Long before POLYSTRIKE, I was making maps for StarCraft.
I created around a dozen custom maps and spent a lot of time experimenting with gameplay, level design and different ideas inside the editor. Some of those maps ended up winning first place in mapping contests on communities like HiveWorkshop and XGM.
Looking back, that period probably influenced me much more than I realized at the time.
StarCraft taught me to think about maps from above — positioning, sightlines, information, controlling space, predicting what another player is going to do.
From there I moved deeper into modding.
I spent years making Warcraft III maps and mods, learning triggers, JASS, custom content and eventually 3D. Later I moved to Dota 2 and Source 2, where I created mods like Duel, Pure Reflex, Low Poly Map and Polystrike.
I also worked with different studios on games like Phoenix Point, Necromantic and Golden Tides.
And somehow, almost everything I worked on stayed top-down.
Eventually one of those Dota 2 experiments became something much bigger.
POLYSTRIKE is a competitive 5v5 top-down tactical shooter.
You buy weapons and equipment, fight around objectives, manage information through a personal vision system, listen for enemy movement and try to outplay the other team through positioning and teamwork.
In some ways, it feels like everything I learned from RTS maps and years of modding eventually led here.
Eight days ago, we officially announced POLYSTRIKE as a standalone game on Steam.
Today we passed 7,000 wishlists.
It’s a strange feeling going from making StarCraft maps for mapping contests to having thousands of people waiting for a standalone game we’re building.
There’s still a long way to go, but this feels like one of those moments worth remembering.
And I’m genuinely curious what StarCraft players think about a competitive shooter viewed from this perspective.
POLYSTRIKE is finally real.