SEATTLE, Wash. – September 04, 2026 – What started as a small minigame created by a group of developers in graduate school has grown into The Boo Croo — a co-opetitive party game that has been in development for almost four years.
Combining cooperation, competition and plenty of chaotic moments, The Boo Croo has already attracted attention from players at public showcases, PAX West and community playtests. Now, with the game preparing to launch into Steam Early Access alongside PAX West, we caught up with the developer to find out how the idea began, the challenges of developing an indie game in their spare time, the reaction from players, and what the future holds.
From a simple prototype called Hotel Hustle to a seven-minigame launch, this is the story of how The Boo Croo came to life.
Can you take us back to the very beginning — what was the original minigame you created more than four years ago, and what made you realise it could become a much bigger game?
Hotel Hustle was the original minigame! In it, you have to find keys that match your character’s colour and bring them back to your door. Since it’s very dark, you need to explore the hotel until you get close enough to actually see the key.
We made a small prototype while in grad school and brought it to a public showcase. Turns out, people loved it! It gave me the inspiration to keep working on it.
What was happening in your life when you first started working on The Boo Croo while you were in graduate school?
Back then, I was working for a local tech company as an “experimental developer.” Unlike other software developers at the company who were maintaining existing systems, I was tasked with figuring out ways to solve miscellaneous requests from the CEO.
This often involved creating databases and cross-referencing data that we obtained through various sources. I was given a lot of freedom in this role, so it was quite fun!
At what point did you think, “This could actually become a full game,” and what happened that convinced you?
Before we brought The Boo Croo to PAX West 2024, I was unsure how players would respond to it. We only had three minigames to show off at the time: Hotel Hustle, Cauldron Chaos, and Halloween Haul.
Since the game was in essentially a prototype state, I had low expectations. However, people loved it! Seeing people want to keep playing and coming back for more made me realise that this game had potential.
Four years is a long development journey for an indie studio. What was the biggest challenge you faced along the way, and how did you overcome it?
Finances, motivation, and time!
We’re a studio consisting of people who work on this game in their spare time, which means we don’t have 40 hours per week to dedicate to it. Imagine you’re busy with your day job, and then you have to devote more time to a second “job” after that?
The team has sacrificed a lot to get the game to the place it’s at currently. And, since the game is completely self-funded, I can’t pay the team as well as a full-time studio.
The first few years were the most difficult before much of the team saw the game’s vision. That said, the passion has definitely exploded over the past year, and velocity has increased significantly!
Was there ever a point when you seriously wondered whether The Boo Croo would actually make it to release?
Only before we brought the game to PAX West 2024. After the positive reception, I knew that the game would make it to launch!
oo Croo as a “co-opetitive” game. What does that mean for players, and why was that combination of cooperation and competition important to you?
“Co-opetitive” essentially means cooperative and competitive.
The idea behind this decision was that we didn’t want to compete against the major games in the party game market that have a clear cooperative or clear competitive gameplay loop. Doing something different makes us stand out.
More importantly, the co-opetitive aspect means that all players can stay engaged 100% of the time. Combine that with there always being a chance to win, it doesn’t matter how poorly you’ve been playing — there’s still a chance!
What has been the most surprising reaction you’ve received from players during your Kickstarter campaign and community playtests?
It has been how much our players want to keep playing the minigames over and over again!
It’s great hearing players want to play “just one more.”
Have players ever used the game or approached a minigame in a way that completely surprised you?
Watching players deliberately sabotage their friends is hilarious!
Some players completely ignore collecting points just so that they can prevent their friends from collecting more points. It’s an interesting strategy to ruin your own chance of survival so that you lower your friends’ chances too.
Still, the game is built to support this, so it’s a lot of fun to watch!
Which of the seven launch minigames is your personal favourite, and is there one that consistently creates the biggest laughs, arguments or moments of chaos among players?
Stop Savants might be my favourite.
It’s simple to play — collect crayons and return them to your cart. However, if the robot turns on and sees you moving, it will shoot you immediately.
This means that if you use the megaphone item on another player, you can effectively make them “move” into the robot’s line of sight, which will cause it to attack them.
So many players love to do this to their friend who’s stealing all the high-value crayons!
You’re launching into Steam Early Access on September 4 alongside PAX West. After nearly four years of development, what does that day mean to you personally?
I’m so excited for it, but I know that there is still so much more to do.
It feels a little bit like a checkpoint, but the finish line is still further ahead. I’m happy to finally have the game released, even if it’s Early Access!
ou’ve planned monthly updates and want player feedback to help shape the game. What changes or additions would you most like to explore as the community grows?
Since we’re entering Early Access, the game still has so much time to evolve.
If we see players engaging with certain minigames but not others, we can shift development plans for future minigames based on that feedback. If players really dislike certain minigames, we can rework them too.
No need to keep something in the game if nobody enjoys it!
If you could go back to yourself four years ago, when The Boo Croo was just a single prototype, what would you tell that version of yourself?
Persevere and keep it up!
There are so many ideas to add to the game and players are going to love it.
Wishlist now; available Sept. 4: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1424540/The_Boo_Croo/
Press kit: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1VUoNRLeo7690hAn381oG2BpHOf_y8VvX
ABOUT SYNODIC ARC
Synodic Arc creates social, replayable games designed to bring players together.
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Company Name: SYNODIC ARC
Contact Person: Colin Carlsen
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Country: United States
Website: https://synodicarc.com
