Press Kit

Factsheet

Developer:
Space Moguls
Founded in Los Angeles
Relocated to Gothenburg Sweden in 2020

Founding date:
December 8 2018

Social / Contact:
twitter.com/spacemoguls (Contact via DM)

Game Store/Download Links:
Space Moguls (Protovision)
Space Moguls (itch.io)
Nono Pixie
Space Orbs
Witch Day (itch.io)
Witch Day (source)
Witch Rescue Service (itch.io)

Development Tool Links:
Space Moguls Github root
X65 (6502 etc. Assembler)
IceBro (6502 Visual Debugger)
WitchMap (2D Map Editor)
C64Gfx (Graphics conversion tool)
TiledC64 (Tiled to C64 binaries)
C64HelpDoc (Game Docs Maker)
d64merge (disk directory layout)
x65disasm (symbolic disasm)

Description

Space Moguls is primarily a developer of new games for the Commodore 64 computer, the most popular computer in history with a focus on strategy, puzzle and adventure over pure action and combat style games.

History

The wonderful world of machine code

The seed of Space Moguls was learning that there was no particular barrier to create games as long as you had the simplest of tools and an understanding how the 6510 CPU operated in a Commodore 64. A simple machine code monitor and a programming handbook enabled a career path for a 13 year old with lots of imagination.

32 years later with no Commodore 64 games completed the obvious thing to do was to just get started with the dream of releasing new games for the Commodore 64. Space Moguls Games was founded in 2018 when the first title was released.

Space Moguls

After two years of development the titular title was finally ready for the world on December 8 2018 and available as a physical cartridge and floppy disk in box from Protovision!

Initially envisioned as a unique strategy game mildly inspired by M.U.L.E, a groundbreaking multiplayer strategy game from established developer Ozark Softscape and newborn publisher Electronic Arts, Space Moguls eventually stuck fairly close to the concept, but with notable differences such as a colorful randomized hex tile map, multiple planets, a stunning presentation and music from Stein Pedersen and Ole-Marius Pettersen. Space Moguls was released 35 years after its inspiration.

Towards the end of development of M.U.L.E. EA tried to convince the team to use the title “Moguls from Mars” which was the inspiration for the title “Space Moguls”.

April Fools

Together with Yacht Club Games a prototype of Shovel Knight 64 was created! While future game updates are not endorsed by Yacht Club Games they could still happen.

RGCD 16k Cartridge Challenge 2019

In the wake of the initial Space Moguls release the focus tilted over to puzzle games and started with the question what the Data East title Magical Drop would be like if it was co-op multiplayer and no time pressure. The answer was Space Orbs, a game that was quickly prototyped but required over 6 months of iteration to feel right. During its development RGCD annouced an itch.io challenge for developing a cartridge game in 16kb and with barely hours left Space Orbs was submitted. As a backup and because it represented a challenge to make a really quick game a Nonogram game called Nono Pixie was built in a weekend. The weekend turned into two months but resulted in 100 puzzles, and with music composed by Psych858o a second title made it into the 16k challenge!

Later in the year a complete version of Space Orbs with music by Stein Pedersen and a multicolor bitmap title screen was released.

Additionally a point and click adventure was submitted to DoubleSided games Halloween Challenge the same year, Witch Day. Witch Day follows a witch trying to leave her home for the day but being prevented by a young boy demanding poison apple cake…

Future Development

It is easier to start a project than to finish one but several projects are well in progress, including a ship docking simulator inspired by the docking mini-game in the popular Amiga game Ports of Call, and unannouced projects.

The currently active effort is an untitled island adventure inspired game with a targeted completion date before the end of 2020!

People

Space Moguls consists of Carl-Henrik Skårstedt, game developer by day and secretly retro game developer by night!

Relevant-hardware-of-the-time game credits can be found here: MobyGames credits for Carl-Henrik Skårstedt, in addition to this list Carl-Henrik also worked on Pac-Man World 2 and Pokemon Go.

Stein Pedersen and Ole-Marius Pettersen created music and music code for Space Moguls and Space Orbs, see the link to the OST below. Psych858o created music for Nono Pixie.

Box art and manual design for Space Moguls was created by Lobo

Martin Roscher frequently provides directory art and provided significant game design suggestions for Nono Pixie.