Gaming sensation Cuphead: how family with no experience in video games created a global hit
- Brothers behind indie hit that has sold three million copies since its release in September 2017 had no formal training in game design
- Chad and Jared Moldenhauer developed it from their Ontario homes in 2013
Cuphead has been the darling of the indie video game world since its release in September 2017; the hand-drawn, home-developed game sold more than three million copies in its first year and received countless awards for its unique art, music, and charm.
Behind the indie success story, there’s a close-knit family who was willing to sacrifice their time and careers to complete their passion project: Cuphead was created by brothers Chad and Jared Moldenhauer, and Chad’s wife Marija Moldenhauer is a producer and artist for the game.
The brothers founded their own video game company, Studio MDHR, with no formal training in game design and began development on Cuphead from their Ontario homes in 2013.
Jared and Chad say they were inspired by the cartoons and video games they grew up on, and wanted to make their own homage to the pillars of their childhood.
Though they had no prior training, the pair said the success of indie games such as Super Meat Boy convinced them that a home-made game was worth the time.
Over the course of seven years of development, Studio MDHR gradually recruited about a dozen employees to complete work on Cuphead, coordinating them from the Moldenhauers’ homes in Ontario.