primitive. About three or four years later, he returned to the idea and completed a computer game called “System Upkeep”. He then continued making games, saying the work was very enjoyable.

Klubnika said he initially grew up playing the games his friends played, especially “Counter-Strike”. Later, he began trying more new games, with “Outer Wilds” becoming a major source of inspiration. He also became increasingly interested in smaller horror games made by independent developers.

He still plays video games, although less than before and mostly with friends. Recently, he played “White Knuckle” alone in his free time. He has also played the remakes of “Resident Evil 4” and “Silent Hill”, as well as “Mosa Lina”.

For Klubnika, a typical working day as an independent game developer mainly involves working at a computer. The work depends on the stage and scale of a project. Sometimes he spends several weeks programming, while at other times he focuses on modelling or sound design.

Working in a small team provides considerable variety, he said, allowing him to work on sound, visuals and design.

Klubnika said his inspiration usually comes from other games, films and books. A project generally begins with a simple design, vision or idea of what the game should be. He then gradually develops small parts of the design and brings them together until they form a complete work.