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Student project evolves into commercial release on Steam, PlayStation and Xbox
A game that began life as a student project during Abertay University's 2019 DARE Academy competition has gone on to secure a major multi-platform release.
Forest of Deceit is a social deduction party game developed by graduate studio Ghost Camp. The title grew out of work created by the team during the 2019 edition of DARE Academy, the University's flagship games design competition for students in the Faculty of Design, Informatics and Business.
The game sees four to eight players attempt to survive in a cursed forest as a storm approaches, gathering resources and building shelter while trying to identify hidden Traitors intent on sabotaging the group.
Featuring hand-drawn visuals and discussion-driven gameplay, the game began life as Tales of Treachery during the team's third year at Abertay as part of the University's Professional Project module.
The concept was later developed through DARE Academy, culminating in an opportunity to showcase the game at EGX, the UK's largest consumer gaming event, where the team presented their work directly to players and industry professionals.
After graduating, the team continued to build on the foundations established through DARE Academy, reshaping the original idea into a more focused project that could be developed remotely alongside full-time employment.
Over several years, the seven-strong team continued to work on the title in their spare time while living in different parts of the UK, transforming it from an Abertay student showcase project into a commercially released game.
Thomas Mackinnon, one of the creators of Forest of Deceit, said:
We're all so thankful for our experiences at Abertay and DARE. So many great opportunities and experiences in our lives came from both. It may have taken us a while to finally release the game, but it shows what can happen when you get a great start, stick together and keep going. We're incredibly proud of what we've achieved.
The game also features narration from Sylvester McCoy, best known for playing the Seventh Doctor in Doctor Who and Radagast in The Hobbit film trilogy.
Dayna Galloway, Head of the Department of Games and Arts at Abertay University, said:
Forest of Deceit is a fantastic example of what can happen when talented students are given the opportunity to develop their ideas in a supportive and entrepreneurial environment. The team took a concept that began at Abertay and, through creativity, determination and years of hard work, transformed it into a commercially released game. It's wonderful to see a project that was part of DARE Academy reach players around the world, and we're incredibly proud of everything the team at Ghost Camp has achieved.
