TITLE
Making the Acclaimed Cuphead Was a Lengthy Trial by Fire For a Brand-New Family
AUTHOR
Patrick Klepek
PUBLICATION
Crossplay
YEAR
2024
ARTICLE TYPE
Article
FROM THE ARTICLE
Maja Moldenhauer was in labor, anxiously awaiting an epidural to relieve some of the pain, when her husband, Chad, started yammering on about a major decision the couple had been contemplating: making a game. The two naively figured it would take a year to make the game they’d been dreaming up. But it would be many years, several more children, boldly deciding to leave their cozy day jobs, and a house remortgage before Cuphead arrived to commercial and critical acclaim in September 2017.“I was telling Maja while she was like ‘Wahoo!’’ said Chad, noting the sometimes woozy feeling that follows an epidural injection.
“This is a great idea! [laughs]” said Maja, looking back with humorous hindsight.
But, like developers and parents, they didn’t know what they didn’t know.
The couple spoke to me last year, celebrating 10 years since forming Studio MDHR, and six years since the launch of Cuphead. The early days of what would become Cuphead coincided with the birth of their first child, and an uncertain future as parents and developers. Today, they have three children—ages spanning 9, 7, and 4—and have also turned their hope of being full-time developers into a reality.
COMPANIES MENTIONED
Studio MDHR
GAMES MENTIONED
Cuphead
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Chad Moldenhauer
Maja Moldenhauer