Swinging into Action: An Inside Look at IFiO Studio’s Endura with CEO Irfan Hadi

Can you tell us about your background and how you started IFiO Studio?

IFiO STUDIO was founded way back in 2016 while I was still a student in my final year of Game Development Degree. I’ve always loved playing games and watching anime as a kid. I’ve always been inspired by the stories and characters in games and anime. And my dream is to share my stories through my art which in this case, video games. But before all that, I need to start off the right foot. I realize all of the IP has one thing in common, they all have brands behind them. Thus, I need to create mine. And that is where IFIO was born.

How did the concept for Endura come about?

Funny thing is, the concept for ENDURA has changed again and again throughout its development. It used to be about “a small boy trying to save his father” to “a juvenile teenager trying to kill his father but couldn’t do so because his father went missing”. But the name ENDURA itself came from a couple of repented warheads who came together and formed a league to save the bunian (malaysian elf) race from total extinction. It’s a long story to be told, but it is definitely something you have never heard of. Think of it as a lost chapter in the Lord of the Rings but from a totally different universe.

Can you walk us through the gameplay mechanics in Endura?

You are  a brave warrior who walks the path of delivering goods to the people of YAGRA. With a mixture of different genre, ENDURA brings you a new unique gameplay that lets you grapple and swing through the air, glide through the wind, move through time and use powerful gears forge by the great weapon smiths in ENDURA to battle against titanic beast like a badass demon slayer and save world from total destruction.

What makes Endura unique compared to other roguelites in the market?

It has a light hearted almost comedic storyline to be told and a couple of lovable characters players could relate to. Everytime you come back to the hub, there will be new content to be discovered, kinda like Hades by Supergiant. As the story progresses, players will level up unlocking new features, skins & other playable characters.

Can you share more about the different modes in the game?

It has three main modes, delivery mode, safeguard mode and boss rush mode.

Can you talk about the character customisation options in Endura?

You can collect items and drops in the level by defeating monsters or finding loot boxes and bring it back to the HQ to forge new gears & skins, kinda like monster hunter style. Altho, not all skins and gears will be available from the get go, players do need to progress the story and climb the ranks. The higher your rank the more you can customize.

How has the journey been developing Endura since 2018?

It was rough, there have been many times we thought of quitting, but we never did and somehow we always end up improving and adding more content into the game until now. Thus, little by little, the vision for ENDURA becomes more flash out and more clear on what it could be. If you scroll through our fb page, you can see the huge difference from where we started.

What were some of the challenges you faced during development and how did you overcome them?

There’s always problems… As you may know, game dev requires a tremendous amount of effort, time, energy and MONEY put into it. But the key is to never give up, regardless of how tough the challenges are, get up and keep walking! As long as we keep walking, there will always be a chance, where there’s chance, there’s luck. We truly believe that. But we can’t deny the fatigue we are going through in developing ENDURA over the years, we need more than determination, the will to never give up, we need… Luck. The one luck that can change the fate of ENDURA and IFIO moving forward.

What are your plans for the future of IFiO Studio and Endura?

Our plan right now is to sign a deal with a publisher within this year, that’s it! We’ll try to reach as many publishers as possible. We have done our best to bring ENDURA to its fullest potential for a pre alpha stage. The plan for a full scope development is already done. All that is left now, is the help from the publisher to fund the development and publish ENDURA in about a year and a half after the signing date. If push comes to shove, for our last efforts if there is no publisher, we plan to run a kickstarter campaign or else we might need to change directions and move towards a more sustainable business plan.

Can you share any exciting updates or developments for ENDURA as it approaches its 2024 release?

As of now, we’ve just finished developing a Vertical Slice and continue work on polishing ENDURA as well as adding more content into it. We also have a new trailer ready to be released soon! So stay tuned for that. Finally, I wanna take this opportunity to ask help from anyone who might know or befriend a publisher. Help us release ENDURA into the world!

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