Exclusive: How '90s Shooters and Mobile Game Optimisation Shaped Bloodfire — One of the Coolest PC Indie Games in Years

The origin story behind Bloodfire, its developers, and making players feel powerful.

I first played Bloodfire at Indie Game Utsav, a PC and focussed made-in-India game event at Comic Con Mumbai 2025 that I’m fortunate to work on. Its precise controls and satisfying gunplay ensured I was hooked from the get go.

Bloodfire is a fast-paced arena shooter with a look and vibe not too dissimilar to the likes of Quake and Doom. While this may be enough for some, Kolkata-based Unquittable Studios went the extra mile with a host of modern features such as parrying, combo multipliers, dashing, online leaderboards, and a replay system to boot.

Naturally, I reached out to Pranoy Chatterjee, founder of Unquittable Studios to know more. What I didn’t expect was detailed insight behind making a game like this as well as details on what to expect (complete with Steam Deck support). Some responses have been edited slightly for clarity and length.

1. For the uninitiated, could you give us a brief background of your game development journey?
   
   I’m Pranoy Chatterjee, founder of Unquittable Studios, an indie game dev studio based in Kolkata, India. I’m also a part-time instuctor at Ecole Inuit Lab, Kolkata where I teach Game Art and Design. I’ve worked at Crazy Labs and GameEon before starting on my indie dream, and have won the biggest game jam of India, BYOG, twice. I’ve secured positions in the same five times consecutively, being the only Indian to do so. I’ve been in this space for over nine years now, and don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
   
   As for my personal journey, I’d say it has not been easy starting out in game dev. I did my bachelor’s in electrical engineering, because obviously you need to become a doctor or an engineer in a middle-class Indian household. There have been some family constraints as well, one being the classic “game development is just playing games”. But looking back on it, I completely understand why my parents thought so, and feel really happy to have proven to them to continue in this space. I think almost all indie developers face these challenges, and would like to think of it as a part of the journey. I’m still improving and trying to hone my craft every day, and hope to make games that resonate with my players.

2. As a solo dev, what was the appeal of working on a shooter ?

   We are a team of three as of now, but the idea started solo. I prefer playing FPS games, and am very fascinated with what the genre has to offer and how it is evolving. Most games I see now have an upgrade mechanic of sorts, going down the roguelite route. I wanted to make something that competitive FPS players get right from the start, without much focus on the meta, and more on the actual skill-based mechanics like movement, shooting, and parrying. Basically, if you’re good at FPS games in general, then you should feel as powerful as the next player in Bloodfire, right from the get go.
   

3. Your expertise appears to be in hyper casual. And to your credit, you’ve been successful in the space. What’s the thought process behind diversifying to PC?
   To be very honest, I think I don’t belong to the hyper causal space. Even when I was doing hyper causal, most of it was to raise revenue to make something more fleshed out and complete. I always had the thought of making something like Bloodfire on the back of my mind, and am glad to have finally found the opportunity to do so.
   

4. From a development perspective, does developing for hyper casual audiences help when it comes to making experiences like Bloodfire?
   Both experiences are vastly different in my opinion. Yes, I learnt a lot in technical aspects while doing hyper casual development which carried over, but PC development has been a very different experience. Hyper casual is more about keeping yourself updated with the current market and trends, and pumping out something as soon as possible. Whereas in PC development, experimentation and making something unique is rewarded a lot more.
   

   

5. The description for Bloodfire on the Steam says this is “Inspired by old school FPS games with a modern touch” — what’s the “modern” element of the experience?

   I think the no-nonsense approach in terms of its meta is a nod to old school FPS games, while the addition of mechanics like parrying, combo multipliers, dashing, and online leaderboards are more modern. Some things like an array of different weapons, which is a staple in old school FPS games have been removed for a more streamlined approach with just two primary weapons(with different powerups spawning every play though). Some skill-based old-school mechanics like rocket jumping have been improvised for the game as well, so you parry the ground to perform a rocket jump. There’s a lot more in store though, stay tuned.
   

6. While it’s early days, what’s it been like working on PC after being a predominantly mobile developer? Are there any advantages or disadvantages?
   I think the main takeaway would be that I learnt to optimise games a lot better when I was developing for mobile. I always think you learn better when you have limited resources, and developing for mobile was advantageous in this aspect. Though PC development comes with it’s own challenges, till now it has been a mostly smooth journey transitioning from mobile development.
   

7. The trailer showed off an aesthetic in line with 90s shooters. Was that intentional? What were your inspirations?

   Absolutely, that was the exact aesthetic I was aiming for. I love games like Quake, Hexen, Heretic and Blood, and always found it fascinating how they made the environment so unsettling even with the technical limitations of the 90s. As for newer games, Bloodfire draws inspirations from Devil Daggers and Ultrakill, two of my favorite FPS games as of now.
   

   

8. What challenges have you faced developing a game of this kind?

   There have been a lot of technical challenges, mainly with the whole replay system and seeking mechanic. To be very honest though, I love solving problems like these and have a lot of fun in doing so. Marketing has always been a challenge, and with this being our first PC game, we aim to get on board with a publisher soon to solve the financial and marketing aspects of development. For now though, it has been a mostly smooth ride and I’m very proud of what me and my team have achieved till now, and can’t wait to show what we have in store next.
   

9. Indian audiences usually expect a lower price tag on Steam. I’m curious to know, as a developer and a gamer, what are your thoughts on regional pricing?

   I’m completely fine with regional pricing, and think that it actually helps in selling more copies, which is never a bad thing for an indie studio. Yes, maybe the revenue generated is less in some regions of the world, but the thought of one more player being able to access my game is a lot more fulfilling.
   

10. Are there plans to support handheld PCs like the Steam Deck or ROG Xbox Ally X?

    Absolutely, we plan on adding controller as well as handheld support before launch.

You can wishlist Bloodfire on Steam right now.