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Zulubo Productions

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Zulubo Productions
Information
Industry Video game development and publishing
Notable Personnel Zach Tsiakalis-Brown
Products Vertigo, Vertigo Remastered, Vertigo 2, Blueshift
Website zulubo.com


Reviewed 12 October 2026. Studio identity and history, game and expansion credits and release dates, cited storefront availability notices, Valve controller work, awards, and public development material About review dates.

Zulubo Productions is the independent game studio and publishing name of Zach Tsiakalis-Brown, whose work includes virtual reality games and music. Its VR releases include Vertigo, Vertigo Remastered and Vertigo 2. The studio's website describes it as a studio run by Tsiakalis-Brown alone.[1][2] Tsiakalis-Brown also worked under contract for Valve on Moondust controller demonstrations and the Hands-On update to The Lab. These projects are distinct from games published under the Zulubo Productions name.[3][4]

History

The studio traces its origins to a YouTube channel for animation and amateur short films created in 2010. Development of its first major game, Vertigo, began in 2015 with artists Errol Bucy and George Eracleous joining Tsiakalis-Brown.[1] The original game was released on Steam on December 22, 2016, with all three credited as developers and Zulubo Productions as publisher.[5]

Early development of Vertigo 2 overlapped with Tsiakalis-Brown's schooling and contract work at Valve. He returned to independent development in 2020 and released Vertigo Remastered that July.[1][6] The remaster updated the original game's presentation and interactions; an independent launch review credited Zulubo as publisher and Tsiakalis-Brown, Eracleous and Bucy as developers.[7]

Vertigo 2 launched for PC VR on March 30, 2023.[8] Tsiakalis-Brown carried out most of its development, including programming, art, writing and music. His 2023 interview identified contributions from friends to the world and story, contracted voice performances, community playtesting and some stock animations.[2] A PlayStation VR2 edition followed in January 2024, published by Perpetual, as listed by the PlayStation Store.[9] The PC story expansion Into the Aether was released on April 25, 2025.[10]

Games and expansions

The following table separates original releases, remasters and downloadable expansions. Dates are those listed by the respective stores; a historical release date does not establish continued sale.[5][6][8]

Release Date Scope and credits
Blueshift December 21, 2016 VR flight experiment using wings and rocket boosters. Steam credits Zach Tsiakalis-Brown and Raul Bravo as developers, with Zulubo Productions as publisher. The store lists it as a free Early Access release and cautions that its development information may be outdated.[11]
Vertigo December 22, 2016 Story-based first-person shooter originally described for the HTC Vive. Developer credits name Tsiakalis-Brown, George Eracleous and Errol Bucy. Its Steam page states that the original is no longer available on the store.[5]
Vertigo Remastered July 21, 2020 Reworking of the original game, with physics-driven weapon handling, revised interactions and content, and teleportation or smooth locomotion. Zulubo Productions is its Steam publisher.[6][12]
Vertigo Remastered - Sandbox DLC October 15, 2020 Expansion requiring Vertigo Remastered. It adds game modes, weapons, a level editor and Workshop sharing. Tsiakalis-Brown is credited as developer and Zulubo Productions as publisher.[13]
Vertigo 2 March 30, 2023, PC release Single-player VR adventure set in a subterranean quantum reactor. The Steam edition credits Tsiakalis-Brown as developer and Zulubo Productions as publisher, with SteamVR and tracked controller support.[8]
Vertigo 2, PlayStation VR2 edition January 15, 2024, US digital listing PS5 edition requiring PlayStation VR2 and PS VR2 Sense controllers. The store identifies Perpetual as publisher and lists sitting, standing and roomscale play styles.[9]
Vertigo 2: Into the Aether April 25, 2025 Story expansion requiring the PC base game. New tools include the Void Grappler for attaching to surfaces and swinging, and the Void Deflector for deflecting attacks. Developed by Tsiakalis-Brown and published by Zulubo Productions.[10]

VR interaction and development

The Vertigo games combine exploration and shooting with physical controller interactions. Vertigo Remastered supports teleportation and smooth movement, and its official feature list includes an experimental asymmetric co-op mode for a spectator.[12] Vertigo 2 also supports both movement methods and gives its weapons distinct reload interactions.[14]

In his 2023 account of Vertigo 2's development, Tsiakalis-Brown said that playing Boneworks prompted him to rewrite the interaction system around physics. He also cited Half-Life: Alyx as an influence on environmental detail and polish.[2]

The studio's games also include tools for creating content inside VR. Vertigo Remastered's Sandbox DLC provides a level editor and Workshop sharing.[13] Vertigo 2's Bottomless Update, released in late 2023, added alternative playable characters and gameplay modifiers alongside the final version of its level editor.[15]

Valve controller demonstrations

Moondust

Tsiakalis-Brown's portfolio describes an initial Knuckles controller demonstration and subsequent contract work on Moondust. The demonstrations explored the controllers' individual finger input and interaction methods.[3] Moondust was made for the Knuckles development controllers that preceded the Valve Index Controllers. Its Steam listing credits Tsiakalis-Brown and Keith Bradner as developers and Valve as publisher; the listing is unlisted from store search but remains accessible directly.[4]

The developer guide describes four scenes: crushing rocks using finger and force sensing, driving a remote-controlled lunar buggy, assembling small space-station components with grip or pinch input, and throwing grenades and squeezable objects. Moondust was used to test controller design choices and possible game mechanics.[16] Independent reporting at the June 2018 reveal described the same controller demonstration and its restriction to Knuckles hardware.[17]

The guide records an example of iteration on capacitive and force input. An early rock-crushing interaction required sustained squeezing; the developers changed it to an immediate force threshold after finding the original tiring and apparently unresponsive. They also combined sensor inputs to calculate the release timing for throws. These are the developers' accounts of that prototype, rather than measured comparisons with other controller systems.[16]

Valve published Moondust's source code and assets on GitHub. The repository describes a Unity 2018.2 project using the SteamVR Input System for Knuckles EV2 and EV3. Its license statement excludes assets in the Portal folder from the otherwise predominantly BSD-licensed material, so the source release does not give unrestricted reuse rights to every included asset.[18]

The Lab Hands-On update

After Moondust, Tsiakalis-Brown worked on the Hands-On update to Valve's The Lab.[1][3] Announced in August 2019, it added SteamVR skeletal input, including finger tracking on Index controllers, and changed previously fixed controller-button inputs into rebindable actions.[19][20] The update overhauled object interactions so that virtual hands could push and collide with objects, added Steam Audio spatialization, and made game and physics code independent of frame rate.[19]

Recognition

Award or selection Year or edition Result
UploadVR Best of VR 2023 Vertigo 2 was selected as VR Game of the Year and Favorite New PC VR Game. Tsiakalis-Brown received Best VR Developer.[21]
Road to VR Game of the Year 2023 Vertigo 2 received the PC VR Game of the Year selection.[22]
D.I.C.E. Awards 27th annual awards, 2024, recognizing 2023 releases Vertigo 2 was a finalist for Immersive Reality Technical Achievement and Immersive Reality Game of the Year. The organizer's list credits Zulubo Productions and developer Zach Tsiakalis-Brown.[23]

Music and public development material

Tsiakalis-Brown composed the Vertigo 2 soundtrack, distributed separately under the Zulubo Productions publisher name. Its Steam listing describes more than two hours of original music written during development.[24]

In June 2025, he announced a public concept-art archive and a folder containing a selection of Vertigo 2 models and other assets.[25] In March 2026, he also made old Vertigo 2 builds from 2019 and 2020 available through the studio's website, warning that the old builds could corrupt save files.[26]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Zulubo Productions". Zulubo Productions. https://www.zulubo.com/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Harry Baker (2023-04-29). "Interview: How Zach Tsiakalis-Brown Brought Vertigo 2 To Life". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/vertigo-2-interview/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Zach Tsiakalis-Brown. "Portfolio". Zulubo Productions. https://zuluboproductions.squarespace.com/portfolio. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Moondust: Knuckles Tech Demos". Steam. https://store.steampowered.com/app/887260/Moondust_Knuckles_Tech_Demos/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Vertigo". Steam. https://store.steampowered.com/app/465430/Vertigo/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Vertigo Remastered". Steam. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1318090/Vertigo_Remastered/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  7. ↑ Scott Hayden (2020-07-23). "‘Vertigo Remastered’ Review – a Pioneering VR Shooter Revitalized for 2020". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/vertigo-remastered-review-pioneering-vr-shooter-revitalized-2020/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Vertigo 2". Steam. https://store.steampowered.com/app/843390/Vertigo_2/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Vertigo 2". PlayStation Store. https://store.playstation.com/en-us/concept/10009050. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Vertigo 2: Into the Aether". Steam. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3305800/Vertigo_2_Into_the_Aether/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  11. ↑ "Blueshift". Steam. https://store.steampowered.com/app/565030/Blueshift/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Vertigo Remastered". Zulubo Productions. https://www.zulubo.com/vertigo. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Vertigo Remastered - Sandbox DLC". Steam. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1432470/Vertigo_Remastered__Sandbox_DLC/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  14. ↑ "Vertigo 2". Zulubo Productions. https://www.zulubo.com/vertigo2. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  15. ↑ Henry Stockdale (2025-04-22). "Vertigo 2: Into The Aether's Story Trailer Teases Friday's PC VR DLC Release". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/vertigo-2-into-the-aether-story-trailer/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Zulubo, Lawrence and Keith (2018-06-21). "Moondust: Creating Content for Knuckles EV2". Steam Community. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1417294437. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  17. ↑ Ben Lang (2018-06-22). "Valve Reveals Latest Knuckles Dev Kit & New ‘Moondust’ Tech Demo". Road to VR. https://roadtovr.com/valve-reveals-latest-knuckles-controller-dev-kit-new-moondust-tech-demo/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  18. ↑ "Moondust - Knuckles Tech Demos". ValveSoftware on GitHub. https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Moondust. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "The Lab: Hands-On Update". Valve, Steam Community. 2019-08-29. https://steamcommunity.com/games/450390/announcements/detail/1589129608838466210. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  20. ↑ Jamie Feltham (2019-08-29). "Valve Adds Index Controllers, Physics Overhaul To The Lab". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/the-lab-index-controllers/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  21. ↑ Harry Baker (2023-12-21). "UploadVR's Best of VR 2023 Awards – Game Of The Year & More". UploadVR. https://www.uploadvr.com/uploadvr-best-of-vr-2023-game-of-the-year/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  22. ↑ "Road to VR’s 2023 Game of the Year Awards". Road to VR. 2023-12-21. https://roadtovr.com/game-of-the-year-2023-road-to-vr-quest-pc-psvr/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  23. ↑ "27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Finalists Revealed". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. https://www.interactive.org/awards/27th_dice_awards_finalists.asp. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  24. ↑ "Vertigo 2 Soundtrack". Steam. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2346240/Vertigo_2_Soundtrack/. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  25. ↑ Zach Tsiakalis-Brown (2025-06-13). "Vertigo 2 Concept Art Archive". Zulubo Productions. https://www.zulubo.com/blog/vertigo-2-concept-art. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
  26. ↑ Zach Tsiakalis-Brown (2026-03-03). "Vertigo 2 Archaeology". Zulubo Productions. https://www.zulubo.com/blog/vertigo-2-archaeology. Retrieved 2026-10-12.
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