Bo Daly, Founder and CEO of Bazooka Tango — Interview Series

Bazooka Tango, the developer behind the upcoming deck-building and board-based hybrid game Shardbound, is currently making moves to launch its vast collection of stories for its worldwide audience. To learn a bit more about the upcoming project, as well as unravel a few useful tips and tricks from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, we decided to reach out to Bazooka Tango CEO, Bo Daly.

Hi, Bo. Thanks for taking the time to speak with us! Before we touch base on Bazooka Tango, could you please introduce yourself to our readers?

Bo: Thanks for having me!

My name is Bo Daly, and I’m the founder and CEO at Bazooka Tango. I’ve been in games forever, going all the way back to the PlayStation 2 days. I got my start in the industry at Rockstar Games, working on the amazing Red Dead Revolver/Red Dead Redemption titles. From there, I spent the better part of a decade working on various MMOs at Gazillion Entertainment before founding Super Evil Megacorp, where we built the hit MOBA Vainglory (iOS/Android) and grew that into the world’s premier mobile esport.

Tell us a bit about Bazooka Tango. When was the studio founded, and what inspired you to pursue a stake in the deck-building genre?

Bo: In 2019, I set out with my SEMC co-founder, Stephan Sherman, to build Bazooka Tango as a sort of “laboratory” for experimenting with new types of gameplay and new technologies. That’s where we got excited about taking the plunge on Shardbound, a beautiful and fascinating genre mash-up that we felt we could build upon for a long time, which contained even in its early DNA a deep well of exciting new gameplay ideas. So, we were thrilled to explore that space, while also modernizing the game and pushing the tech/design boundaries a bit.

Let’s talk about your upcoming game, Shardbound. What exactly is it, and what can potential players expect to find embedded into its narrative?

Bo: Shardbound is an amazing hybrid of deckbuilding, CCG strategy and board-based Tactics. Equally, though, it’s a universe with a thousand stories for players to explore as they learn about the world, its backstory and its inhabitants. I think players will love getting to know the factions – both from studying the lore and simply through playing andfeeling how differently they approach battle. There are as many playstyles out there as there are players, so we’re excited to see what our players come up with.

💥BREAKING NEWS💥

Shardbound is NOW OPEN for the FIRST TIME to players WORLDWIDE

Pre-register today to access the game 👇https://t.co/OtdtxQ26TI pic.twitter.com/rhHXZ8LmfJ

— Shardbound (@shardbound_game) June 27, 2024

And what sorts of challenges can we expect to uncover? Would you say that Shardbound is a game that anyone can jump into and roll with?

Bo: Yes, I think there’s something for everyone in Shardbound. That’s not to say, of course, that everyone’s going to be a pro on day one, but I think the game is very approachable, and that owes in large part to the genre mix and the different ways to look at the game, depending on where a player is coming from as a gamer. If you’re a CCG player, you’re going to get it right away. If you’re a tactics fan, you’ll play differently, but you’ll also be able to be effective. Frankly, if you’ve ever played a game of checkers, you’ll be able to have fun in Shardbound.

We’d love to hear a few professional tips from the horse’s mouth, so to speak. Are there any general words of wisdom that you’d be willing to share with newcomers to the game?

Bo: Always keep in mind that there are multiple ways to win. Sure, you can go hard at you opponent’s commander and try to knock them out, but if you overcommit, you may find that your opponent has an easier time collecting crystals and winning on Victory Points. There’s always a balance to be struck, and no two games will play out exactly the same way, so stay sharp!

So, what’s next for Bazooka Tango? Do you have your sights set on any other projects at the moment? If so, please could you tell us a bit about it/them?

Bo: Well, we’ve got our hands pretty full with our work getting Shardbound launched, but we do have some pretty exciting prototypes sitting around, waiting to get a proper treatment. We’d love to be able to bring some of these other ideas to life in theShardbound universe and to expand on the types of experiences that our players can have in this incredible setting.

Is there a way for fans of Shardbound to stay up to date with the game’s ongoing development? Are there any useful social channels, streams, or newsletters that we should be keeping an eye out for?

Bo: Pre-register at Shardbound.com to join our mailing list and stay up to speed on all the latest news and announcements. You will also be able to download the game and play our Limited Beta right now.

You can also follow us on X and join our Discord for updates!

Any final words for our readers?

Bo: We’re looking forward to seeing you on the battlefield! (And in our Discord!)

Thanks for your time, Bo!

For more information on Bazooka Tango’s Shardbound, be sure to check in with the team over on their official social handle here. Alternatively, you can visit the website for additional details here.