An indie team needs $60,000 to complete the adventure game Jesus Christ
We continue our series on games seeking investments or publishers. Next up is a feature on the Russian team Sunday Morning Meet-up Studio, who are developing the satirical adventure Jesus Christ.
This column is supported by the WN Game Finder service for publishers and investors looking for games.
Jesus Christ
Irina Rusakova, the project's creator, shared details about the project.
Irina Rusakova
About the Team
The Jesus Christ team consists of nearly 12 members. It includes several writers—essential for this narrative-driven game—two game designers, programmers, artists, and a marketer.
We all started as game design students at the Higher School of Economics, where the project began six years ago when the idea first emerged. A few years later, we formed a team to bring this idea to life. Our team members already have experience in project development at game studios and freelancing, and we are bringing this experience into our game.
Jesus Christ
About the Project
Jesus Christ is a point-and-click adventure with elements of a visual novel and mini-games set in a heavenly office. We tell the story of "hippie" Jesus, focusing on his complicated relationship with his father, his office career, and his escapades in a heavenly bar.
Our strengths lie in vibrant and memorable art and reimagining familiar themes. The game is set in a divine office spanning seven days, during which Jesus prepares for the divorce of Adam and Eve and helps mortals.
Slide from the pitch
Each day features different activities: players will encounter God Yahweh, chat with Jesus’ diverse colleagues, play cards with Satan, and have heartfelt conversations at the bar.
Currently, we have completed one day-episode, prepared mechanics for all mini-games, and outlined the main storyline. As our team’s core processes are well-established, we plan to complete development within the next year and a half.
About Gameplay/Mechanics
Jesus Christ balances between point-and-click gameplay with puzzles and a visual novel. The key mechanic is making narrative choices in dialogues, advancing the story. One of our main goals was not only to create an engaging narrative but also to spice it up with unique mini-games.
We ensured these mechanics were meaningful rather than merely obligatory. They are directly tied to the narrative: mini-games represent work in the divine office, helping mortals and colleagues.
For example, tasks helping people are framed through "Wikipedia" and "Photoshop" interfaces, while conversations with a best friend occur in a chat window resembling "Telegram."
Jesus Christ
About the Target Audience
We have a clear target audience—young people (hello to "Zoomers" aged 16 to 25) who grew up on Hercules cartoons and are now fans of "Hazbin Hotel" or "American Gods." Our target audience is mainly international—we focus on English-speaking countries and Asian markets, where games of our genre are particularly popular.
Among our closest audience references are VA-11 HALL-A, which sold around 1.5 million copies, A Date with Death, which reached over 600,000 players, and the new The Roleplaying Gods, which sold about 100,000 copies within six months with minimal marketing expenses.
Slide from the pitch
About the Business Model
The project aims to follow a premium model through direct sales. Following extensive research and referencing other games, we set the price at $15 per copy. This is slightly lower than The Roleplaying Gods but well aligned with our audience's purchasing power.
About the Metrics
We are currently aiming for approximately 25,000 wishlists. To achieve this, we have laid out a detailed marketing strategy that involves promoting through social media and partnering with influencers. We plan to launch it closer to the release—a year prior.
About What We're Looking For
We need investment for our game—according to our business plan, we require about $60,000 to complete "Jesus Christ." This funding will be used to develop the remaining six day-episodes. We are also interested in finding a publisher and marketing support as the game nears release.
Jesus Christ
How to Contact
Irina Rusakova, project creator:
- Telegram: https://t.me/murmupa
- Email: murmupa.games@gmail.com
