Gaelic football fans have been in video game purgatory hoping someone to take the reins and bring the sport back from the dead in virtual form.
The last game was released back in 2007 when Australian studio, Transmission Games released Gaelic Games: Hurling and Gaelic Games: Football 2 on the PlayStation 2.
For a studio that was more used to making Aussie rules games, they did the bare minimum and while it sold incredibly in Ireland, the games were rough around the edges to say the least.
At the time those games came out, Peadar McMahon was in college studying computer science at Queen's University. The Armagh native felt it was something he could take on.
"For my final year project I made a prototype for a Gaelic football game. While it was just a player taking shots on a goalkeeper, that was where the idea really came from," he says, speaking to BreakingNews.ie.
For the next few years, the idea was always in the back of his mind as he tried to get the game off the ground.
"In 2019, we launched a Kickstarter to try and raise the profile of the game. I didn't expect it to be successful, and it wasn't, but through that I made contact with my current business partner.
That partner is Sebastian Giompaolo, who has made a number of Rugby League and Aussie Rules. Much like Peadar, he saw a gap in the market and was willing to support a studio to make the game.
From there, they created a brand-new studio, Buck Eejit Games — Northern Irish slang for a loveable fool — and brought people on board to make it a reality.
Not everyone they hired is into Gaelic football, but Peadar and others on the team are there to make sure it looks and feels like Gaelic football.
"We actually created a whole new animation system for the game that makes things smoother. We are obviously trying to make it look as realistic as possible," he says.
While the gameplay approach they are going for is more of a realistic version of the sport, ultimately they want it to be fun to play.
"The problem with the older games was that you would often end up with a final score of 3 points to 2. We made adjustments, so the games were higher scoring and more like the real games.
"We want people to have fun and the more points you score, the more fun you are going to have," Peadar says.
Positive feedback
At last month's GamerFest, Buck Eejit had a demo people could play and, needless to say it was one of the most popular stalls at the event.
"People gave us really positive feedback and there were people buying tickets to GamerFest just so they could try out our game,"
"People were even asking 'Can I get it for Christmas' but sadly we had to tell them it is not ready yet," he says.
"One kid in a Kildare top came to the booth multiple times because he loved the demo so much. The demand is definitely there, and it is just about making the right adjustments, so it replicates the real-life game.
During this reporter's time with the demo, I chose Dublin (my home county) and faced Armagh (despite the developers saying every county was rated the same for the demo). I put five goals past Armagh and overall it was a high-scoring game.
Seeing as the pitch was modelled on Croke Park, I had loads of space to work with and there were a handful of moments where I had space in midfield to run into after Armagh over committed on kick-outs.
As a demo, it was far from perfect, but the foundations are there for a really fun and engaging Gaelic football game.
Grateful for the opportunity to be part of @GamerFestIE this year.
We had a fantastic time and the support and enthusiasm we received from attendees was incredible. 🥲
Thank you to everyone who stopped by to try our demo!#GamerFest #gaelicfootball pic.twitter.com/eXJOZZoGmr— Buck Eejit Games (@BuckEejitGames) October 24, 2023
Creation suite
One of the biggest challenges they are facing is getting both the Gaelic Athletics Association (GAA) and the Gaelic Player's Association (GPA)'s approval, so they can use the real county kits and players.
"It is what we want to happen, and hopefully we will know exactly where we stand in the next few weeks. We also have to be ready though, for the possibility we don't get their approval."
Thankfully, the game also has a robust creation suite akin to Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) where you can create players, clubs and tournaments.
"There are over 2,000 clubs in Ireland so getting all of their approval would have been a logistical nightmare. We also hope to have the option where you can create your local team and share it online for others to download.
Giving the reins to the players is a great way to help build a community around the game, and it is exactly what the game needs.
Thanks to social media, they have been able to cultivate an audience and one of their TikTok videos has over 400,000 views. They give people a glimpse of how the game is progressing and any updates they make.
In terms of when we can expect the game, there is still a good nine months of development to go. "I would love to be able to say that the game would be ready for next year's All-Ireland final, but it is going to happen, and the game is going to come out we can say that," Peadar says.
After a number of false dawns, it seems like Gaelic football fans will finally be able to play the real deal very soon.
@buckeejitgames Replying to @Cormac Being a local studio allows us to gain first hand experience working with Gaelic Football players and clubs. We hope to help represent the sport, it’s players and the fans in the video game community. #gaelicfootball #gaelicgames #videogames #gaming #gamedev #indiedeveloper #localbrand #irishsports #gaa ♬ original sound - Buck Eejit Games
