Virtual reality studio Maru VR Productions is the first Estonian company to receive support from the Creative Europe MEDIA program for game development. The maximum support of 150,000 euros was allocated for the development of "Bootstrap Island".
Even though the program has been open to Estonia for over 20 years, Maru VR is the first Estonian company to have successfully secured this grant. "We are very proud that we managed to get this support for the development of a virtual reality game, because VR is still in the early growth stages of the gaming industry. Considering the intense competition in the Creative Europe program, this is a big win for the Estonian VR community and also for the game development sector," said Maru VR's CEO Lilit Palmar.
Bootstrap Island is an intense roguelike survival game, players will find themselves stepping into the buckled shoes of a 17th century explorer shipwrecked on on a mysterious tropical island. They must quickly learn to adapt and survive on a mystical and ruthless island, exploring for food, drink, weapons, making a fire, all the while encountering ferocious beasts and tribal natives.
“We are designing this game specifically for virtual reality, and focusing on creating immersive gameplay with a compelling narrative. Thanks to VR technology, players can experience the island we have created so believably, that they will feel like they have washed up on the shore of a classic adventure storybook", explained the game's Creative Director Rein Zobel.
Maru VR is no stranger to VR development in Estonia, starting in 2016 developing custom-made location-based VR experiences, the team recently released the migration themed “Musical Journey” on the Meta Quest (App Lab) in collaboration with Mondo MTÜ, as well as a variety of educational safety and emergency preparedness games for the Estonian Rescue Board.
You can read more about Bootstrap Island at www.BootstrapIsland.com and wishlist the game on Steam:
Bootstrap Island on Steam (steampowered.com)
