As a teenager growing up in Laren, a town of a little over 10,000 people in North Holland, Dion Koster didn’t have much to do. However, he developed a few passionate interests such as skateboarding, breakdancing, hip-hop, and graffiti. When Sega released Jet Set Radio Future on the Xbox in 2002, Koster was ecstatic. The game was a remake of the Dreamcast title Jet Set Radio and featured music-pumping, graffiti-tagging skater gangs in futuristic Tokyo. Koster felt like the game was specifically made for him and it enticed him with its futuristic elements and added technology.
Koster’s fascination with Jet Set Radio Future inspired him to create his own game, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk. He co-founded Team Reptile, a mid-sized independent studio, with Tim Remmers in 2011. Bomb Rush is an action-packed game about rival graffiti gangs set in the futuristic metropolis of New Amsterdam. Players can run, bike, skate, or dance their way through the vibrant cityscape, leaving their mark by tagging buildings and subway cars. They can also assemble crews and perform trick combos to earn points and increase their street reputation. Bomb Rush is not only a tribute to Koster’s youthful passions but also a spiritual successor to Jet Set Radio Future, sharing many similarities.
Although the idea for Bomb Rush had been in Koster’s mind for years, the scale of the project seemed daunting for Team Reptile. The studio initially developed smaller fighting games, gradually gaining recognition with titles like Megabyte Punch and Lethal League Blaze. After the success of Lethal League Blaze, Koster felt confident that the studio was ready to take on a larger project like Bomb Rush. Despite the risks involved in creating a game inspired by a relatively unknown cult title that never received a sequel, Koster was determined to follow his passion. He acknowledges that Bomb Rush may appeal to a niche audience, but he made it with genuine love and dedication.
After encountering delays due to setbacks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and adjusting to a larger team, Bomb Rush is finally nearing completion. Despite the possibility of not being fully understood or appreciated by everyone, Koster remains proud of his creation. Bomb Rush is deeply personal to him, and he’s willing to continue making more content regardless of the opinions of others. The game is set to be released on PC, PS4, Xbox, and Switch in the summer of 2023.