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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Tom Regan

From Big Macs to Baftas: the incredible story behind the hit video game Vampire Survivors

Vampire Survivors.
‘It just felt fun’ … Vampire Survivors. Photograph: poncle

After years spent pursuing a career in game development, Italian coder Luca Galante had given up. Uprooting himself from a comfortable life in Rome, he flew to England in the hope of finally making his childhood dream a reality. Yet after countless rejected job applications, Galante found himself flipping Big Macs in Thornton Heath McDonald’s. Dejected, he gave up on his digital dream, leaving what he says might be “the worst McDonald’s in the UK” to code slot machines for a gambling company. Now, 10 years and one bedroom-made game later, Galante is the proud owner of two Baftas.

“I’m still in disbelief,” reflects an endearingly humble Galante. “I don’t believe that any of this is really happening – this is all just [me having] a very long psychotic break.”

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