Rogueside on Devil Jam – Interview Series

Guns, Core & Cannoli, Hidden Through Time, War Party, and Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef developer Rogueside has announced Devil Jam, a “metal-themed” Survivors-like game featuring hand-drawn visuals and “beat-driven combat set in Hell.” It will launch on PC in Q3 2025, with an Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and Switch port expected to arrive at a later date.

In an effort to learn more about the team’s upcoming heavy metal-infused hellhole and its 4.93 quadrillion potential inventory combinations, we sought out a conversation with Devil Jam’s primary torchbearers.

We’re just about ready to join the bandwagon and venture deep into the fiery pits of Hell. Before we cross the threshold and tuck into the seventh circle orbiting Devil Jam though, would you mind introducing yourself to our readers and telling us a bit about Rogueside?

Baue: Hi! My name is Baue Olbrechts, a resident game designer, sound designer and all-arounder at Rogueside! Essentially, you could say I’m akin to the handyman of the office here. Enough about me, we here at Rogueside are a group of dedicated gamers numbering 18 total, striving to create and bring exciting experiences to others! Of this group, 9 of us are currently involved in the creation of Devil Jam.

Let’s move on to your upcoming metal-infused hybrid game, Devil Jam. Clearly, there’s quite a lot of moving pieces here. However, what we would like to know is how you would best describe it. What sort of game is it, and if you had to compare it against another title, what would it be and why?

Baue: I’ve always seen this project as a thought-experiment-become-reality from what would happen if we combine Survivor-like gameplay, metal music influences and our signature artstyle. Turns out Devil Jam is what came out!

Let’s compare ourselves to the genre’s origins, Vampire Survivors. We still keep the core of being a bullet heaven with both vertical and horizontal metaprogression elements, but during gameplay runs we place our items in a 3×4 grid where items can influence each other. This means making builds on the fly is a very important part of performing well and of course absolutely breaking the game. 

Take us a little deeper into this hellhole. What’s the story behind Devil Jam? Who will we be playing, and what will our purpose be, if not to conquer the music industry?

Baue: The player will start off playing as Falco, a human tempted by the Devil to sign a contract that brought out his musical talent, but ended up dragging him to Hell after. Turns out the Devil owns his own music label, but has been losing against some other artists, Death and his fellow musicians. He now sends you out to put on a show and become a better metal legend than Death himself with the promise of returning to life if you can complete this nigh-impossible challenge.

Could you tell us a bit more about the gameplay, as well as the challenges that we might face during our descents into the seventh circle?

Baue: As mentioned before, utilizing the space you get with your inventory is the key to success. Strategizing by finding synergies between items and placements lets our players make completely unique builds. To do this we get help from the 7 Deadly Sins, which represent the executives who work for the Devil’s label.  And believe me, you’ll need their help to crush Death’s rabid fans that want to take you down.

After taking down enough of them you’ll gain the attention of Death’s crew who will try to take you down themselves. Making it through them will see you in an epic metal showdown against Death!

Shaking hands with the devil sounds as if it might come with a few unwritten curveballs. Do you have any words of advice for those who might be interested in joining the Devil Jam band?

Baue: Always, and I mean always, read the fine print. Even if he technically is on your side, he will do anything to make it worth it for himself. By making you work to grow the label and reaping the rewards for himself, to offering some sneaky special deals during runs that will come with some serious costs. Better think twice before dealing with the Devil.

Devil Jam is targeting a Q3 2025 release on Steam, that much we know. That leaves another question for us to ponder: when will the game touch base with the likes of Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch? Are we likely to see a console release before year’s end?

Baue: Sadly console releases will not be happening… This year that is! We currently have planned that the console releases will happen on all major platforms a few months later, most likely in Q1 2026.

Where might potential metal fans and Devil Jam roadies be able to find more information on the game ahead of its official launch? Are there any social channels, event details, or newsletters that might further interest our readers?

Baue: On our website you can check out the catalogue of games we’ve made so far. Besides that we post frequently on Instagram, bsky, Twitter, Tiktok and our Discord server. With bigger posts and announcements following on our LinkedIn, Steam and YouTube!

You’ve been brilliant, thank you. Would you like to add any final details on the game before we wrap this up? Is there anything you would like to say to our readers?

Baue: We’re still a young team here on the Devil Jam project, but we sincerely hope that we can reach as many people as we can with a game we are proud of. Also, have fun finding all the little references placed in when it’s out! Thank you for checking us out and expect to hear more of us in the future!

You can source even more information on Rogueside’s Devil Jam on their respective X channel here. For even more news coverage on the game ahead of its global debut, be sure to add it to your wishlist on Steam here.