The Origin of Tony Shoulders

The name "Tony Shoulders" was born during Tony's time as a Twitch streamer. "Back then, I often wore tank tops during my streams, and since I worked out regularly, my community started playfully referring to me as 'Tony Shoulders,' given my name is Anthony," Tony recalls. Embracing the name, Tony decided to make it his official developer moniker—a fun nod to his supportive community and a reminder of his personal journey.

For Tony, game development is more than just a hobby; it's his profession and passion. "Almost every morning, I wake up at 3 a.m. to work on my projects before attending to my real-life responsibilities," Tony shares. Despite having no background in game development or coding, he taught himself everything from the ground up when creating his debut game, Ethel. His dedication to the craft is evident, and he aspires to make game development a sustainable career for his family.

Horror games, in particular, offer Tony a unique outlet for storytelling. "Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always engaged in something creative—whether it was writing comic books, making music, or producing funny podcasts. There’s something about the horror genre that fuels my creativity and allows me to tell stories that can leave players both shocked and amazed."

The Birth of 'Claire'

After completing Ethel, Tony initially thought the story was complete. However, a brilliant idea from his wife sparked the creation of a new horror game, which quickly evolved into a sequel to Ethel, now titled Claire. "What started as a single thought quickly grew into more ideas, leading me to realize I could develop it into a sequel to Ethel," Tony explains. His love for horror games and his desire to create a game that could genuinely scare and thrill players fueled this project’s evolution.

The Development Journey

"I chose horror because I love watching people play horror games on YouTube and seeing their reactions to the scares. I always believed I could make a compelling horror game myself," Tony shares. Initially, he was intimidated by Unreal Engine 5 and didn't touch it, thinking it required years of experience. However, in October 2023, while taking a break from studying for his real estate license, Tony found an in-depth Unreal Engine tutorial on YouTube. "Following the tutorial, I successfully created a prototype where a gray bot chased me around a simple map. This small victory boosted my confidence and reignited my passion for game development."

Tony has been working on Claire for about six months. While Ethel took just over five months to complete, Claire is a much more ambitious project, incorporating a broader range of features and mechanics. With the experience gained from Ethel, Tony is now able to deliver a more advanced and immersive gaming experience.

While Tony doesn’t have any major updates planned for Claire at the moment, he is planning an update for Ethel that will be released before Claire officially launches. Though his focus is currently on completing Claire, Tony has a wealth of ideas for future projects, promising more exciting games to come.