Chris Davis | Games Developer

Chris Davis | Games Developer

Just three years ago, you might have found Chris atop your house weatherproofing your tiles in his previous career as a roofer. But a love of gaming, and a deep interest in the developing and designing that goes into creating them, led him to place a modest ask on Kickstarter to create his first game, Spud’s Quest, in 2012 under the guise of Mouldy Toof Studios. The funding allowed him to give up roofing to pursue games development full time and he began work on his follow-up game The Escapists. Building on his previous success, Chris again pledged the game on Kickstarter and ultimately raised more than double his initial goal. The Escapists was greenlit by the Steam Community within three days and signed to Team17 as publishing partner. Since its release in February 2015, The Escapists has sold more than half a million copies.

My game had very humble beginnings and was originally only intended as something to keep me ticking over. It's come a long way since that and now having BAFTA’s recognition gives me more confidence and drive to aim higher in future projects. I'm really excited to be an example for other small bedroom coders who tend to underestimate their own work. You don't need to be a coding wizard, a genius or anything like that, all you need is a fresh idea and the motivation to make it a reality.