---

The Return

There are certain people you work with where things just click.

The ideas move faster. The problems get smaller. The machine runs better.

For Prong, that person is Mark.

Mark and I started Retro Assault together years ago —
From the beginning, he brought the kind of technical firepower that every game project needs, but also something just as important: great design instincts. Mark isn’t just a programmer who can make the machine work. He understands why the machine should work a certain way, how the pieces should feel, and when something needs to be smarter, tighter, cleaner, or just more fun.

He’s an incredibly accomplished technical director and engineer, but he’s also one of the nicest, most down-to-earth people you’ll ever meet. No ego. No drama. Just sharp thinking, steady hands, and a very rare ability to make complicated things feel manageable.

For the last eight years, Mark was the Technical Director at Intrepid Studios. After everything changed there in January, the stars started lining up in a way neither of us probably expected. Suddenly, the door was open again.

And now he’s back.

That’s a big deal for Prong.

I’ve been pushing hard to get things moving, but Mark balances the whole machine out. He brings intelligence, wisdom, engineering discipline, and a calm technical confidence that makes the entire project feel more real. Between the two of us, there’s a creative and technical rhythm that I’ve missed. We know how to build together. We know how to challenge each other. We know when to chase the wild idea and when to tighten the bolts.

And maybe most importantly, we’re both finally in a place where we can put our energy into this without the usual studio machinery pulling us in a dozen different directions.

No corporate fog machine.
No giant approval maze.
No waiting for permission to build the thing.

Just two people who love games, know how to make them, and are ready to get this crazy ship back out to sea.

First up: prototype.
Then: vertical slice.

That’s the immediate mission.

There’s a specific kind of feeling when momentum starts to shift. You can sense it before anything big has happened. The air changes. The conversations get sharper. The work starts stacking up. The future stops feeling theoretical and starts feeling like something you can actually grab.

That’s where we are right now.

The wave is building.

Time to paddle hard, stand up, and ride the hell out of it. 🌊🚀